December 15, 2020
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As we near the Christmas holiday, it has become obvious that we will not be able to gather for our traditional Christmas Eve services in the chapel and sanctuary. This is a sentence I write with great sadness, as our Christmas Eve services are among my favorites in this beautiful place.
I am thankful for the creativity of our church staff who have risen to the challenge of re-imagining our Christmas tradition so that we might worship amid the challenge of the present moment. Anna has worked to recreate our service in a way that we can share online. She has organized readers, singers, and candle lighters; Lee and Christian Bonnette have recorded the many pieces of the service in safe installments of a few individuals each evening all week long. Cathy has invited individuals and families to send in pictures of themselves lighting candles, in order that we might ‘share the light’ in a virtual way. Heather is working with families using crèche figures in a similar vein.
While none of us feels that this is a replacement for our Christmas Eve worship services that we all cherish, we are trying to faithfully recreate the service of Lessons and Carols in such a way that the integrity of the service and of our traditions is maintained. I am especially thankful for the talents of the two young men who have the gifts to record and then edit together the talents of singers, candle lighters, "pageant makers," and readers into a worship experience that we will share on Christmas Eve and beyond.
The video of our 2020 Lessons, Carols, and Songs begins its broadcast on Christmas Eve at 5:00 p.m. on our
Facebook page. Once on the page, scroll down to the top of the posts; it should be right there!!
As with all of our Sunday morning worship videos, it will remain stored on Facebook for future viewings.
Please join us as we celebrate the birth of our Lord!
In Christ,
Leslie Piper
Interim Pastor
November 12, 2020
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In light of the rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in Bay City, the Session of First Presbyterian Church has voted to move to streaming-only services. This decision comes after our initial joy in being able to return to the sanctuary for worship only one month ago. But our concern for our members and the awareness that inside gatherings, such as worship, can become super-spreader events have caused us to take this step to insure the safety of our worshipping community.
Services will be streamed at https://www.facebook.com/FirstPresBayCity, beginning with announcements at 9:50 each Sunday morning. Because services are stored on Facebook, you may view them at any time after the initial broadcast.
We hope that you will be able to join us on Sunday mornings as we continue to worship God in new and different ways, even as we look for an end to this pandemic when we can return to our house of worship.
Please be well and be safe.
In Christ,
Leslie Piper
Interim Pastor
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In light of the rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in Bay City, the Session of First Presbyterian Church has voted to move to streaming-only services. This decision comes after our initial joy in being able to return to the sanctuary for worship only one month ago. But our concern for our members and the awareness that inside gatherings, such as worship, can become super-spreader events have caused us to take this step to insure the safety of our worshipping community.
Services will be streamed at https://www.facebook.com/FirstPresBayCity, beginning with announcements at 9:50 each Sunday morning. Because services are stored on Facebook, you may view them at any time after the initial broadcast.
We hope that you will be able to join us on Sunday mornings as we continue to worship God in new and different ways, even as we look for an end to this pandemic when we can return to our house of worship.
Please be well and be safe.
In Christ,
Leslie Piper
Interim Pastor
Alma College Chorale
Under the direction of Dr. Will Nichols,Conductor
Accompanied by Anthony Patterson, Artist-in-Residence
Returning to First Presbyterian Church, Bay City!
WHEN: Sunday, February 9, during the 10 a.m. worship service
WHO: College Chorale is the largest choir on campus and is open to all Alma students based on live auditions. Membership is drawn primarily from the freshman, sophomore and junior classes. Some 15% of the singers are music majors, and the other 85% represent every other academic major on campus.
The 55-voice College Chorale is dedicated to:
- developing the musical skills and singing abilities of each member.
- providing singers the chance to rehearse and perform great choral music from the United States and around the world.
- fostering the physical, intellectual and spiritual enjoyment of singing.
JOIN US!!
Would you like a Bible for Your home?
Please join us for Worship on Sunday,
Nov. 10th at 10:00am and receive a Bible as a gift from us.
Please join us for Worship on Sunday,
Nov. 10th at 10:00am and receive a Bible as a gift from us.
