Be One in the Spirit
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. “1 Corinthians 12:4-12”
First Presbyterian Durham is called to partner with others of the Body of Christ.
“If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”
We seek to follow this lesson locally and around the world. At First Presbyterian, we’re beginning to appreciate how much we are blessed by some of those partners.
In April 2016, Iglesia Emanuel was chartered as an organized church in the PC-USA. For 12 years, it had been a New Church Development of the Presbytery of New Hope, supported by generous donations from the Presbytery, First Presbyterian and other congregations in Durham and Chapel Hill. Serving both the Hispanic community and the surrounding neighborhood, it offers Christian education, leadership training, pastoral care, neighborhood food bank, educational workshops, family retreats, two youth groups, student support groups, music lessons, summer soccer camp, and advocacy. It shares the building and works in partnership with Durham Presbyterian Church at 2504 N. Roxboro St.
Mission Networks bring together Presbyterians from around the United States who share a common international mission focus. World Mission Networks facilitate building and maintaining healthy partnerships, and provide a place for representatives of various PC(USA) partnerships to share information and coordinate their efforts. Our partners, even those who may seem weaker, teach us about the strength of the whole Body of Christ. In recent years, we have participated in the Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo mission networks.
Every year, teams of volunteers travel with Habitat for Humanity to Honduras where they spend 10 days helping build houses. These groups, led by Margaret and Miguel Rubiera, are ecumenical, bringing together people from a wide variety of faith backgrounds with the purpose of learning about life in Honduras, the second poorest country in the western hemisphere, as well as by making a tangible impact on the communities where they work. Participants discover that they are the ones most changed as they labor alongside families who are filled with joy and gratitude in spite of the clear challenges that dominate their lives. The Habitat homes are very small and basic, but represent opportunity, stability, and hope for the new homeowners.
First Presbyterian Quilters
The Presbyterian Quilters are an informal group of people who enjoy sewing, especially making beautiful quilts for babies and young children. They present each child in the congregation under the age of 3 with a hand-made quilt at the time of baptism. They also make 30 to 40 quilts to send on the annual Habitat trip to Honduras where they are given to babies in an orphanage and those born in the public hospital. Each quilt is a tangible expression of love from the congregation at First Presbyterian.
Presbyterian Campus Ministry at Duke University
Offering Duke students opportunities for fellowship, worship, study, reflection, service, and fun, the campus ministry’s goal is to bear witness to Jesus’s gospel in the Reformed tradition of the PC-USA and UCC denomination. The work of the ministry directly touches more than 400 persons both on and off the Duke campus.
Presbyterian Campus Ministry at North Carolina Central University
The mission of the Presbyterian Campus Ministry at NCCU is to bring campus, church and community together, as it invests in the lives of students that will go forth and lead the world. “What we do today will reflect in the world tomorrow.” Contact Rev. Linda Parker, (919) 667-9709.