Saturday Update (12/30/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. - Lamentations 3:22-23

Each new year reminds us of God’s continuous commitment to renewal. God grants us opportunities to see new things, do new things, and to revisit the past from a new perspective. Maybe you have experienced regret. May be you can think of things that you wish that you could have changed. The good news is that the new year reminds us of our call to restore relationships. Reconciliation is the primary message of Scripture: God reconciles His people to Himself so that He can dwell with them forever. As you prepare to ring in the new year, this would be a good time to set your sights and make plans to reconcile. See the old through fresh eyes. Resolve to approach your Lord with renewed vigor. Resolve to approach your neighbor with renewed love. As God grants you time and opportunities, rejoice in His provision.

We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. - Romans 6:4

Tomorrow, let us celebrate this baptism. Let us celebrate the gift of newness of life. Let us worship the One who grants us mercies, new every morning.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List and the bulletin for Morning worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday Update (12/23/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. - James 1:17

Tomorrow marks the Fourth Sunday of Advent, celebrating the eve of the first coming of our Lord Jesus.

As we have all heard and told one another, we don't have any reason to believe Jesus was born on December 25th. We don’t know the day nor the hour of His first coming. In fact, the evidence suggests that He was not born in December at all. Still, we know that He was born, so we can celebrate His birth with merriment. At this moment, Debbie is baking a red velvet birthday cake so that we can delight in sugary joy on Christmas morning.

We similarly don’t know the day or the hour -- nor the month nor the year -- of His second coming. But we do know that He is coming again, so we can celebrate and prepare for His return.

How ought we to prepare? Basically, by glorifying God and enjoying Him forever (Westminster Shorter Catechism #1), specifically by:

1. Studying His Word to learn more and more who God is and what duty He requires of us (WSC #3)

2. Sharing what we learn with others so that they can know Jesus Christ who is freely offered to us in the Gospel (WSC #31)

3. Spending the Sabbath in the public and private exercises of God’s worship (WSC #60)

Join us tomorrow in worshiping our Creator and celebrating His Son who came so that those who know Him may have life, and have it abundantly. Attached is the weekly Prayer List and the bulletin for Morning Worship. After worship, we plan to have an impromptu Soup Fellowship. Let’s celebrate together the perfect gift from above. December 24th is as good a day as any to rejoice in our Lord.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday Update (12/16/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. - John 1:14

Tomorrow is the Third Sunday of Advent! We look forward to worshiping together in spirit and in truth!

We plan to have an impromptu Soup Fellowship after Morning Worship tomorrow.

Join us tomorrow evening at 5pm for our annual Lessons & Carols worship service.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List as well as the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday Update (12/8/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. - Luke 2:7

If you missed last week’s Christmas Children’s Program, you missed a delightful time of worship and fellowship! The children did an outstanding job of presenting the Nativity scene. We are very grateful for Caroline’s organization, Casey’s diligent work on the set, Tommy’s delicious spaghetti and meatballs, and everyone else’s participation.

This Sunday evening at 5pm, we will have our regular evening worship, continuing our study of Ephesians. Be sure to join us at 5pm NEXT Sunday, December 17th, for our Lessons & Carols worship service.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List and the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday Update (12/2/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

And they were bringing children to Him that He might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to Me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” - Mark 10:13-14

Quick reminder: Tomorrow at 5pm, we plan to have our Children’s Christmas Program.

Afterwards, we are planning to have a spaghetti dinner in the Fellowship Hall.

Invite friends and family -- the more the merrier!

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday Update (12/1/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for Me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. - Micah 5:2

Tonight at 7pm, we plan to host December’s free First Friday Film Fellowship. Our selection for tonight deals with Christmas Eve and fake news -- the viewer is called upon to think critically about the world. Here are three quotes from the movie:

• “I don’t read no papers, and I don’t listen to radios either. I know the world’s been shaved by a drunken barber, and I don’t have to read it.”

• “And He’s kept that ideal alive for nearly 2,000 years. It was He who kept it alive in them.”

• “Why can’t that spirit, that warm Christmas spirit, last all year long?”

Come join us for a classic -- but often ignored -- movie of the Christmas season.

This Sunday marks the beginning of Advent. We plan to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Come join us at His table.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List, bulletin for Morning Worship, and the Church Calendar for December.

In His name,
Duncan

Saturday Update (11/18/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39

This morning, Nona Spencer’s body was laid to rest in Port Gibson. Her family gathered around and, with tears, rejoiced that Nona was finally with her Lord. God gave us good weather for the graveside service. Please continue to pray as family and friends adjust to this transition.

Afterwards, we gathered for a delightful meal and a tour of the Presbyterian church that John's great-great-grandfather had finalized the completion of in 1860. We were all reminded of God’s faithfulness. May this reminder comfort us all as we gather for Lord’s Day worship tomorrow.

John and Lori Lei graciously brought to our church some of the food from the reception so that we might all enjoy an impromptu Fellowship Meal after Morning Worship tomorrow. Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List and the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday Update (11/11/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. - Psalm 116:15

Jesus wept. - John 11:35

Nona Spencer passed away last night. Even in her infirmity, Nona offered encouragement to all and deeply loved Christ’s Bride, the Church. She will be greatly missed, and yet we can be comforted in the reality of the resurrection. A graveside service for her is being planned for Saturday, November 18th, in Port Gibson.

In the meantime, tomorrow, on the Lord’s Day, let us worship our Creator who gives life and restores life through the work of His Son.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List as well as the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday Reminder (11/4/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? - 1 Corinthians 10:16

We are looking forward to celebrating the Lord’s Supper tomorrow as the body of Christ.

Quick reminder: Tomorrow marks the end of Daylight Saving Time, therefore be sure to set your clocks back tonight. (Otherwise, you might arrive an hour early for church!)

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years” - Genesis 1:14

If you missed joining us for the Film Fellowship last night, you missed an interesting movie, Signs. Here is a quote from the main character: “See what you have to ask yourself is what kind of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, that sees miracles? Or do you believe that people just get lucky? Or, look at the question this way: Is it possible that there are no coincidences?” We know from Scripture that there are no coincidences -- God is in control of His creation.

Here is how one reviewer summarized the movie: “Through the help of his wife’s dying words, the alien threat has ceased and his faith is finally restored. The message of Signs is not one of conquering an alien invasion, but that of a realization of the complexity of God’s love.”

This, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory. And His disciples believed in Him. - John 2:11

Join us for Sunday School at 9:30. Debbie is preparing a turkey noodle soup for an impromptu fellowship time after Morning Worship. Invite a friend!

Tomorrow, let’s celebrate God’s love together.

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. - Isaiah 7:14

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday Update (11/3/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. - Romans 8:28

This continues to be an exciting week!

On Tuesday, October 31st, during Indianola’s Night Out, while I was dressed up like Martin Luther, a team from the church gave out 95 Reese’s (there were so many kids that we ran out), 200 Sola Scriptura bracelets (there were so many kids that we ran out), 50 Enterprise-Tocsin / Re-Formed Dialectics subscription coupons (there were so many adults, that we ran out), and dozens of invitations to worship and fellowship with us. On Wednesday, Q cooked a great breakfast and Debbie served a wonderful spaghetti dinner. We didn’t run out of food at either meal!

