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Memorial Service for Andy Widmark
November 13, 2023 
Monday, November 13, 2023
10:00 a.m. in the sanctuary of FPC
The family will greet friends in the foyer following the service.
Pastries and coffee will be available in Watts-Hill Hall.
FPF Community-Wide Trunk or Treat Event
October 24, 2023 
| Join us for TRUNK or TREAT! Have you ever wanted to really do it up right for Halloween, but feel like a house is just too much? Have we got a ministry for you! Last year, we had a blast with FPC’s first-ever Trunk or Treat as FPC children and some kiddos from the community trick-or-treated at some tricked-out trunks in our parking lot. This year, we are hoping to invite even more of our neighbors and kids from the Day School, and we need your help! We need lots of trunks to be decorated and candy to be given out. All FPCers are invited to decorate a trunk. To sign up, contact Stephen Berry ([email protected]). The event is THIS Sunday, October 29, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. There will also be face-painting and hotdogs (to balance out all that candy). |
Prayer for Israel: A Nation at War
October 09, 2023 
| Dear friends, Last week, when our friends at the Jewish Community Center and Judea Reform had their lives interrupted by yet another threat of violence in the form of a bomb threat, I began to compose a letter to you. Before I finished that letter, intense violence broke out in Israel and Gaza as Hamas brazenly and violently attacked Israel. Hundreds of Israelis and Palestinians have been killed as a result. Many others have been kidnapped and are being held hostage. Destruction abounds across the region. We cannot be silent in the face of such horror. We have friends and neighbors in Durham who have already been dealing with persecution, threats, and hateful rhetoric against them because of their faith, race, and culture. They have friends and family members in Israel and Palestine and are terrified about what might happen to them, or what already has happened. As Christians, we follow a leader of peace. Jesus never chose violence as a solution. Violence is not the answer for people of faith who live in a covenant of love with God and with our neighbors. While there are many things we cannot do in this horrendous situation, we can offer words and gestures of support and kindness to our neighbors in Durham who are feeling attacked locally and globally. As others lash out with antisemitism and religious hatred, we can offer our prayers and support and seek to counterbalance the darkness and despair with regular infusions of light and hope. I invite you to join with me in this prayer for peace among all the nations: God of all the nations, we cry out to you for peace. We cry out for an end to acts of hatred and violence against innocent people of all ages in Israel and Gaza. We pray for an end to the horror. Stop the madness. Bring about the peace and love that we are called to share with our neighbors of every race and creed. May anything and everything we do here reflect that peace and love you have shown us through Jesus. God give us peace. Give the world peace. Save your people. Save us all. We lift our voices in prayer. Amen. With love, |
FPC Holds Community Blood Drive
November 04, 2024 
Thursday, May 1, 2025 from 1:00pm – 6:00pm
If you are healthy and it has been over 50 days since your last blood donation, please come out to donate on Thursday, May 1, 2025. Most donations take about an hour, so book your appointment, roll up your sleeve, and become a part of the lifesaving mission of the Red Cross.
Visit redcrossblood.org and use sponsor code firstpres to schedule your appointment.
Pauli Murray Documentary Showings
October 03, 2023 
Pauli Murray is the unofficial saint of Durham, and we all now have the special opportunity to view the award-winning film “My Name is Pauli Murray” at the homes of FPC members on five different dates in October.
The 91-minute film won the Peabody Award in 2022 and has been described by critics as a film that “educates and uplifts in equal measure while paying stirring tribute to a largely unsung — yet hugely important — individual.” It depicts Pauli’s life and struggles and influence on Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Thurgood Marshall.
This October and November members of FPC’s Racial Equity Task Force are opening their homes and inviting you to share this movie that is only available on Amazon Prime.
You can sign up for a showing at this link:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094EA4AD2DA46-44740033-pauli#/.
FPC’s second campaign to reduce medical debt a great success!
September 11, 2023 
Our Phase 2 Building Beloved Community campaign to reduce medical debt in North Carolina is another success story. This campaign began May 1 of 2023 and concluded on July 31. With the help of some of our church friends in the Triangle, a total of $34,030.18 was received in donations. Those funds have already been distributed and eliminated over $7.5 million dollars in medical debt to citizens in North Carolina. Thank you so much for your generous giving.
Click here to see how the money was distributed.
Come hear beautiful music in a beautiful space!
September 06, 2023 
On this Saturday, September 9, at 4:00 p.m., the SONAM (Singers of new and ancient music) will join forces with the Duke Chorale in a concert in our sanctuary. The concert is free, but donations will be taken and all proceeds will go to support First Presbyterian’s Walk-in Ministry.
The sanctuary and parking lot are handicap accessible.
The address for the church’s parking lot is 300 E. Liberty St. Additional parking is available in lots adjacent to the church off Liberty Street and on Queen Street.
Memorial Service for Wes Carson
August 28, 2023 
FPC member Carl Wesley (Wes) Carson passed away on August 2, 2023 at The Forest at Duke. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 2, 2023 at the church at 2:00 p.m. in the sanctuary. The family will receive friends in Watts-Hill Hall following the service.