Bill was an active member of First Presbyterian Church in Durham. His memorial service will be held here at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 15, 2025, which would have been his 96th birthday. A reception will follow. He will be buried in Lawrenceville, NJ.
A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Durham on Saturday, March 1 at 11:00 am. Maxie’s ashes will be interred in a family graveside service at Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Bear Creek at a later time.
The best memorial or tribute anyone could pay to Maxie’s life would be to be kind to one another, listen to one another, and lend a helping hand whenever possible. She was a strong believer in the work of the First Presbyterian Church Walk-In Ministry, and anyone so inclined might honor her with a contribution to that ministry. Checks would be made payable to First Presbyterian Church Walk-In Ministry with Maxie Honeycutt on the memo line and mailed to First Presbyterian Church 305 East Main Street Durham, NC 27701.
The McPherson Lectureship is dedicated to enriching the faith and life of First Presbyterian Church as well as the Durham, NC community. This lectureship is made possible through an endowment initially given to FPC by the McPherson family in memory of lifelong members Dr. and Mrs. Samuel D. McPherson, Sr, and Dr. Samuel D. McPherson, Jr. It was established in 1999 by Mrs. Margaret “Peaches” McPherson (wife of Dr. McPherson, Jr.) and her family. Following Mrs. McPherson’s passing in 2018, the lectureship now also honors her life of service and generosity. Former lecturers have been John Kuykendall (1999), J. Barrie Shepherd (2001), Beverly Gaventa (2002), Tom Long (2003), Joanna Adams (2004), Charles Kimball (2005), Nicholas Wolterstorff (2006), Joseph L. Roberts, Jr. (2007), Richard A. Lischer (2008), Stephen A Hayner (2009), Barbara Brown Taylor (2010), Leighton Ford (2011), Martha Moore-Keish (2012), Samuel L. Adams (2013), Emilie M. Townes (2014), Ron Cole-Turner (2015), Douglas F. Ottati (2016), Miroslav Volf (2017), Starsky D. Wilson (2018) and Mary Louise Bringle (2019), Wallace “Macky” McPherson Alston III (2021/2022), Robert Johnston and Catherine Barsotti (2023), and Willie James Jennings (2024).
2025 Author Bios
Robert (Bobby) Williamson, Jr., PhD, is Margaret Berry Hutton Odyssey Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. Ordained in the Presbyterian Church, USA, he was the founding pastor of Mercy Community Church and currently serves as Theologian in Residence at Canvas Community, both welcoming all people, especially those living on the streets, in Little Rock, Arkansas. He earned a Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible from Emory, a post-graduate diploma in Jewish Studies from Oxford, a master’s of divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta, and a bachelor’s degree from Clemson. He is the author of The Forgotten Books of the Bible: Recovering the Five Scrolls for Today (Fortress Press, 2018).
Amy Cooper Robertson, PhD, is Director of Lifelong Learning and Music at Congregation Or Hadash in Sandy Springs, Georgia. She studied Jewish texts and language at Harvard Divinity School and later at Emory, where she earned a PhD in Religion/Hebrew Bible. In Atlanta and in Cambridge, MA, Dr. Robertson has taught Tanakh, Judaism, Biblical Hebrew, and critical thinking and writing to undergraduates and graduate students. She is the author of several articles, including “Kohelet Teaches Us to Live for Today: Unexpected Wisdom for the Real World from Ecclesiastes.”
Together Drs. Robert Williamson, Jr. and Amy obertson produceBibleWorm, a weekly podcast in which they consider a passage of biblical text from their respective faith traditions. Starting from a place of friendship, trust, and love, Amy and Bobby find new and deeper meaning in these ancient, holy words. The BibleWorm podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other podcast apps.
ACTS OF REPARATION follows two friends as they explore what reparations means to them. Selina, who is Black, and Macky, who is white, have been friends and filmmaking partners for 25 years. Genealogy nerds, they travel south to reclaim and reckon with their roots. In the process they move from awkward outsiders toward belonging to broad kin networks who come along for the ride.
From kitchen tables to porches, lost cemeteries to discovered diaries, their journeys lead to unexpected opportunities that transform their friendship, families and communities. In Monroe, Louisiana, Selina gathers stories from a sisterhood of her great aunties who together sleuth to uncover the buried tales of their ancestors. In Penfield, Georgia, Macky challenges generations of his kin to dismantle privilege they inherited from enslavers and support Black leaders nearby. In Acts of Reparation, we see every day Americans become the change they want to see in the world.
Due to the potential of snow, sleet, and ice, the decision has been made by the pastoral staff to cancel all events related to First Presbyterian Church on:
Wednesday, February 19th after 12pm
Thursday, February 20th – All Day
We ask that you take heed to travel advisories and stay in where you are warm. You are encouraged to check on neighbors, especially the elderly, and those who live alone.
A Memorial Service will be held at 11a.m. on Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at First Presbyterian Church, 305 E. Main St., Durham, NC 27701. Pastor Mindy Douglas and Pastor Joe Harvard will officiate.
God, our refuge and our strength, you are an ever-present help in trouble.
You see the devastation caused by the California wildfires. You hear the cries of those suffering loss. You know the fear and anxiety and exhaustion of those waiting, hoping, helping as they watch the fires burn.
For those forced to abandon their homes and shelters in search of safety, we pray for your guidance to find places of rest. For those called to fight the fires, we pray for your strength to persevere. For those ministering to the injured, we pray for your wisdom and guidance to heal. For those mourning loss, we pray for your comfort. For those accompanying others, near or far, we pray for your upholding. For those still in danger’s path, we pray for your protection.