Tonight, at 7pm, we plan to enjoy popcorn, Raisinets, soda, and a movie depicting God’s sovereignty -- how all this work together according to His plan. It happens to be a bit of a scary sci-fi movie. We selected this one this week because it helps to show how we can reclaim territory taken by Halloween. Come join us! Bring a friend!

In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will - Ephesians 1:11

Attached is the weekly Prayer List and the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday Update (10/28/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! - Psalm 34:8

Happy Reformation Day weekend! Because of Martin Luther’s groundbreaking activities on October 31, 1517, the last day of October is Reformation Day and the last Sunday of October is considered to be Reformation Sunday.

Every Sunday is the Lord’s Day, so there is a sense in which there is nothing particularly special about tomorrow. That said, it is a delight to remember those who have gone before us, on whose shoulders we stand. So, let us stand on the shoulders of Martin Luther, I can do no other.

Mark your calendars! We have several exciting events coming up:

• Tomorrow, after Morning Worship, we are having a Reformation Sunday edition of our periodic Fifth Sunday Fellowship Meal. We will provide the main course, each family is asked to bring a side dish or dessert. Invite a friend!

• Tuesday, setting up an awning at 4:30pm, we plan to participate in Indianola’s Night Out. I plan to dress up like Martin Luther and hand out 95 Reese’s. We will have church brochures, Sola Scriptura bracelets, and fun activities for kids and families. Come help us share the Word. Invite a friend!

• Friday, at 7pm, we plan to host our 26th monthly Free First Friday Film Fellowship. If you have not watched a movie with us before, this would be a great time to be part of the discussion. Remember, we serve popcorn, soda, and Raisinets. Invite a friend!

I look forward to worshiping our Lord together. Attached is the Church Calendar for November, the weekly Prayer List, and the bulletin for Morning Worship.

Be sure to join us for chicken tomorrow, Reese’s on Tuesday, breakfast and/or dinner on Wednesday, and Raisinets on Friday. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday Update (10/21/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. - Hebrews 10:25

In October 2019 -- four years ago -- for my ordination examination at Presbytery, I preached from Hebrews 10:19-25. My sermon included these words: “The combined verses reveal to us that we are called to pray together regularly as a body. Let us draw near… not neglecting regularly meeting together. Let us hold fast our confession…not neglecting regularly meeting. We are exhorted to read God’s Word together habitually as a group, and to share the Gospel habitually as a group. This is not necessarily a mandate for all members to attend every church gathering. But it is an encouragement to assemble habitually for prayer, His Word, and fellowship.” This is God’s design for Christ’s Bride, the Church.

Then, I specifically commented on the above verse: “We learn here that we are Interconnected when we are Earnestly Encouraging One Another. God calls us to deliver encouragement. God calls us to enjoy encouragement. Encouraging one another is not limited to stirring up love and good works through fellowship. Rather, let us spur one another on in prayer and in the Word, as well – in community.”

I added: “Where can you go and with whom can you fellowship this week to earnestly encourage people as priests? The day is drawing near.”

The sermon’s main proposition was: “Jesus enables God’s people as priests to live in holy, loving, earnest community.”

Attached is the weekly Prayer List, as well as the bulletin for Morning Worship.

I look forward to worshiping with you! Let us encourage one another. Jesus enables us. The day is drawing near.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday Update (10/14/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

Whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins. - Romans 3:25

God is very gracious. He is so gracious that He forbears our sin.

• God grants forgiveness of sins through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ. This gracious act by Christ is called propitiation: “averting the wrath of God by the offering of a gift”.

• God’s Son’s righteousness is received through faith, granted by God. This gracious act is called imputation: “God imputes or accredits the righteousness and suffering of Jesus to those who are in Him”. This imputation is received by faith.

Even while we rebel against Him, God grants us time to repent and believe in His Son. God’s patience with His children is called divine forbearance. Forbearance is “the quality of putting up with someone’s misbehavior”.

If you are interested in reading more about forbearance, be sure to read my Re-Formed Dialectics column that was printed in yesterday’s Enterprise-Tocsin.

Tomorrow, we plan to worship our wondrously gracious God. Let us celebrate together God’s grace, propitiation, forbearance, imputation, and forgiveness. Bring a friend to share in this celebration!

Attached is the weekly Prayer List and bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday Update (10/6/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. - Isaiah 1:18

At 7pm today, we are hosting our free First Friday Film Fellowship in which a movie is viewed and discussed.

Films are selected across a variety of genres (action, classic, comedy, drama, romance, sci-fi) in an effort to explore different perspectives on life, society, and relationships. “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)

This evening, we plan to watch October Baby, a Christian movie about forgiveness. Everyone 13 and older is welcome to gather in the Fellowship Hall for popcorn and a discussion of the film’s cultural and religious issues.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List and the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday Update (9/29/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. - 1 Corinthians 11:26

This Sunday morning, we plan to celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. After morning worship, we plan to have another impromptu Soup Fellowship -- well, this week it might be a Chili Fellowship.

I had attached the Church Calendar in an email earlier this week. I have attached it again, this time along with the weekly Prayer List and the bulletin for Morning Worship.

Please make plans to join us NEXT Friday at 7pm for October’s First Friday Film Fellowship. We plan to watch a movie called October Baby. We will have free popcorn, soda, and a movie. Be sure to invite a friend!

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. - Acts 2:42

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday Update (9/15/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

In these days He went out to the mountain to pray, and all night He continued in prayer to God. - Luke 6:12

Debbie and I have arrived at Cloudland Canyon for our daughter Josie’s wedding this weekend. The entrance to Cloudland Canyon State Park sits on a ridge just south of Lookout Mountain, Georgia -- the location of Covenant College, our denomination’s undergraduate campus.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List and the bulletin for Morning Worship. We will see you next week, the Lord willing.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday Update (9/9/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. - Exodus 20:8-11

Making something “holy” is to set it apart. God commands His people to set one day in seven apart from the other days by enjoying the rest that He gives us.

Perhaps you saw my column in the paper yesterday on Sabbath worship. In it, I talked about the biblical transition of the Sabbath from the seventh day of the week to the first day of the week. I also talked about the biblical transition of the Sabbath from ‘evening and morning’ worship to ‘morning and evening’ worship. Let me encourage you to join us for morning and evening worship on the Lord’s Day. Speaking of which, on Wednesday nights, our current study is on “The Lord’s Day”. The meal begins at 5:45pm and we go into prayer time and group discussion at 6:30pm. Hope to see you there. Be sure to invite a friend.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List as well as the bulletin for Morning Worship. We plan to have another impromptu Soup Fellowship after morning Worship. So, please join us if you don’t have other plans.

