Classes and Fellowship Groups– First Presbyterian Church

Sunday Mornings, September – May, 9:00-9:45 am in Room 211 (Hebrews) on the second floor

Using short term series, we explore the Christian faith through what we believe about the Bible and its texts, through theological questions that have shaped the church, and through discussion of current issues to help us as Christians continue to wrestle and grow in our faith in the modern world. Past topics have included; “All Theology Has and Adjective : a Study of Various Theological Perspectives”, “One Nation Under God: The How and Why of the Rise of Christian Nationalism”, and “What Do Presbyterians Believe? ” For more information on these short term series, please check the events button below and look for the “HeBrews” events.

Are you looking for an inclusive, caring community of women to nurture your faith and work together to strengthen the church through study, prayer and service? A Presbyterian Women Circle might be the group for you. We gather for study, fellowship, laughter, support, and service.

We have three groups to choose from – pick whichever fits your schedule

1. After Work Bible Study – 4th Monday of the

Month at 5:30 pm on Zoom. Contact us for

the Zoom link

2. First Wednesdays of the Month (September

– June except January) at 9:30 am in Room

107 (by the Main Office)

3. Third Thursdays of the Month (September –

June except December) at 1:30 PM in Room

107 (by the Main Office)

In our society, power comes from two sources: organized money and organized people. We have all seen people or companies use money to influence how systems operate. But organized people can influence how systems operate too.

The biblical story of Nehemiah provides an example of powerless people coming together to do justice. The story goes like this… Nehemiah is a member of the king’s court in Babylon and he gets permission from the king to go home to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall around the city. When he gets there, he discovers there has been a terrible drought, which has caused a famine, and people have had to take out loans just to do basic things like buy food and pay taxes. When the people couldn’t repay the loans, the nobles and officials took everything. Their fields, vineyards, and orchards, and even forced people to sell their children into slavery to pay their debts.

The people of Jerusalem raised a cry of injustice to Nehemiah, and he knew the injustice must stop, but he knew that he alone could not put a stop to it. Verse seven of chapter five tells us that Nehemiah organized a great assembly of all the people who were trying to live out their lives in the midst of these conditions, and he brought the nobles and officials before that assembly. He said to the nobles and officials, “this is not right and it must stop. What has been taken from these people must be returned.” And when pressed during this assembly, the nobles and officials agreed to restore everything they had taken from the people, and they did as they had promised.

These there justice ministries are our attempt to do justice in our community, so that every person has all that they need to lead a healthy life.

As our church continues with bold action, as put forth by our Session, representing our core beliefs, a group is forming to make all aware of issues, happenings, injustices, etc. which are contrary to our Scripture-based values. This group is known as "Good Trouble: In keeping with the now deceased Rep. John Lewis' mantra: " Get into good trouble", and rooted in the 1960's decade for social change and civil rights, Rep. Lewis epitomized the teachings for Jesus Christ in the areas of social justice.

Christ commands us "to love one another as I have loved you". In today's world where we still have marginalized individuals/groups, this is a direct challenge to the social gospel of loving and caring for ALL.

Let’s be bold and honest here, our country is heading down a dangerous path. We are witnessing a time that is reminiscent of Europe in the 1930’s. We are literally rounding up selected groups/individuals, we are employing the use of concentration camps, we are stripping away due process guaranteed to all persons regardless of citizen status, we are taking away rights of people under the guise of “national security”, masked men are forcing people into vehicles with no accountability for their actions let alone governmental transparency. Just in the last 24 hours as I write this, President Trump has guaranteed citizenship to dozens of white South Africans while deporting dozens of brown American citizens. I could continue listing things, but I hope you get the picture.

How can we continue to recite The Pledge of Allegiance when a we hypocritically say “ … one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all”? What is our response? What is our responsibility as Christians? As humans? How should we respond/react. Is prayer “enough”? Is making phone calls and writing letters enough? What is enough?

I am reminded of the quote by Pastor Martin Niemoller written in post war 1946 as a confession:

First they came for the Communists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me

And there was no one left

To speak out for me

Many of you may know I was quite involved in visiting with the men on Nebraska’s Death Row. A group of us were able to visit the men once a quarter, and we did this for a number of years. Suddenly and without explanation, we are no longer able to do visit let alone correspond with these men. In getting to personally know these individuals, I have been able to see them from a different perspective than what has been portrayed about them in movies, documentaries, and news stories. I see them as human beings, members of the human race, and children of God. Isn’t this part of what we are to do? Matthew 25:40 challenges us with the following:

“The king will answer them, 'I tell all of you with certainty, since you did it for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.” International Version

Our society tells us these men are part of “the least” in our population. I continue in my quest to begin visiting as I now am in contact with our state legislators.

What issue do you feel emboldened in which to respond? Is it the street person who enters our sanctuary? How about the person begging outside a shopping center? What about the “foreign” student here attending school who is guilty only of speaking their mind? How about the hard- working immigrant who has been here for years, paying taxes, bettering the lives of their family members who is suddenly taken off the street? Is it the person in a mental health crisis – most recently with the triple homicide/suicide in Cozad?

While our “Good Trouble” group begins to boldly become educated, boldly act, please pray that hearts will be softened, that courage will be rendered, that vision will become clear. For in Micah 6:8, we are once again challenged:

“And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” NIV

Paul Smith

Interested in knowing more? Contact the office and we'll put you in touch with Paul and the rest of the group.