December 24
The fourth Sunday of Advent will be celebrated in worship at 11 a.m. on December 24th. Come celebrate the great Gospel reversals of the Magnificat. The Hunger for Change Offering will be received during worship. There will be no Sunday School on the 24th.

December 17
A Service of Lessons and Carols will be held on the third Sunday of Advent, December 17, 2017. Please join us at 11 a.m. for this special service of worship.

The PC(USA) Joy Gift Offering will be received, supporting financial assistance programs of the Board of Pensions and Presbyterian racial ethnic schools and colleges.

ADVENT MIDWEEK CAROLING AND WORSHIP WITH COMMUNION

Join us as we gather on Wednesdays on the Main Street steps for candlelight caroling at 5:45 p.m. followed by a procession of light into the sanctuary where worship with Holy Communion will begin at 6:00 p.m. A light supper will be provided at 6:30 p.m. in Watts-Hill Hall. Donations will be received to offset meal costs. December 13 – meditation by Alex Stayer-Brewington; December 20– meditation by Mary Berry.

Sunday, December 3 – Kids and youth will make crafts at the Advent Festival during Sunday School (9:45-10:45 a.m.).  Adults will make crafts and visit the fair following worship!  Click 2017 Alternative Gifts Fair to see who’s coming to the fair this Sunday!  Remember to bring your checkbook!  Refreshments provided.  All are welcome.

Click Advent and Christmas Brochure 2017 to view opportunities for worship and fellowship at FPC during Advent and Christmas!  All are welcome!

FPC’s Racial Equity Task Force invites you to a screening of “13^th,” an award-winning 2016 documentary that explores the history of institutional racism and the mass incarceration of African-American males.  Screening the documentary will provide an opportunity to participate in an ongoing discussion about institutional racism, its impacts, and our responsibility as Christians and the Church. The film is 100 minutes and can be seen on Netflix.  Join us on Sunday, December 3 from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. in Watts-Hill Hall.  Pizza and drinks provided; $3 per person.  RSVP: Please email, call, or text Kathy Conner ([email protected] or 919-451-5445) to RSVP or for details.  Watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V66F3WU2CKk

This Sunday, October 29, 2017, Scott H. Hendrix, Professor Emeritus of Reformation History and Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, will lead the 9:45 a.m. Faith and Community Class at First Presbyterian Church, Durham on Martin Luther and the Reformation. The class will meet in the Watts-Hill Hall.  It was 500 years ago, on October 31, 1517, that German monk and professor, Martin Luther, nailed his now famous 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral in Germany, beginning what came to be known around the world as the Protestant Reformation. 

Hendrix earned a Ph.D. in Reformation studies from Tübingen University in Germany and has chaired the Continuation Committee of the International Congress for Luther Research.  Among his many publications are Martin Luther: Visionary Reformer (2015), Luther (2009) and Martin Luther: A Very Short Introduction (2010).  Yale University Press writes of Hendrix’s most recent work,   “the author presents Luther as a man of his time: a highly educated scholar and teacher and a gifted yet flawed human being driven by an optimistic yet ultimately unrealized vision of “true religion”.  Relying on the latest research and quoting extensively from Luther’s correspondence, Hendrix paints a richly detailed portrait of an extraordinary man who, while devout and courageous, had a dark side as well.”

Hendrix lives in Pittsboro(Fearrington Village) with his wife, Emilee.  First Presbyterian is delighted that he will be with us as we observe the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation.

There will be a celebration reception on Sunday, October 29 following worship honoring Dorothy Graham for her longstanding commitment to First Presbyterian Day School and high-quality pre-school education in the Durham community.  Members are asked to bring letters of affirmation and congratulations to Dorothy for a scrapbook being compiled for her for this occasion.  Letters can be dropped off this week in the church office.

This Sunday, October 18, we will join a multi-faith effort to celebrate National Children’s Sabbath, recognizing the gifts that children everywhere bring to our life together.

We currently have more than 100 infants, children, and youth on our rolls at First Presbyterian, which is both a great joy and an awesome responsibility.  During worship this Sunday, we will celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism, and dedicate new Bibles to our 3^rd graders.  New members will also be welcomed.  Please join us for our online worship at 11:00 a.m.  Click here.