Have you noticed that God gives us the Ten Commandments in two places in Scripture? Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. (These chapters are kind of easy to remember, since 2 x 10 = 20, and 10 / 2 = 5. ‘Exodus’ is when God’s people exited Egypt. ‘Deuteronomy’ means ‘the 2nd giving of the law’.) Maybe God tells us the Law twice because the distractions of the world get in the way of our remembering stuff?

Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work. - Deuteronomy 5:12-14

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday Update (9/2/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

Also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man. - Ecclesiastes 3:13

If you missed our Film Fellowship last night, you missed a good discussion of morality, betrayal, and integrity. Those who participated saw an exciting 71-year old movie and all agreed that it had application to today. Be sure to join us in October for a real tear-jerker.

Tomorrow, we plan to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Debbie has prepared Chicken and Rice Soup to enjoy during a time of impromptu fellowship after Morning Worship.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List and bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Thursday Reminder (8/31/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” - 1 Kings 18:27

The 18th chapter of 1 Kings tells the exciting story of a showdown between Elijah and a bunch of false prophets -- 450, to be precise.

Elijah trusts in the Lord, so he mocks the prophets of Baal and their silly “god”.

The classic 1952 Western, High Noon, tells the exciting story of a showdown at noon between a lone marshal and a bunch of outlaws -- four, to be precise.

Be sure to join us tomorrow -- not at noon, but at 7pm -- for this classic film. As usual, we plan to explore the biblical and social implications of this interesting movie. Come hear and share perspectives with us.

And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention. - 1 Kings 18:29

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday Update (8/25/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. - James 5:14-15

This week, a number of people have been experiencing various ailments and infirmities (for example, Kha is having flu-like symptoms, Q & Fran were exposed to covid, Selena Jernigan had surgery this morning). Sally Lessmann has had a particularly rough week and could use your prayers while she recovers in the hospital for an infection. In addition, someone went to the Emergency Room and someone lost a job. Many attended funerals this week. Some of the Sojourners who joined us for Wednesday Night Live shared with us their sufferings.

Still, many of our loved ones are receiving treatments and are recovering well. In the midst of struggles, we rejoice in God’s provision!

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope - Romans 5:3-4

Attached is the bulletin for Morning Worship and the weekly Prayer List.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday Update (8/19/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name. - Hebrews 13:15

My mother-in-law has been enjoying her first visit to the Delta. She has been hearing reports of extremely hot weather back in her native Georgia, so she seems okay with our current heat wave here. She plans to head back home next week, so we are glad that she can join us for worship tomorrow.

Here are a few things to keep in mind this week:

• Tomorrow, we plan to enjoy Split Pea Soup after Morning Worship during an impromptu Soup Fellowship. Please join us, if you are able.

• Sunday Evening at 5pm, we return to our sermon series Ephesians: The Eternal Plan and Purpose of God in Salvation.

• This past Wednesday night, we discussed the last full chapter in Gentle & Lowly. Join us on Wednesday at 5:45pm for a meal and then to cover the Epilogue and wrap up this moving and profound study about Christ's heart. The following Wednesday (August 30th) we will begin a new study on The Sabbath: A Day for Blessing.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List and the bulletin for Morning Worship. Let us acknowledge His name together as we offer up a sacrifice of praise today, tomorrow, and continually.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday Update (8/12/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding. The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him. Let your father and mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice. - Proverbs 23:22-25

We have had a great vacation visiting family. Debbie and I are planning on worshiping with our sons tomorrow morning in Greenville, South Carolina and then heading to Georgia to pick up Debbie’s mother Nelda. Please pray that she will be able to ride back with us to Indianola tomorrow for a couple of weeks.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List and the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Re. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday Update (8/5/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. - Matthew 11:28

Debbie and I are enjoying visiting family in Georgia and the Carolinas. That said, I did have a fever on Thursday and am now on antibiotics -- I tested negative for Covid and the Flu. I am enjoying the rest.

Carl Brannan is scheduled to preach tomorrow.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List and the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday Update (7/29/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

“If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” - Isaiah 58:13-14

We had a GREAT week of Vacation Bible School! Thank you to everyone who helped make this an exciting, edifying, and enjoyable week!

Today, we rejoice that God has set aside tomorrow for worshiping Him! God set aside one day in seven so that we might receive rest from our labors and get a taste of the enduring rest promised in glory.

Since tomorrow is the fifth Sunday of the month, we plan to enjoy the Sabbath with a Fellowship Meal after Morning Worship. Please join us -- and bring a side dish or dessert to share.

We have a lot to be thankful for and we look forward to celebrating the Lord’s Day as the Lord’s family.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List and the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday Update (7/22/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and His might, and the wonders that He has done. - Psalm 78:2-4

Vacation Bible School starts tomorrow! Sunday through Wednesday, 5:30 to 8:00pm

We are very excited. The VBS team has transformed the Fellowship Hall into the personal dining room of the famous Scottish Super Sleuth: Angus McTavish.

Be sure to join us Sunday through Wednesday. It is not too late to enroll a child, not too late to invite a child, not too late to volunteer to be part of the team.

Here are our memory verses for the week:

• Day One (Sunday) - Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.”

• Day Two (Monday) - Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

• Day Three (Tuesday) - Ephesians 2:4 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us...”

• Day Four (Wednesday) - Ephesians 2:5 “...even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved”

Please be sure to pray for all involved as we open our mouths in a parable and tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord!

Attached is the weekly Prayer List and the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday Update (7/15/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and His might, and the wonders that He has done. - Psalm 78:4

ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL VBS !

Vacation Bible School starts Sunday, July 23rd, at 5:30pm, and runs through Wednesday, July 26th.

If you haven’t yet figured out how to get involved, be sure to contact Caroline Newsom right away so that she can help you discern where you can use your gifts to bless this generation.

If you know children who would enjoy being part of this exciting event, be sure to invite them.

If you have some spare moments, be sure to pray for the team, the community, and the children.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List and the bulletin for Morning Worship. I look forward to sharing the glorious deeds of the Lord, and His might, and the wonders that He has done.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday Update (7/7/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. - Ephesians 4:29-30

God calls us to build one another up -- to graciously speak edifying words. A great way to do this is to get together and talk about stuff.

Quick reminder: We are having our First Friday Film Fellowship this evening at 7pm! Join us for popcorn, soda, a movie and a lively discussion!

Attached is the weekly Prayer List and the bulletin for Morning Worship. We are planning to have an impromptu Soup Fellowship after Morning Worship. Join us if you are able.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday Update (7/1/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? - 1 Corinthians 10:16

We have reached the midway point of 2023!

We had a great Church Clean-up Day today and checked off a number of items on our To Do List. Thanks to all who helped out!

Tomorrow is the first Sunday of July, so we plan to observe the Lord’s Supper during Morning Worship. Callie Davis is out of town, so we are having a guest accompanist!

Feel free to remain after morning worship for an impromptu Soup Fellowship (Italian Pasta and Bean, I believe).