Now and in the days and weeks to come, we trust that you are present. You have promised that even in the darkest of valleys, you will never leave nor forsake your children.
God, our refuge and our strength, you are an ever-present help in trouble. As your incarnate presence brought hope to those in need, may the Church, your body, be the presence of help and hope in Los Angeles County and beyond.
In the name of Christ Jesus, Amen.
The Rev. Jihyun Oh is Stated Clerk of the General Assembly and Executive Director of the Interim Unified Agency.
October 1, 2024
Dear friends,
As you well know, the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene is almost unfathomable. In multiple states, the death toll continues to rise, and people are still stranded without electricity or water. Some have been able to leave the area and find places of refuge with family or friends. Others are in shelters not knowing what the next day will bring. People all around the country are in shock at what has happened to innumerable people, communities, towns, and cities.
Many in the areas where the devastation has occurred have turned to helping one another. Those of us who have witnessed the damage from afar continue to ask what we can do. We continue to hear messages urging people not to come, including a recent one from Orange County Sherriff’s Office as too many roads are still impassable and the ones that are passable need to be open for emergency vehicles. Some are gathering goods to take to those in need in different areas, but what is most needed by rescue organizations in this moment is money.
If you have means to contribute and are still looking for a place to give, I would recommend the following organizations doing work on the ground:
Hearts with Hands (swannanoa/asheville): a local organization supplying food to buncombe county sheltershttps://www.heartswithhands.org
Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM): donations help to pay for motel and food vouchers for local residents and long term support for those displacedAbccm.org/donations/ministry-fund/
Haywood Christian Ministry: WNC’s largest food pantry distributing food in Ashevillehcmnc.org
Diaper Bank: Babies need Bottoms Asheville: distributing children’s supplies including diapers, cream, and wipesbabiesneedbottoms.org
Asheville Habitat for Humanity: Asheville’s chapter helping to rebuild homes and repair damage from Helene ashevillehabitat.org
We will no doubt be sending goods and teams to help in the clean-up and rebuilding process in the weeks and months ahead. For now, in addition to your donations, please continue to hold all those affected by this storm and those who are on the ground providing aid and support in your prayers.
Mindy
Prayer for Hurricane Victims in Western, NC and Beyond
Lord God, as we watch in helplessness the devastation of rains and wind, we lift up our hearts in lament. For those whose homes have been washed away, Lord in your mercy. For the lives lost to trees and wreckage, Lord in your mercy. For the upheaval of the familiar and important, Lord in your mercy. For the safety of first responders and volunteers, Lord in your mercy. For the anxiety of waiting for contact, Lord in your mercy. For the loss of power, connection and comfort, Lord in your mercy. For those who do not have the resources to rebuild, whose lives will forever be scarred by this storm and whose families will suffer the injustice of poverty and inequity, Lord in your mercy. May our prayers not be the end of our compassion. May our words not be the only thing we offer. For Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Cuba. For all these O God, we name in this hour. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayers. “God is our refuge and our strength, our ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46). May you know God’s comforting presence and indominable strength in the midst of this tragedy.
Chile, that long skinny country in South America, stretches more than 2600 miles from north to south, but in some places the distance from the Pacific Ocean to the eastern border in the Andes mountains is only 40 miles. This land of deserts, volcanos, forests, and glaciers is home to a great variety of special birds and other wildlife. In November of last year, David and Judy Smith spent three weeks on a birding tour of Chile, and they returned with lots of photos and stories to share. Join them for a slide show on Sunday evening, Feb. 2, at 7:00 in the Robert Daye Meeting Room.
God, our refuge and our strength, you are an ever-present help in trouble.
You see the devastation caused by the California wildfires. You hear the cries of those suffering loss. You know the fear and anxiety and exhaustion of those waiting, hoping, helping as they watch the fires burn.
For those forced to abandon their homes and shelters in search of safety, we pray for your guidance to find places of rest. For those called to fight the fires, we pray for your strength to persevere. For those ministering to the injured, we pray for your wisdom and guidance to heal. For those mourning loss, we pray for your comfort. For those accompanying others, near or far, we pray for your upholding. For those still in danger’s path, we pray for your protection.
Now and in the days and weeks to come, we trust that you are present. You have promised that even in the darkest of valleys, you will never leave nor forsake your children.
God, our refuge and our strength, you are an ever-present help in trouble. As your incarnate presence brought hope to those in need, may the Church, your body, be the presence of help and hope in Los Angeles County and beyond.
In the name of Christ Jesus, Amen.
The Rev. Jihyun Oh is Stated Clerk of the General Assembly and Executive Director of the Interim Unified Agency.
Friday, November 22 at 7:30 p.m. (Doors open at 7:00 p.m.)
First Presbyterian Church of Durham invites jazz music lovers across the Triangle area for an evening of love, fellowship, and live jazz with Durham’s favorite ChamberSoul cellist and vocalist, Shana Tucker. This FREE, all-ages, family-friendly concert in the sanctuary is meant to bring people together for a collective “community hug” that nurtures the soul through music. Shana and her quintet will perform songs from her latest release, “Hiding in the Light” and other songs that celebrate our shared humanity and the sacredness of spirituality as the holiday season begins.
Parking is available behind the sanctuary and in adjacent parking lots and public parking decks off the 300 block of E. Liberty Street.
The Community Concert is generously supported by the Horst and Ruth Mary Meyer Fund for Music at First Presbyterian.
July 13, 20255th Sunday after PentecostAll Faith Formation classes begin at 9:45 a.m. Classes range from 2nd grade - Adult.
11:00 AM Worship (in-person and live-stream)
"Neighbor Love"Mindy DouglasWorship Bulletin
February 26, 2025 
