At First Presbyterian Church of Fort Thomas, we believe in the power of collective action and the importance of extending our faith beyond our walls. That's why we're excited to participate in One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS), a special offering within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that makes a tangible difference in the lives of people facing hardship around the globe.

OGHS is more than just a collection; it's a powerful expression of our commitment to God's love and justice. It's one of the major ways that Presbyterians come together to support those in need. Specifically, OGHS funds three key programs:

• Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA):
  • PDA provides immediate and long-term support to communities recovering from natural and human-caused disasters.
• Presbyterian Hunger Program (PHP):
  • PHP works to alleviate hunger and address the root causes of poverty, both domestically and internationally.
• Self-Development of People (SDOP):
  • SDOP empowers communities to address the issues that affect their lives, fostering self-reliance and sustainable development.

While OGHS has a global reach, its principles and spirit resonate deeply within our local Fort Thomas community. Here's how:

• Cultivating Compassion:
  • Participating in OGHS reminds us of our interconnectedness with the world and cultivates a spirit of compassion within our congregation. This heightened awareness encourages us to be more mindful of the needs of those around us, both near and far.
• Strengthening Our Values:
  • By contributing to OGHS, we reinforce our church's commitment to service and social justice. These values translate into our daily lives, inspiring us to be active participants in making Fort Thomas a more caring and equitable community.
• Reinforcing the importance of giving:
  • Giving to causes such as OGHS, helps to show our children, and community the importance of giving to those that are less fortunate. This helps to make our community a better place.

From March 5th to Easter Sunday, we invite you to join First Presbyterian Church of Fort Thomas in participating in One Great Hour of Sharing. Your generous contributions will help bring hope and healing to those facing adversity.
Let us embody the spirit of Christ by sharing our blessings with those who need them most.
We encourage everyone to:

• Learn more about OGHS through the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) website.
• Give generously during our services or online.
• Share this message with your friends and family.

Together, we can make a difference.

You can make a contribution to OGHS by selecting the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance fund. Before submitting you will have a chance to write a memo that says OGHS.

I am not a great fan of certain aspects of social media but I will admit to be absolutely addicted to We Rate Dogs!  On November 2nd there was a short video posted of a pup trying to learn how to make it up the basement stairs. His name is King. Basement stairs are trickier than regular stairs because there are no vertical boards between the flat steps on top as you go up. If you happen to be a short statured furry four legged person you end up looking right through the staircase and if you are a small pup you can end up walking through the staircase instead of up.
This is what happened to King. Multiple times. King tried to get up the stairs but was confused and couldn't make it up to his mom. It was adorable watching him try though. If you turn the volume on you can hear mom cheering for him and encouraging him.
What really made the difference for King was his brothers and sisters. The other doggos in the family already knew how to go up and down the stairs and in the video you can see them energetically showing off their skills running up and down the steps. King keeps going through the staircase and eventually one of the older dogs goes back down the stairs, and pauses, King comes back out from under the stairwell and sees the older dog go up the stairs and King follows. King is finally able to make it up the stairs. YAY!!!
I was thinking that most of us are kind of like King in some ways. We really want to be in contact with our Heavenly Parent but we are pretty confused about how to get there. Most of us put in a lot of effort and end up running through the stairs numerous times before we realize that we don't have to do this on our own. There are those who have been going up and down the stairs a long time and they are happy to walk with us young pups- spiritually speaking.  I think this is a great image of the church and what we can be for one another- encouragement, support, and help on this journey of faith.  Blessings!

I have been finding myself longing for a place to delve into the topics that keep me awake at night in an honest and faithful way.  The problem is that so many people shy away from these difficult topics because they don't want to offend, or they don't want to have to choose sides. Either that or I find myself listening to the selective soundbites of whichever political group the person leans toward without much depth or personal wrestling.
This is one of the reasons that I am so glad and honored to welcome Dr. Dean Nicholas to First Presbyterian to share some of his scholarly and personal experiences on what has led up to and what is currently happening in Israel and Palestine. Yes, Dr. Nicholas is a scholar and has the academic bona fides to speak on this topic, and he will, but what I am looking forward to hearing again is his deep care for those caught up in the cycles of violence from the relationships he has curated over his years of travel and study in the Holy Land.
I think of the imagery that was used in Jesus' day to encourage close following of one's rabbi- disciples were encouraged to follow so closely that the dust of the rabbi's feet would cover the students following behind.  Our friend Dean is dusty from having followed residents of both Israel and Palestine around in their villages and neighborhoods. He has years of relational experience to add to his scholarly knowledge and I look forward to hearing him speak from both his head and his heart.
I hope to see you all Wed. November 8th at 7pm!  Pastor Amy

Note: This post and accompanying image were created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence.

Introduction:

We on the tech team are excited to launch a new mobile app and website! These new tools will help us better connect as a community of faith in Fort Thomas and spread the love of Jesus to those who are seeing a place of acceptance and are hungering for guidance in this complicated world we live in! We'll be providing multi-generational training in the coming weeks. And be on the lookout for the creative new ways FTFPC will be reaching out in Fort Thomas, greater Cincinnati, and beyond!