During Sunday Evening Worship, at 5pm, we will be exploring Revelation 21 in the final sermon of our series on One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Remember: This coming Friday, July 7th, at 7pm is our First Friday Film Fellowship. We have an exciting movie planned for viewing and discussing.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List and the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday Update (6/24/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with His disciples. - John 2:1-2

Debbie and I are in the Boston area, headed to my niece Alexandra’s wedding this evening. God uses marriage to demonstrate the beauty of His Son’s marriage to the Church. God loves to show us His love in different ways.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List, the July Church Calendar, and the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday Update (6/17/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. - 1 Corinthians 8:6

Happy Father’s Day weekend!

Your entire Session (Q, Erik, Casey, Jason, and I) attended the PCA General Assembly in Memphis this past week. Be sure to ask us about the exciting proceedings, glorious worship, and warm fellowship. It was wonderful to see nearly 2,300 Elders and their families working together and encouraging one another to serve God’s Kingdom.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List and the bulletin for Morning Worship.

Join us for Sunday School at 9:30am, Morning Worship at 10:45am, and Evening Worship at 5:00pm.

In addition, we plan to have an impromptu Soup Fellowship after Morning Worship. (As always, if you don’t have other plans, feel free to join us. This is a great time of fellowship -- after all, you gotta eat, anyway!)

And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty. - 2 Corinthians 6:18

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday Update (6/9/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. - Matthew 18:15-17

Last Sunday evening, we continued our sermon series on “One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church”. We looked at the passage above and considered how the “catholicity” (universality) of Christ’s church is expressed through its authority to unify the members. We said that Matthew 18 reveals how “The church has unified authority in its ministerial and declarative abilities. The church is to be regarded as speaking with a unified voice and operating as a unified body within its biblical remit.” We looked at the practical implications of loving care and discipline -- like parents raising children.

This Sunday evening at 5pm, please join us in worship as we look at Matthew 16 and consider Jesus’s declaration, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Attached is the weekly Prayer List and the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday Update (5/27/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds You performed in their days, in the days of old - Psalm 44:1

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

The Westminster Confession of Faith reminds us, “God, from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes”. This biblical truth offers us much comfort. We can rest in God’s control AND rest in knowing that when we obey His precepts and follow His counsel, we are glorifying Him.

This Memorial Day, we rest in God’s provision of those who have gone before us to bring freedom to worship our Creator openly in this land. We can praise God for those who have served. We can thank Him for the deeds that He performed in their days, for the blessings of us in our days.

For inquire, please, of bygone ages, and consider what the fathers have searched out. - Job 8:8

This Monday morning, at 9:30, we plan to meet as Saturday Morning Ambassadors (well, a Monday version, anyway) and knock on the doors of our neighbors. Won’t you join us?

Debbie plans to drive back from South Carolina on Monday. I don’t think that anyone has yet indicated a plan to supply soup for an Impromptu Soup Fellowship tomorrow after Morning Worship. Feel free to chime in.

Be sure to plan on joining us for June’s First Friday Film Fellowship. The movie is about the Jesus Movement of the early ‘70s. Come talk with us about Hippies and Jesus.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List as well as the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday Update (5/20/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. - Psalm 116:15

On Thursday and Friday, the PCA experienced the passing of two great pastors:
Harry Reeder (Briarwood Presbyterian in Birmingham) and Tim Keller (Redeemer Presbyterian in NYC).

We mourn the sorrowful loss to the church while we celebrate their decades of faithful service and rejoice in their glorious moving into the presence of the Lord.

Harry Reeder loved to talk about men in American history whose faith and character led others -- especially during the Civil War. I’m pretty sure that every time I encountered him, he mentioned Stonewall Jackson, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, and/or Robert E. Lee. Reeder’s Christian Manhood Illustrated highlighting the biographies of five such men is a modern classic. His Embers to a Flame has helped many congregations.

Determined to reach the lost of New York City, Tim Keller pushed the envelope as he sought to balance Reformed doctrine with post-modern culture. Simultaneously critiqued and revered as an intensely committed pastor, Keller brought hope to many that Reformed theology would withstand the test of time. Among his many excellent works, his Prodigal God is a modern classic. Keller’s The Meaning of Marriage is a very helpful resource for couples.

Together, these two pastors represented the breadth, depth, and delight of great leaders within our denomination. They will be missed, but their legacy lives on. This would be a good week to take up and read (tolle lege) a book by these saints of the church.

Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the Word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. - Hebrews 13:7

Attached is the weekly Prayer List as well as the bulletin for Morning Worship. BTW - Now that the pandemic has come to an end, we are considering ending our use of a conference call dial-in for listening to the morning worship service. We will continue to provide the video livestream. If you would prefer that we continue the over-the-phone audio, please let us know before the end of May.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday Update (5/12/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

“Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise) - Ephesians 6:2

My mother Lucy was born in McKinney, Texas, which used to be a small town but is now a bustling suburb of Dallas. Her father was a banker down on McKinney’s courthouse square. Each day, my grandmother “Big Lucy” (who was barely 5 feet tall) would pile their two kids into the family car and pick up my grandfather to take him home for lunch. The bank and their house were both on Virginia Street, but it was a good eight or ten blocks, depending how you counted the long block next to the park. Each way, they would pass my great-grandmother’s house where my grandmother had been born. They would also pass the house where Cousin Eddie was born, which still has a window with some initials that had been scratched into it in about 1915 by Lucy and Eddie to see if his mother’s diamond really could cut glass.

I know some of this stuff because my grandmother led McKinney’s Historical Society and loved to share everything that she knew about her town. My grandmother was in her nineties when she moved out of her house on Virginia Street -- a house she had been in for over 60 years. A street that she had been on for 94.

Mother’s Day is a great time to reminisce about the mothers in your life. You honor them by listening to and sharing the stories of how God’s promises have been fulfilled through them. This Lord’s Day, may you praise your Father in heaven as you honor your mother with your fond memories.

Here’s a great memory: do you recall when your mother told you that Saturday morning was an ideal time to clean your room? The Officers of First Presbyterian want to honor this cherished memory by encouraging you to help clean up things at the church tomorrow morning. We have a number of items on our list to honor God with stewardship and fellowship. Join us from 9am to noon for this Work Day. Let’s do what would make your mother proud!

Attached is the weekly Prayer List as well as the bulletin for Morning worship.

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. - Exodus 20:12

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday Update (5/5/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. - Romans 14:7

‘No man is an island’, according to John Donne, writing almost exactly 400 years ago. Many students of literature regard Donne’s work as a great English poem. However, it should be noted that Donne was the Dean of St. Peter’s in London and, as a clergyman, was not penning poetry but documenting pastoral reflections on life. Having recently suffered illness, Donne’s sermon notes were poignant and poetic.

At 7pm this evening, for the First Friday Film Fellowship, we plan to show About a Boy (2002, PG-13), which opens with this line about men and islands. The movie offers a very secular view on life, and in doing so it exposes the biblical reality than a human does not live to himself. We are, after all, connected. Join us to view and discuss the cultural and religious themes of this movie.

This Lord’s Day, we plan to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. join us in fellowship as we commune together. Then, Sunday evening at 5pm, join us as we consider how the body of Christ is “One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.”

Attached is the weekly Prayer List as well as the bulletin for Morning Worship.

and He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised - 2 Corinthians 5:15

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday Update (4/28/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

Because we are members of His body. - Ephesians 5:30

In addition to Sunday School and Morning Worship, please be aware of two other opportunities to rejoice in the Body of Christ this weekend:

• Fifth Sunday Fellowship Meal - This month comes with a fifth Sunday, so the WIC have organized a covered dish fellowship meal for all those who are able to join us after morning worship.

• New Sermon Series for Evening Worship - Last week, we completed our sermon series on 1 Peter: “Encouragement to Believers in the Midst of Suffering”. Our next series is “One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church” and begins Sunday at 5pm. In this series on the church, we will explore passages of Scripture that speak directly to the topic of God’s covenant community and find out what these passages say about the worldwide church and local congregations today.

To keep your personal calendar up to date, attached is the Church Calendar for May 2023, as well as the weekly Prayer List and the bulletin for Morning Worship.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. - Hebrews 10:24-25

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday Update (4/21/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. - John 13:34-35

Tomorrow is the fourth Saturday of April, so the Saturday Morning Ambassadors are planning on heading out into the neighborhood surrounding the church. Please join us at 9am for prayer and 9:30 as we meet neighbors whom Christ has commanded us to love.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List as well as the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday Update (4/14/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! - Psalm 95:6

My column in the Enterprise-Tocsin this week exhorts the people of Indianola to join in corporate worship this Lord’s Day and to worship our Creator throughout the week in household worship.

Join us as we praise our Lord and Maker! Come, let us worship and bow down.

A few quick reminders:

• After Morning Worship on Sunday, we plan to have another impromptu Soup Fellowship at church.

• This Sunday at 6pm, the churches of Indianola are having a Community-Wide Hour of Worship service at the BB King Museum.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List and the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday Update (4/7/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live.” - John 11:25

Good Friday is upon us! Here are some exciting activities this weekend:

• First Friday Film Fellowship - tonight at 7pm, we plan top watch and discuss a movie that is explicitly about faith. Complete with popcorn & soda!

• Resurrection Egg Hunt - rain or shine (so, outside or inside the church -- it’s looking like inside!), we plan to set-up at 10am and encourage the children to seek out eggs at 11am. Some of the eggs have items that relate to the Easter story. After the eggs are found, we plan to use the contents to explain the Gospel.

• Sunday School - Sunday at 9:30am, with classes for all ages

• Lord’s Day Worship - Sunday at 10:45am, we plan to explore Mark 6:45-52 (Take Heart; It is I! -- Jesus’s walking on the water).

Attached is the weekly Prayer List as well as the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday Update (3/31/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

And the crowds that went before Him and that followed Him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” - Matthew 21:9

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of what is known as “Passion Week”. On the one hand, we are called to glorify God and enjoy Him every week of the year -- and to keep the Sabbath holy every Sunday. On the other hand, the Bible is replete with exhortations to remember our history and to recognize events from the past:

• Some of these exhortations were intended to affirm the value of generally recalling God’s provision. I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember Your wonders of old. (Psalm 77:11)

• And some of these were specific commands regarding specific observances. “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” (1 Corinthians 11:24)

• Still others were for a specific people to observe for a specific era of the covenant community. Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the Lord brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten.” (Exodus 13:3)

This Sunday, let us rejoice in God’s commanding us to rest and worship Him (Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. - Exodus 20:8), while also rejoicing with the church universal that Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem two thousand years ago so that we might worship Him in spirit and in truth.

We each have a history and we all have a history. Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in; hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress. - Psalm 107:4-6

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.” - Revelation 19:6

Let us remember, together, His wonders of old. Hosanna to the Son of David! Attached is the weekly Prayer List and the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Wednesday Update (3/29/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. - Matthew 11:28-30

Rolling Fork, Silver City, and other towns continue to recover from the tornado this past weekend. Casey’s father and the rest of the county and city leaders have been inundated with questions and requests to help. The tasks before them are overwhelming. They are laboring and are very heavy laden. Meanwhile, the community of Nashville, Tennessee is recovering from the tragic shooting at Covenant School on Monday. This school was founded in 2001 by Covenant Presbyterian Church, PCA. Please continue to pray for these families and communities.

A few weeks ago, Pastor Chad Scruggs of Covenant Presbyterian in Nashville preached the following on John 11:

• The whole time Jesus knew how the whole thing would go down and yet what are the most remarkable things about this story, it always gets me, is that, knowing exactly what He's about to do, Jesus sits down and does what? He weeps. Do you see that a strong confidence in the end of the story does not undo or justify the absence of grief in the middle. A mature faith adds its tears to the sadness in our world Jesus says blessed are those who mourn all the while not losing confidence and how that sadness will eventually be overcome in Him.

  If you’re doubting the love of Jesus, you try to work it out through your circumstances. No, you never read your circumstances and then read the Love of Jesus. You read the Love of Jesus towards your circumstances. If you are doubting His love for you, if you are struggling with His authority in the midst of sadness and confusion, let the cross speak to you again. Look there so that you might say confidently, ‘see how He loves me. This is the one man given for me.’

Take time to weep and pray with and for those who have suffered loss.

Join us at 5:45pm this evening for dinner, prayer, and a study of ‘the Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers’. Attached is the Church Calendar for the month of April.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Prayers for Rolling Fork - Saturday (3/25/23)

A Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer. - Psalm 142:0 (verse 1 in the Hebrew text)

Scripture gives us models of how to pray, such as in the Lord’s Prayer. Scripture also gives us examples of prayer, such as within many of the psalms of David. In Psalm 142, David is in a dark place, literally and figuratively -- he is in a cave. He has suffered much. So, he cries out to the Lord of Creation.

As we respond to the tragedy in Rolling Fork and other towns across Mississippi, let me encourage you to pray like David, with prayers in the midst of the devastation:

I cry to you, O Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low! - Psalm 142:5-6a

• Praise God because He is our refuge! Casey Newsom reports that even though his parents’ house was severely damaged, they are safe and doing well. In the middle of the night, after he returned from seeing the destruction, Bryan Davis asked me to join him in taking cases of water to the Incident Center in Rolling Fork. The highway was closed and most of the roads were barely passable. We had to dodge all sorts of obstacles, driving over and under downed power lines. Even with all of the physical destruction -- every house and business appeared to have been damaged -- we know that God protects and sustains according to His will.

Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to Your name! The righteous will surround me, for You will deal bountifully with me. - Psalm 142:7

• Thank God for His provision of friends, family, and the church to minister to those in need. There were lots and lots of responders on the ground and the teams were selflessly attending to needs. The outpouring of love was evident -- as we pulled into the Incident Center, people leapt into action to help unload the water. Casey, Elton, Bryan, Marlon, and many others rushed to Rolling Fork to offer help. God provides relationships for us to grow in love and covenant faithfulness.

With my voice I cry out to the Lord; with my voice I plead for mercy to the Lord. I pour out my complaint before Him; I tell my trouble before Him. - Psalm 142:1-2

• Ask God to extend His grace and mercy to the suffering. Our Father in heaven hears our prayers! We can boldly approach the throne of grace with confidence and hope for His enduring provision. (Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. - Hebrews 4:26) There are thousands of people who have been affected directly by the severe tornadoes. Pray that they will receive and rejoice in God’s healing grace. (The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. - Lamentations 3:22-23)

When my spirit faints within me, You know my way! - Psalm 142:3b

• Rest in God’s will, rely on His sovereignty, and look forward to discovering His plan. The pain is real. The torment is real. On the cross, Jesus did not ignore or explain away the suffering. He did not just tough-it-out. He suffered and bled and cried out to His Father, entrusting His situation to Him. (Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” - Luke 23:46) God knows our way and He will lead His people through.

Today is a day for action and prayer. Praise God that His people are prepared for action and prayer!

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday Update (3/24/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. - 1 Corinthians 11:26

Sacraments are a bit mysterious. When I was a kid, on Saturdays, they showed a lot of old detective movies on TV. Charlie Chan. The Thin Man (Nick & Nora). Basil Rathbone’s Sherlock Holmes. Philip Marlowe. Sam Spade. These whodunit murder mysteries kept us entertained on weekends that the weather kept us indoors.

When you read an Agatha Christie mystery novel or watch an old black and white mystery movie, you expect the crime to be solved by the last page or the final scene. In other words, you expect to know eventually if in fact the butler did it -- or not. If the truth is NOT revealed, you would be very disappointed, feeling like you had wasted your time reading or watching it. In this sense, a mystery story requires the crime to be solved, or it quite literally is not a who-dun-it. And you enjoy the moments of anticipation leading up to the great reveal. So, let’s agree that a good mystery both conceals and reveals.

Sacraments are a bit mysterious. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper both conceal and reveal. Both baptism and the Lord’s Supper make use of very ordinary, readily-available, common elements (water, bread, wine) to help finite humans to understand profound truths about the infinite Creator of the universe.

The sign on Catchings Avenue says “First Presbyterian Church”, but this sign is clearly -- and intentionally -- not accurate. The sign is mislabeled because the thing that is marked “church” is not itself the church, it is just a sign in front of the church. It would be more accurate for it to read “This sign points to First Presbyterian Church”. Perhaps it would be more accurate to put the big sign ON the building, instead of having it sit out on the lawn? But, this wouldn’t be perfectly correct either, since First Presbyterian Church is really the PEOPLE, not the building. The sign on Catchings points people to us, not to a thing.

You might find this discussion is silly, but when you go to Jackson for a doctor’s appointment, you don’t stop the car as soon as you get to the sign that says, “Welcome to Jackson”. The sign is there to point to the reality. Signs reveal, but since they are not the complete reality, they can only do so much to make the truth known. Thus, though they reveal, they still conceal something.

A sacrament is an holy ordinance instituted by Christ; wherein, by sensible signs, Christ, and the benefits of the new covenant, are represented, sealed, and applied to believers. - Westminster Shorter Catechism

Sacraments are a bit mysterious. They are signs, and they are seals. They represent and they apply. Sunday after next, we plan to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. In preparation, this Sunday I plan to preach on the mystery of this sacrament, recorded in Matthew 26:26-30. Join us as we discover the revealed mystery of God’s grace. Scripture reveals the answer to the greatest mystery ever. Understanding the depth of this mystery is a lifelong journey.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List and the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday Update (3/17/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God. - Acts 16:31-34

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Like every day, this is a great day to celebrate the blessings on the households of God’s people and the worldwide mission of God’s church. In Acts 16, Paul was on a whirlwind tour of Macedonia, bringing the Gospel to Lydia and a prison guard in Philippi.

Last week, Debbie and I had a wonderful whirlwind tour, including visits with friends and family in Chattanooga, TN, Asheville, NC, and Greenville, SC. We saw each of our five children and rejoiced with our entire household.

We were very grateful that my father John Eugene Hoopes could be there with us for the baptism of his great-grandson, John Eugene Hoopes II.

Given Debbie’s Irish heritage, she prepared and set food before the family: a meal of corned beef and cabbage -- no one seemed to mind that it was a week early. As you likely know, St. Patrick was not Irish, but his evangelism efforts has a significant impact on the Emerald Isle. God has used people from every nation to bless the people of every nation, tribe, and tongue. Worldwide evangelism has brought all sorts of people to Christ and has brought all sorts of food to America.

Extensive travel can bring other things. Debbie and I each caught some bug. Some of our relatives have also reported being sick and a couple tested positive for Covid -- none with serious symptoms. It was a good visit and we are mostly rested and feeling better. It is great to be back in Indianola!

This Sunday during Morning Worship, we plan to install the two men recently elected to be Ruling Elders: Jason Conner and Casey Newsom. The WIC is organizing a Soup Fellowship to follow the service. Be sure to join us as we celebrate and rejoice alongside the entire household of God.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List as well as the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday Update (3/10/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. - Proverbs 3:1-2

REMINDER: Be sure to set your clocks forward an hour in preparation for Daylight Saving Time this Sunday.

Debbie and I got to enjoy an uplifting and informative theology conference the past few days. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to see professors and friends from GPTS.

It has been great to see my father and stepmother, as well as four out of our five children (so far -- Medora plans to see us tomorrow). We plan to return to Indianola on Monday night -- after attending the baptism of our youngest grandson on Sunday. In my absence, Carl is scheduled to preach Sunday morning.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List as well as the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday Update (3/4/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” - Matthew 16:24

Last night, some of us watched a movie about the interweaving of the lives of a dozen diverse people as they encountered the truth of the cross of Jesus Christ. Each Film Fellowship, we view different movie genres and consider the world through different perspectives. It is encouraging and enlightening to hear the variety of reactions -- from teens and the elderly, men and women, Presbyterians and others.

The movie opened with a Bible verse: So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead (James 2:17) and then proceeded to present the lives -- not just the words -- of those who have been asked “Do you believe in the cross?” Over and over, the characters recognize that “This cross is going to cost you.” And yet, for those who trusted in the redemptive work of Jesus, the cross was powerful enough to sustain them.

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. - 1 Corinthians 1:18

Tomorrow, we plan to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. After morning worship we have scheduled an election for officers and then an informal Soup Luncheon (featuring Beef Stew).

Attached is the weekly Prayer List and the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Mid-Week Reminders (3/1/23)

He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler. - Psalm 91:4

Attached is the Church Calendar for March.

This morning, we had an uplifting and delicious Men's Prayer Breakfast. In addition, here are few reminders for this week:

• Tonight from 5:45 to 7:30, Wednesday Night Live presents chicken wings (see Bible verse above!), chicken nuggets, and fellowship, featuring What’s in the Bible? for the kids and Gentle & Lowly for the adults.

• Thursday at 1pm, the Women’s Bible Study plans to look at the end of 1 Samuel 24 and begin studying chapter 25 (David & Abigail).

• Friday at 7pm, First Friday Film Fellowship presents Do You Believe?, featuring popcorn, soda, and lively discussion of the movie's religious and cultural elements.

• This Lord’s Day during Morning Worship, we will be celebrating the Lord’s Supper.

• After worship, we plan to hold Officer Elections. Please be praying for and about the three candidates for Ruling Elder:

  • Jason Conner

  • Tom Humbarger

  • Casey Newsom

• After the election, we plan to serve an informal Soup Fellowship (well, this week is Beef Stew).

Next week, Debbie and I plan to travel my seminary’s Spring Theology Conference in Greenville, South Carolina. As part of our visit, we are planning on attending the baptism of our third grandson, John “Jack” Eugene Hopes II.

Below is some background on the conference at GPTS, March 7th-9th. Please pray that this annual conference will continue to encourage and equip pastors and laypeople to serve in God’s Kingdom.

This year’s theme is Infinite Splendor, God’s Attributes for All of Life. The speakers include:

• Dr. Joel Beeke (Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary) [Joel Beeke’s father wrote the Sunday School curriculum that we use for children and teens.]

  • God’s Majestic, Moral, and Gracious Holiness

  • God is Love: What It Is Not and What It Is

• Dr. Scott Cook (Oconee Presbyterian Church of Seneca, SC)

  • But Will it Preach? The Classical Doctrine of God and the Christian

• Dr. James Dolezal (Radius Theological Institute)

  • God: Infinite in Being and Perfection

  • From Everlasting to Everlasting

• Dr. Jonathan L. Master (Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary)

  • Our Loving Father

• Dr. Ryan M. McGraw (Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary)

  • Knowing God

• Dr. Fred Sanders (Torrey Honors College, Biola University)

  • God’s Own Blessedness

  • God Will Never Come Undone: Divine Immortality

• Pastor Decherd Stevens (Carlisle Reformed Presbyterian Church of Carlisle, PA)

  • Please, Lord, Show me Your Glory!

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday Update (2/24/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

And He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. - Mark 6:7

Jesus trained His disciples and then He sent them out to make others aware of the Kingdom of God. You can imagine, these faithful followers of Jesus might have felt a bit conflicted:

• On the one hand, after seeing what they had seen and hearing all that they had heard, they were likely chomping at the bit -- overflowing with excitement -- to invite others to meet their Lord.

• On the other hand, there was so much to learn, deep insights to explore, and such joy to discover in Him, that they likely found it hard to pull themselves away and head out into the streets.

We are like this, too. We get all caught up in something in which we could want to include others, but we forget to stop what we are doing and invite them. This is one reason that Jesus sent out the disciples two by two -- so that they could encourage, remind, and hold accountable people who were similarly fired-up. After all, two heads are better than one. As Solomon puts it:

• Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! - Proverbs 4:9-10

Jesus has trained us and sent us out. Join us tomorrow as we hit the streets. The Saturday Morning Ambassadors plan to meet at 9am for prayer and then head out at 9:30am to 1) meet our neighbors, 2) invite them to church, and 3) pray for and with them.

So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. - Mark 6:12

After morning worship, we plan to have a brief informational meeting to present the annual budget. We also plan to follow this meeting with another informal Soup Fellowship. Join us for some Italian Wedding Soup! Attached is the weekly Prayer List as well as the bulletin for Morning Worship. Also, please keep in mind that we have scheduled an Officer Election for March 5th. I look forward to seeing you this weekend!

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday Update (2/18/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. - Psalm 116:15

I appreciate how the Pulpit Commentary summarizes this verse: “It is not a matter of indifference to God, when and under what circumstances each of His saints dies. Rather, it is a matter of deep concern to Him. ‘In Him are the issues of life and death’ (Psalm 68:20), and He appoints to each man the day and attendant circumstances of his demise.”

It is with bittersweet tears that we mourn the passing of John Maggio. John served his family, church, and community well. He led a life of glorifying and enjoying His Creator -- and encouraging others to glorify and enjoy alongside him. Through John, God touched the lives of many grateful people.

A visitation is scheduled for Tuesday, February 21st, at 10am in the Fellowship Hall, with John’s memorial service following at 11am in the Sanctuary. Please join us as we celebrate John’s life and encourage Leet and the rest of the family.

As Benson summarizes Psalm 116:15, '“God’s people are precious in His eyes both living and dying, for, ‘whether they live, they live unto the Lord, or whether they die, they die unto the Lord’, Romans 14:8.”

Therefore, let us live unto Him as we worship Him this Lord’s Day. Attached is the bulletin for Morning Worship, as well as the weekly Prayer List.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday Update (2/11/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. - Genesis 25:29

My stepmother said that church always made her hungry. After a long worship service, she was ready for a big meal.

John Owen (1616-1683) would have agreed with her. He wrote, “Christ is the meat, the bread, the food of our souls. Nothing is in Him of a higher spiritual nourishment than His love, which we should always desire.” Always! In discussing worship and spiritual appetite, Owen said, “We hear the Word preached as much as ever; but do we do it with the same desire and spiritual relish as before? Some hear to satisfy their convictions, some to please their fancies, and some to judge of the persons by whom it is dispensed... But the change is in themselves; they have lost their spiritual appetite, or their hunger and thirst after the food of their souls.”

What are our objectives for worship?

Daniel Hyde wrote his dissertation on Owen’s views of worship and summarizes Owen as saying that when we gather for the divine service, there are four “chief things that we ought to aim at in our observation”:

1. To sanctify the name of God.

2. To own and avow our professed subjection to Christ.

3. To build up ourselves in our most holy faith.

4. To testify and confirm our mutual love.

Pursuing these objectives and receiving Christ in the preached Word ought to make us hungry -- hungry for more!

The past few weeks, after Morning Worship, we have had a big fellowship meal, or some soup, or Brunswick stew to enjoy together.

Please plan to join us tomorrow for some homemade Potato Soup -- along with a fixin’s bar -- in the Fellowship Hall.

This is scheduled to be the last Sunday that the Lessmanns walk from their house to First Presbyterian. Let’s give them a a warm welcome and a warm farewell.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List as well as the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday Update (2/3/23) on First Presbyterian Church activities

That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. - 1 John 1:3

A few brief announcements / reminders:

• Tonight at 7pm is our First Friday Film Fellowship! Come join us for popcorn, a movie, and a lively discussion about life!

• On Saturday, you might want to help welcome back Bryan & Callie Davis and their girls as they unload their u-haul!

• This Sunday we plan to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Join us in communion with God as we welcome two new communing members!

• After Morning Worship on Sunday, we plan to have another impromptu Soup Fellowship (actually featuring Brunswick Stew). Join us in this time of hot stew to combat the cold weather!

• During Sunday Evening Worship at 5pm, we plan to look at Paul’s teaching on Spiritual Gifts.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List as well as the bulletin for Morning Worship.

May the Lord richly bless you with fellowship this weekend.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

FPC Officer Election scheduled for March 5, 2023

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. - 1 Timothy 3:1

Announcement: The Session of First Presbyterian Church has scheduled a congregational meeting for the purpose of an election for church officers after morning worship on March 5, 2023.

In November, the congregation had nominated three men: Jason Conner, Tom Humbarger, and Casey Newsom.

In accord with the PCA Book of Church Order (BCO), we have trained and examined these three men. We have deemed each of them to be a qualified candidate for the office of Ruling Elder.

The Session recommends that we conduct an election on March 5th and each man who receives 75% of the ballots ought to be ordained as an Elder in our congregation.

Over the coming weeks, please pray for discernment and familiarize yourself with these candidates.

This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you - Titus 1:5

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday 1/27/23 First Presbyterian Church Update

And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” - Mark 4:8

On Sunday mornings, we have been studying Jesus’s parables about sowers and seeds. Farmers rejoice when their harvest is a multiple of the seeds that they have sown.

Let me encourage you this week to see that even though we might not understand the underlying processes that produce growth, we can trust that God remains in control and grants a yield to our faithful service.

Let me also encourage you to see that even when families relocate, we can trust that God’s plan is at work.

On Sunday, after morning worship, we plan to celebrate the faithful service of the Lessmanns and the Covingtons in Indianola. Please bring a covered dish to add to the harvest and plan to celebrate along with us during a Fellowship Meal in their honor. God has granted us great blessings and we can continue to celebrate His goodness together.

Attached is the bulletin for Morning Worship as well as the weekly Prayer List.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 1/21/23 First Presbyterian Church Update

Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel. - Proverbs 12:10

The Bible doesn’t really mention pets, per se. Domesticated animals don’t seem to be presented or discussed apart from agricultural or military purposes. The closest example might be the little lamb that Nathan mentions in the parable that he tells to King David:

• But the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. - 2 Samuel 12:3

Still, we suspect that this dear little lamb was intended to serve some utilitarian function, like eventually providing wool for the family.

Bryan Davis attended a livestock show today in Sunflower. He took a lot of pictures of young people who have great regard for their beasts. Their efforts directly bless, glorify, and depend upon their Creator. I recall our three daughters spending time in Future Farmers of America (FFA). Tori raised a goat in our backyard. She learned a lot about life, work, caring, and responsibility, managing her [single] livestock.

God seems to have designed the world like this: His children learn a lot about life, work, caring, and responsibility from the animals around us.

God’s gracious gift to us of responsibility came before the Fall: Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth”. - Genesis 1:26.

This glorious gift was comprehensive: We are to look after all creatures. As you care for your cat or dog or fish or pig or steer, remember that your animal husbandry accomplishes at least three key things:

1. The critter in your care receives God’s blessings through you!

2. God blesses you with practical knowledge about life, work, caring, and responsibility.

3. You recognize your limitations and dependency upon your Creator.

For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue... Submit yourselves therefore to God. - James 3:7-8b,4:7

Attached is the bulletin for Morning Worship, as well as the weekly Prayer List.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday 1/13/23 First Presbyterian Church Update

Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. - 3 John 1:2

Reminder: This evening at 7pm, we plan to host our Friday Film Fellowship. (We normally host this on the first Friday of the month but have moved it to the second Friday this month only since we had the Twelfth Night open house on the first Friday.) Be sure to join us to watch a movie, eat popcorn, and discuss the religious and cultural implications of the movie. Bring a friend. On a cold evening, the warm Fellowship Hall is a great place to be!

This time of year, it is not unusual for people to experience coughing, sneezing, and other sinus problems.
This got me to thinking: What does the Bible say about the common cold?

Answer: not much. The Bible mentions numerous ailments, some as specific afflictions and plagues, others presented as general conditions or symptoms: atrophy / withering, blindness, boils, deafness, discharge, disease, dysentery, fever, fungal infection, hemorrhaging blood, itch, leprosy, and pestilence. Still, not much of a mention of coughing and sneezing.

Given that the Bible is not intended to be either a medical encyclopedia or a book of home remedies, we wouldn’t really expect to hear much about how to deal specifically with a cold or headache or the Delta crud. We would expect more general guidance, like when suffering, we ought to “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12). We ought to pray for each other’s health and healing, “I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul” (3 John 1:2). And when you need comfort, “call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over” you (James 5:14). After all, colds and sickness are common in a fallen, broken world. Therefore God tells us in His Word how to handle them: with prayer, fellowship, and resting in Him. And, with whatever means God gives us, like medications and medical care.

Curiously, others have come to different [unbiblical] conclusions. Followers of Maker Baker Eddy (those who adhere to “Christian Science”) teach:

• “Certainly an infinitely good God would not make colds or make man susceptible to them. In the reality of God’s allness a so-called common cold is an impossibility. There is nothing common to God’s children but good.”

It is a very odd perspective to declare that the common cold is an impossibility, since the Bible teaches us to expect suffering (“In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33) and to join with others as we suffer (“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 2:3).

If you have a cold or the sniffles or worse, reach out to the church and receive the comfort of knowing that God blesses us through each other. Attached is the weekly Prayer List as well and the bulletin for Morning Worship. Join with us in worship and let us face this world together, just as God intended.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 1/7/23 First Presbyterian Church Update

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. - 2 Corinthians 7:1

Kids are funny. They often complain when told that it is ‘bath time’, and then complain when the rubber ducky is eventually put away and the tub is drained. Despite this recurring pattern, parents often return to the scene of the dispute and exhort their child to prepare to be cleansed. After all, mothers and fathers often know best.

God, as a loving parent, exhorts us to cleanse ourselves. And, as silly children, we sometimes complain -- despite the fact that:

1. when we continue in disobedience and unholy thinking, we always encounter regret, and

2. when we submit to His will and rejoice in becoming clean, we always find ourselves delighting in His provision.

We are funny. Well, funny and sinful. Sure, some people find clever ways to cover-up the regret, but it festers and brings recurring pain and harmful stress. Stress finds a way to multiply our regret.

Paul commends the church in Corinth to cleanse themselves of both physical and spiritual defilements -- things that mar their body and soul.

How does Paul recommend that followers of Christ do this? In the fear of the Lord!

In the verses at the end of 2 Corinthians 6, immediately prior to 7:1, Paul gives this wonderful instruction from the Lord Almighty about coming together as a church to promote fear of god and holy living:

• Therefore go out from their (unbelievers) midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me. (2 Cor 6:17-18)

Join with us in the sanctuary tomorrow to be set apart and separate from the unbelieving world for a time. In God’s gathering of the saints, let us encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ in faith and fear and cleansing.

Make room in your hearts for us (2 Cor 7:2) and delight in cleansing away physical and spiritual defilements. Great is Thy faithfulness. Morning by morning new mercies I see; all I have needed Thy hand hath provided. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto us. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth. Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide. Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Blessings all mine with 10,000 beside.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List as well as the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes