Friday 12/30/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. - 2 Corinthians 4:16

Constancy and change. We rejoice in the familiar and the unknown. On the eve of New Year’s Eve, it is not altogether clear what God has in store for us in the coming year. After all, each new year brings delightful observances of long-standing traditions as well as brand new encounters.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. - Jeremiah 29:11

While we lament the recent and impending relocations by some of our dear families: notably the Soens, Lessmanns, and Covingtons, we can remain confident that God will continue to bless our church and community with the gifts and talents of our congregation. He has always done so and He promises to continue to do so.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. - Hebrews 13:8

This Sunday is not only the first day of the year, but it is the first Sunday of the month, so, in accord with our tradition, we plan to celebrate the wonderful sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. I look forward to joining with you and the saints across all ages in observing this special communion with our Lord.

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed - 1 Corinthians 15:51

Attached is the weekly Prayer List and the bulletin for Morning Worship. Pray for new and familiar faces to worship with us. Join us as we celebrate constancy and change.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Tuesday 12/27/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. - 1 Corinthians 9:24

The Bible encourages us to run the race, to fight the good fight, to compete with endurance. The church desires to equip you to compete.

Therefore, let me encourage you to join us tomorrow (Wednesday) evening at 6pm for our annual Game Night.

We plan to meet in the Fellowship Hall for pasta, meatballs, salad, etc. (Thanks to Tommy McCaskill!) and to compete in various fun games. We will have on hand some board games, jenga blocks, and other amusements, but feel free to bring your family’s favorite games and/or anything fun that you received for Christmas this year. We look forward to an evening of enjoyment with you as we begin to say ‘farewell’ to 2022 and prepare for a bright new year.

Attached is the January 2023 Church Calendar -- to help you prepare, as well.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 12/24/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

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

Debbie and I have five children, but you might never know it from our family photo albums. After all, it seems that with the first child, EVERY incident deserves a snapshot. LOTS of baby pictures. With the second child, one still takes lots of pictures. But, after the third and fourth, the frequency of photos really dwindles down. We have stacks of pictures of our firstborn Rainey as a baby, and just a few of Medora.

When they were newborns, each of our children slept in a cradle in our bedroom. This was in part so that we could keep close tabs on them -- constantly hovering over them to make sure that they were happy and healthy and dry. Even when Medora was a baby, we would still hover and fuss with getting the blankets, lighting, and lullaby music just right. During those tender months, I never placed any of our children in a feeding trough, or anywhere near the dog food bowl or the cat’s litter box.

Yet, Mary did. And she knew. The song poses the question with some uncertainty, but the answer is an emphatic ‘yes’. Mary knew her baby boy would one day rule the nations, because Gabriel had told her back in Luke 1:32-33. And yet she put Him down in the straw with cow slobber. She and Joseph likely hovered and fussed just like we did. Yet, they didn’t have a nice cradle gifted to them by their aunt from Social Circle, Georgia. It wasn’t as if Jesus was their fifth child. This was their firstborn. And they knew that He would one day rule the nations. Yet, Mary laid Him in a manger.

Why? Because there was no room for them in the motel. My siblings and I once ate tuna fish sandwiches on the lawn of a Howard Johnson’s on the New Jersey turnpike because it was nearing the end of our camping vacation and my father and stepmother had run out of money for the trip. It was the end of August, and we sat in the shade of the inn. Whether they had cash or not, Mary and Joseph couldn’t stay at the inn … because there was no room for them. And they laid Him in a manger. It is a cold, difficult world.

What would it take for you to set your newborn in a feeding trough? Brokenness, struggles, love, and trust. The angel had promised to Mary that “nothing will be impossible with God”. So, in a crowded, broken world, she loved and trusted. Sure, she likely still hovered and fussed, maybe vigilantly shooing the lowing cattle away during nap times, but she loved and trusted that “of His kingdom there will be no end”.

This Christmas, let us rejoice together in the birth of God’s firstborn Son. There was no place for Him. But nothing will be impossible with God. Your place is with Him. And Jesus makes dwelling with Him possible. He makes room through His shed blood -- making you clean, despite your doubts and fussing. He washes away the cow slobber. Nothing will be impossible with God. After all, the virgin gave birth to her firstborn son!

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

Merry Christmas! In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 12/17/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy — the Son of God. - Luke 1:35

“The Annunciation” refers the announcement made by the angel Gabriel to Mary, informing her that she will give birth to Jesus.

Luke tells us that Mary was “greatly troubled” at this announcement and that she “tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be”. The angel responds to Mary’s demeanor by telling her to “not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God”. We can readily understand from Scripture that prior to her pregnancy:

1. Mary does not come across as a confident theologian, but instead she is caught off guard by this announcement.

2. Mary did not earn the blessing of being the mother of Jesus, but instead received God’s unmerited favor.

Furthermore, Mary expressed her uncertainty by asking, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel explains to her that the Holy Spirit will bring about this conception, therefore the child will truly be the “Son of God”.

The incarnation of Jesus is a miraculous act of God’s free grace. None of us, including Mary, earned God’s favor. Instead, we, like her, are the joyful recipients of God’s blessings -- despite our sinfulness and lack of faith. God transforms the hearts of His elect so that they may be saved by grace, through faith, and this not of ourselves, so that none of us, including Mary, can boast.

Still, Mary does boast... She, like Paul boasts in who God is -- a loving, merciful, righteous, gracious, and holy Creator and Savior. Mary boasts in God with a beautiful song that magnifies God’s name, The Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55):

• “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has looked on the humble estate of His servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name.And His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His offspring forever.”

A key feature of Mary’s pronouncement is that she is unworthy (humble) and God is gracious -- His blessings are not merited by Mary. This Advent, join with Mary in singing of God’s amazing grace. Join us for Lord’s Day worship in the morning and for our Lessons & Carols service at 5pm Sunday evening. Let us sing together and thereby remember and remind each other of God’s mercy on those of humble estate -- sinners in the hands of a loving God.

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

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday 12/9/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

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

During the Advent season, the songs, decorations, and tasty cookies all remind us of the perfect gift from above. This is a great time to embrace friends, family, and moments to reflect on God's gracious and faithful provision. The Children’s Christmas Program this past Sunday was a delightful reflection of the joys of the season. Our Lessons & Carols service next Sunday, December 18th, is another opportunity to rejoice in God’s perfect gift. Be sure to join us -- and invite a friend.

Carl Brannan is preaching this Sunday (Debbie and I are visiting our daughter Josephine at her new apartment in Chattanooga).

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

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 12/3/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. - Isaiah 54:13

Tomorrow, we get to gather together to hear God’s Word. Tomorrow is the Second Sunday of Advent, as well as the first Sunday of the month. Therefore, tomorrow, we also plan to observe the Lord’s Supper together. In addition, tomorrow, we plan to gather at 5pm for our annual Children’s Christmas Program. Pat Adams has done a wonderful job decorating the Fellowship Hall for the Soup Supper afterwards.

Join us as we worship our heavenly Father and as we teach our children the glory of His name. The Lord teaches the children through each of us.

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

In His name,
Duncan Hoopes

Wednesday 11/30/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

He will tend His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs in His arms; He will carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. - Isaiah 40:11

Attached is the Church Calendar for December 2022.

Please note some of the exciting upcoming events:

• Wednesday Night Live - tonight at 5:45pm, we have Shepherd’s Pie on the menu! This traditional English dish is perfect for a cold winter’s (or November’s) evening. And, it might be a colder-than-average evening since the HVAC in the Fellowship Hall has a broken control board. Therefore, we have set up tables in the [heated] Sunday School classrooms. We are beginning a short series for the upcoming month on “The Incarnation of Jesus Christ and Christmas Customs.” Younger WNL attendees will be continuing their Torchlighters Hero & Catechism series.

• First Friday Film Fellowship - at 7pm, join us for popcorn, raisinets, and soda as we watch a holiday-themed movie and then discuss its cultural and religious aspects. Everyone 13 and older is welcome in the Fellowship Hall.

• Children’s Christmas Program - this Sunday at 5pm, join us for our annual telling of the Christmas story -- as told by our young people. The program will be followed by a soup fellowship meal in the Fellowship Hall (the HVAC repair team says that they expect to have the control board replaced by then).

• Heart & Home - next Wednesday at 4:00pm, the WIC and the ladies of St. Stephen’s join together at Georgia Humbarger’s home. (We will also have a Wednesday Night Live Special Edition that same day at 5:45pm.)

In addition to the above, we have Lord’s Day Worship this Sunday morning, including celebrating the Lord’s Supper together. Sunday is also Ben Gaston’s birthday and Tuesday is Loftin Gary’s birthday!

I look forward to celebrating the holidays with you.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 11/26/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures - Acts 17:2

For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues. - Acts 15:21

For thousands of years, God’s people have been gathering one day a week to hear Scripture read and expounded. God graciously grants us a day of rest from our labors and graciously speaks to us through His Word so that we may know Him more and more. Sabbath worship highlights God’s grace through this resting in His voice.

This Thanksgiving weekend, we gather on the Lord’s Day to thank God for His provision, to praise Him for who He is, and to celebrate the advent -- the coming -- of His Son. The Westminster Shorter Catechism reminds us that “the Spirit of God maketh the reading, but especially the preaching of the Word, an effectual means of convincing and converting sinners, and of building them up in holiness and comfort, through faith, unto salvation”. Therefore, join us to rest in God’s Word together, tomorrow, in Lord’s Day worship.

There is a lot of stress and strife in the world. God graciously lets you rest in Him. Attached is the weekly Prayer List and bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 11/19/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

And when they had eaten their fill, He told His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” - John 6:12

I love leftovers. I love turkey. So, I especially love the Friday after Thanksgiving. As you see from the Bible verse above, Jesus implicitly affirms the use of Tupperware and similar receptacles to gather and preserve food in order to experience a second holiday blessing. The Bible does not directly set forth the all of the necessary components of a Thanksgiving meal, but I believe that the verse above, coupled with Genesis 9:3 (“Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.”), affirms consuming Green Bean Casserole, along with turkey and dressing and the rest of the feast, as leftovers. God is very gracious!

The Bible does have something to say about including bread: “If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the thanksgiving sacrifice unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and loaves of fine flour well mixed with oil.” - Leviticus 7:12. As we know, these laws in Leviticus are ceremonial laws which are no longer binding since Jesus became the sacrifice for all. So, while not required, God seems to affirm that bread makes a nice addition to your thanksgiving meal. I especially enjoy little brown ’n serve sandwiches with turkey, mayonnaise, and a pickle as part of my leftover delights.

Perhaps you are not as fond of leftovers as I am. You might even invoke Exodus 16:19 in your defense: “Then Moses said to them, ‘No one is to keep any of it until morning.’” Again, I would point out that the Old Testament ceremonial laws and the treatment of manna in the wilderness do not dictate directly how we ought to live today. So, feel free to celebrate the holidays with leftovers -- or not! Either way, I pray that you have a delightful and delicious Thanksgiving. This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Since the holiday season is fully upon us, I want to make sure that you are aware of the Thanksgiving Community Prayer Service this Sunday Evening at 6pm. This year’s ecumenical gathering is being held at Mt. Beulah MB Church at 310 Church Avenue. As such, we will not have our regular evening worship service at First Presbyterian tomorrow.

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

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 11/12/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease. - Genesis 8:22

With the weather getting cooler, we are reminded that it is not always summer in the Delta. The forecast for the next 10 days indicates that most mornings are expected to be frosty cold, including as we head into Morning Worship tomorrow. Now is the time to bundle up, bring in delicate plants, and see who might need help getting to church, etc. This chilly season is also a good time to pray for the indigent population of Mississippi.

This morning, Debbie and I braved the chilly-but-not-yet-freezing temperatures to be warmed by Delta Mission’s Annual Prayer Breakfast. The hour-and-a-half service included prayers, singing, a skit, and a sermon by Herron Wilson. We were scheduled to attend another community event at 10am, so we actually missed the breakfast portion. This reminds us that the holiday season is upon us, which often means that there will be more events than one can possibly attend. Here are a few to record on your calendar:

• Tuesday, November 15th @ 6pm - Celebrate Life Banquet. The Women’s Resource Center's 25th Annual Banquet is to be held at Our Lady of Victories Catholic Church in Cleveland.

• Sunday, November 20th @ 6pm - Thanksgiving Community Prayer Service. This year’s service is scheduled to be held at Mt. Beulah MB church (310 Church Avenue). We will not have Evening Worship at First Presbyterian on this day.

• Tuesday, November 29th @ 10am - WIC Fill Cookie Tins. Gather in the Fellowship Hall with cookies and other treats.

• Friday, December 2nd @ 7pm - First Friday Film Fellowship. We plan to enjoy and a discuss a holiday-themed movie, along with popcorn.

• Sunday, December 4th @ 5pm - Children’s Christmas Program. This year’s event is organized by St. Stephen’s Episcopal.

• Wednesday, December 7th @ 4pm - WIC Heart & Home. First Presbyterian is hosting at Georgia Humbarger’s home.

• Tuesday, December 13th @ 11:30am - Ladies Christmas Luncheon. Hosted at the home of Rebecca Lessmann.

• Sunday, December 18th @ 5pm - Lessons & Carols Service. Join us for songs and candle lighting.

In the meantime, we are excited to worship our Creator together tomorrow! Attached is the bulletin for Morning Worship, as well as the Weekly Prayer List.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 11/5/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. - Genesis 1:5

If you are awake at 2:00am tomorrow morning, be sure to reach over and set your clock back by one hour. After all, tonight marks the end of Daylight Saving Time for 2022. It might be the last time that you set your clock back an hour. Earlier this year, the US Senate voted to end the practice of changing the clocks twice per year. Their bill would mean that in Spring 2023, we would change our clocks to DST one last time, and leave them that way for posterity. However, the House of Representatives has yet to take up their vote on this, and therefore the President has yet to sign the legislation into law. Regardless, we get to set our clocks back tonight.

I recall one autumn morning when I was about 11, my mother drove us kids to Sunday School. She dropped us off at the curb and then she headed off to a friend's church. We tried each door of the church, but they were all locked. No one was around. No cars. No traffic. It was close to Halloween and we had recently seen The Day that the Earth Stood Still, or some such science fiction movie, and we became concerned that some calamity had taken place, leaving us alone in the world to fend for ourselves. Eventually, some adults showed up, unlocked the church, and helped us to realize that Daylight Saving Time had ended and we were supposed to have set our clocks back. I hope that this cautionary tale helps you to prepare for worship tomorrow -- after all, you have an extra hour to prepare!

More on preparation: Since tomorrow is the first Sunday of November, in addition to setting our clocks back, we are preparing to celebrate the Lord’s Supper together.

Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. - 1 Corinthians 11:28

I like the questions that Tim Challies poses from English composer Thomas Haweis (1734-1820) in preparation for communion:

• Examine your repentance. Have you confessed known sin? Are you genuinely sorry for how your sin has offended God? Is there evidence that God has been transforming you by His power?

• Examine your faith. Where is your trust? How often are you pondering the great truths of the Gospel?

• Examine your gratitude. Are you quick to give thanks when you pray? Are you quick to give thanks to God for His grace and mercy? Do you thank God for His most precious gift of His Son?

• Examine your love. Are you harboring hatred or malice toward another person? Are you expressing love in acts of kindness and charity? Are you especially showing love to fellow believers?

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

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

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Tuesday 11/1/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

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

Happy November!

Quick reminder: Officer nominations are being accepted through November 6th. Please keep the process in prayer and remember that in order for a man to be considered he must receive nominations from at least two families.

Also: this week is our First Friday Film Fellowship. Join us at 7pm on the 4th to view and discuss the movie Elizabethtown. Our own Tom Humbarger -- who is one of the actors in the film -- will be on hand for the discussion and to answer questions about moviemaking.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday 10/28/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. - 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Tomorrow (Saturday) at 10am, we are holding the second informational meeting for Officer nominations. Those who are being nominated -- and, really, any who are interested -- are invited to attend. Nominations for Elder and Deacon are open until November 6, 2022. Nomination forms are available at the church. For a man to be considered officially nominated, he must receive nominations from at least two families.

We rejoice that Janet Covington is doing well after her surgery this morning.

We mourn the loss of Brooks Hooper, who passed away Thursday. Please keep his mother Barbara Ann, his grandfather Jimmy Miller, and the rest of the family in your prayers.

We look forward to a time of fellowship after worship this Lord’s Day as we observe Reformation Sunday and celebrate the engagement of Emma Lessmann and Nathan McCaskill. Please bring a covered dish to share.

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

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

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 10/22/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will. - Ephesians 1:4-5

It seems that a lot of people think that Presbyterianism is all about Calvinism -- and that Calvinism is all about predestination.

When I was a young boy, I sort of imagined that all Christians believed approximately the same things, they just had different styles for doing church. Hence, “high church” with stuff like swinging incense and priests' wearing vestments and “low church” with guitars and praise choruses. I recall going to a “hip” church in a nearly-vacant wooden lodge where they served communion by passing a loaf of bread and a single chalice. I recall that my mother explained something about some denominations were more “open” and some were more “closed” about who could take communion. If I understood her correctly, it seemed like the ones who wouldn’t let just anyone participate in the Lord's Supper were kind of arrogant -- like an unfriendly, exclusive country club. To me, stuff like observing Lent seemed like personal preferences and maybe just family / cultural traditions.

Except for the well-publicized transformation of the elements into Jesus’s body and blood (which sounded to me like silly folklore -- obvious superstition), it didn’t occur to me that the ministers and parishioners of different denominations had different ideas about who created the world and the degree to which God was involved in creation. My classmate who didn't stand for the pledge of allegiance still went to church, and I went with him once. It just seemed a bit more lively, but about the same stuff. I guess that this is one of features of youth -- ignorance is bliss.

As I grew, I learned more but still didn't appreciate the depth of the differences. It seemed that some people were “Bible-thumpers” who took Scripture literally -- as if it was God’s actual Words (which seemed to me like silly folklore -- obvious superstition) -- and the rest were “reasonable” Christians who were able to appreciate that the Bible was just a useful guidebook. The more that I learned, the sillier some of the differences were in my mind. I was finding it increasingly difficult to accept that Jesus was born to a virgin and rose from the dead.

On a cold night on a youth retreat in the mountains, all of that changed for me. A man I didn’t know was explaining that we were all sinners. He said that God called us in His Word to repent of our sins and believe in His Son. He told us to find a quiet place and pray that God would make Himself known to each of us. I did. And He did. I had never heard the Good News before. Given my “knowledge” about Christianity in general, I still had a lot to learn to appreciate the differences across the different teachings of the churches.

It seems that a lot of people think that Presbyterianism is all about Calvinism -- and that Calvinism is all about predestination. Which is funny, since John Calvin taught that the biggest differences within Christendom had to do with what people believed and taught about the Bible. Sola Scriptura is key to understanding Calvinism -- Scripture alone is the source of authority for faith and practice. Recognizing that the Bible teaches God’s sovereignty was essential to Calvin. God’s Word says that we are not saved by our own works but rather by grace alone (Sola Gratia) through faith alone (Sola Fide) in Christ Jesus alone (Solus Christus) because to God alone is the glory (Soli Deo Gloria). The Reformation was a return to teaching and believing these biblical truths. Denominations that do not look to God’s Word alone will fail to recognize these truths.

Presbyterians got their name because they recognized that the Bible teaches that God’s undershepherds -- the teachers of Biblical truth -- are to be elders (Presbyters) elected by the people of the church. On that cold night, I began to realize that the Bible is God’s loving Word, given to His people so that we may know Him and know how we are to glorify Him and enjoy Him.

And God lovingly told us that He has predestined His elect: Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will. In love, He predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ. If this is Presbyterianism, if this is Calvinism, then sign me up! And tell others as well! Those who teach differently are missing out on God’s loving Word. It is not just style or personal preference or cultural tradition. It is God’s truth. The nights are getting cold. Tell someone, like that man did. Like Calvin did. Like our elders do.

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

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 10/8/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” - Romans 12:17-19

Last night, some of our congregants -- along with several friends -- watched the John Wayne movie The Searchers (1956) in the Fellowship Hall for October’s First Friday Film Fellowship. Here is how a Christian website summarizes the movie:

• “This movie has John Wayne in perhaps his most complex role, which he often said was his favorite. The main premise of the movie is whether his character Ethan will turn away from his path of hatred and revenge. Ethan is the archetypal Western hero who has undergone a tragic loss and who must decide if he will serve the community or his own sinful passions.”

We had a great hour-long discussion about the movie afterwards as we considered the biblical elements and the relevance to society today.

Let me encourage you to consider joining us -- and inviting friends -- on November 4th at 7pm for the next First Friday Film Fellowship.

In the meantime, I look forward to worshiping our Creator with you tomorrow. Attached is the weekly Prayer List, as well as the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday 9/30/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

And He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them. - Mark 1:31

Wow! It is nearly October! This also means that I have been in Indianola for nearly three years. A lot has happened in three years, the covid pandemic (which appears to have ended) being one of the more obvious public events. Other events in our personal lives might loom larger, but regardless we have been through a lot together.

As I reflect on the first three quarters of 2022 and consider the sermon text for this Lord’s Day (Mark 1:29-34), I am struck by the constant outpouring of compassion that our church and community have for each other.

Today, the SCMACS team submitted a proposal to the County Board of Supervisors for a new Homeless Transitional Center. This facility would provide a foundation to build services on so that churches and individuals can show their compassion in material ways to those who need support as they seek to rejoin society. Please pray that the proposal is found acceptable and then we can begin the task of ministering to those who who want to work but have no safe shelter, no regular meals, and no transportation to get to their places of employment. Please also pray for those who continue to struggle day-to-day to find people willing to help.

In His earthly ministry, Jesus offered compassion to the likes of those we see struggling here in Indianola. Each day, He reached out and touched the lives of the sick, downhearted, and dejected. He gave them hope. He calls us to do likewise. Pray that we can show compassion like Him. Then, they too can rise and serve our Lord.

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

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 9/24/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.” - John 14:1

The Gospel according to John -- as well as the letters of John -- provides an especially tender-hearted perspective on our Savior. Throughout his works, the beloved Apostle John pours out his heart about the man whom he had followed for three years. He describes a gracious and compassionate leader, ministering to the needs of outcasts, like with the promise of quenching thirst that He gave so graciously to the woman at the well (John 4).

Even in His Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, John presents startling visions of Jesus as Judge (“From His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron” - Rev 19:15) while also reminding us that Jesus will fulfill His promises of relief: “And He said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.’” - Rev 21:6.

In the closing of his last letter, John says, “I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.” Here, we see John’s tender compassion and desire to be in the presence of fellow believers. It is in this context that we hear His Lord and Savior saying, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.”

You have likely already heard that Dr. Erik Lessmann received a call from Demopolis, Alabama to serve in the community where they had served before. To ensure a smooth transition, Erik plans to continue serving in Indianola through February. Please keep the Lessmanns in your prayers and let them know -- face to face -- how much they have meant to our church and this community. Let not your hearts be troubled. Let’s have a wonderful five months of continuing to serve the Lord in each other’s presence, while looking forward to being together for eternity with our Lord.

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

And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled. - Mark 5:20

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 9/17/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him. - Luke 5:11

Immediately they [Andrew & his brother Simon Peter] left their nets and followed Him... Immediately they [James & his brother John] left the boat and their father and followed Him. - Matthew 4:20,22

And immediately they [Andrew & his brother Simon Peter] left their nets and followed Him... And immediately He called them [James & his brother John], and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed Him. - Mark 1:18,20

The three “synoptic” Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke -- which share the same [syn] perspective [optic]), include slightly different details and emphases about Jesus’s calling His first followers. Yet, all three writers make it abundantly clear that when these two pairs of brothers heard Jesus call them, they immediately dropped everything and followed Him.

Our sermon text for tomorrow morning is Mark 1:16-20, which captures these events. To prepare for this text, you could ask yourself, ‘When have I dropped everything to follow Jesus?’ and ‘When have I hesitated and clung to stuff instead of clinging to Him?’

Let me encourage you this Lord’s Day to immediately -- without hesitation and without distraction -- follow Him. Let each of us joyfully drop everything to worship Him together -- as brothers and sisters in Christ -- in Spirit and in Truth. After all, He called them, and He calls us.

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

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 9/10/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. - Matthew 5:4

Jesus said a lot of quite astounding things. When He spoke, people listened. Much of what He said went directly against the norms of His day. As a result, many politicians, religious leaders, and even just the man on the street either shrugged off what He said or railed against it. Many people would rather listen to a convicted thief than let Jesus continue speaking.

• Then Pilate said to Him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in Him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber. (John 18:37-40)

Still, up on a mountain, Jesus sat and many people listened to His strange expressions of truth: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). How could the poor possess a kingdom? He continued, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” How could the death of a loved one lead to comfort?

One of the disciples who was listening intently to this sermon on the mount would later receive a vision on the Isle of Patmos. At the end of his life, at the end of John’s record of what was revealed to him, he wrote, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

Our mourning will be comforted -- and IS comforted -- in the knowledge of the Great Resurrection. Yes, death is very sad. In one of the shortest verses in the Bible, John had recorded how his master had wept at the death of Lazarus (John 11:35). But our tears today are temporary. We rejoice because this is the day that the Lord has made. We rejoice in His resurrection. We rejoice because God redeems His elect and will dwell with His people forever. In another extremely short verse of Scripture, we are called to “Rejoice always” (1 Thessalonians 5:16).

How can those who mourn be comforted? “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13).

This Lord’s day, let us rejoice as God fills us with joy and peace. Attached is the bulletin for Morning worship as well as the weekly Prayer List.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 9/3/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

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

We had a wonderful Film Fellowship last night, with several people admitting that the movie made them cry. The tender story of a young boy seeking to remain connected to his father -- whom he could no longer see, but could hear a recording of his voice -- reminded us of our need and desire to remain connected to our heavenly Father. And we can rejoice! Because our heavenly Father will never leave us nor forsake us! And He continues to speak to us through His Word!

Our God is extremely loud & incredibly close!

• He will exult over you with loud singing. - Zephaniah 3:17b

• O Lord, You have searched me and known me. - Psalm 139:1

At the end of the movie, through a note that he has left for his son, the father congratulates his son.

And a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son; with You I am well pleased.” - Mark 1:11

In the spirit of this movie, this week, explore relationships and discover the value of seeking, even if you don’t find what you were looking for. You can begin by worshiping, studying, and fellowshiping alongside God’s people. Attached is the bulletin for Morning Worship, as well as the weekly Prayer List. In the Travelers adult Sunday School class, we are beginning a study of the book of Genesis. Come explore with us, and invite a friend!

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 8/28/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

In Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. - 2 Corinthians 5:19-20

This morning, several of us had a great time meeting people in the neighborhood. We spoke to a number of neighbors who had specific prayer requests and so we prayed with them. Even though the Saturday Morning Ambassadors have walked the neighborhood more than two dozen mornings, we still were able to meet people whom we had not seen before (some had moved in recently, some just hadn't answered the door before).

In addition, we rejoiced that we could catch up with neighbors whom we had already met but we hadn’t really spent time chatting with recently. If you haven’t joined us before, let me encourage you to be part of the team the next time that we head out into the neighborhood. We walk on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month, so plan to join us September 10th (the weather might start cooling off a little by then!). We pray at the church at 9am and start walking at 9:30.

As you might recall, our objectives on Saturday morning are simple:

1. meet people,

2. pray with them, and

3. invite them to church.

We were wildly successful today. In particular, we made sure to invite our neighbors to Wednesday Night Live (pulled pork is on the menu this week) and to this week’s First Friday Film Fellowship at 7pm. Please pray that these neighbors will take advantage of these opportunities to join us. After all, they have to eat, anyway. We will pop the popcorn.

Now is a good time to put the MDCC's Black Tie Event on your calendar. Jason Conner is organizing a September 24th fundraising event for the athletic department of the school. It is another fun opportunity to get to know our neighbors.

Also, be sure to mark your calendar: This Thursday, September 1st, the Women’s Bible Study resumes at 1:00pm. We are studying 1 Samuel 15. Invite a friend to explore God’s Word alongside you.

Speaking of calendars, attached is the Church Calendar for September. Also attached is the weekly Prayer List and the bulletin for Morning Worship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 8/20/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; You have made summer and winter. - Psalm 74:17

August marks the start of a new school year for many people in our church and community. Therefore, it also marks the end of the summer for some (but maybe not the end of the summer heat).

His offspring shall endure forever, His throne as long as the sun before me. - Psalm 89:36

Do you want to relive summer memories? On the church’s website, you can see great pictures from this year’s Vacation Bible School. Here is a link to the photos: http://indianolapca.org/2022-vbs-pics

This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, a basket of summer fruit. - Amos 8:1

Tomorrow morning, in keeping with the ‘new year’, we plan to begin a new sermon series on the Gospel according to Mark: The Good News of the Godly Servant & Miracle Man. Attached is the bulletin for Morning Worship, as well as the weekly Prayer List.

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. - 2 Timothy 4:2

We have also begun a new study series on Wednesday Nights: What is the Gospel? Be sure to join us at 5:45pm for a fellowship meal, 6:30pm for prayer, and 6:45pm to learn about the Good News and how to share it.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. - 1 Peter 2:9

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 8/13/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” - Genesis 2:23

Adam responded to God’s design for mankind with the exclamation of “At last!” The church is God’s design for His people. After a week of being in the world, when we gather together for worship, we, too, can shout “At last!” Brothers and sisters in Christ are one body.

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. - Ephesians 4:4-6

My son Luke is getting married today in South Carolina, so Debbie and I will be out of town through Monday. Carl is scheduled to preach tomorrow. Attached is bulletin the Morning Bulletin and the weekly Prayer List. This Sunday, rejoice that God’s people are together again, at last!

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday 8/5/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

This evening, at 7pm, join us in the Fellowship Hall for our First Friday Film Fellowship. We plan to watch The Truman Show (1998, PG) and discuss how this curious movie about a man whose life is on stage for the entire world to see. Truman Burbank’s life is not his own, but instead is in the hands of Christof, his life’s creator. We look forward to discussing the social and theological implications of this movie. Jason Conner will be your guest host. Invite a friend!

Dialogue grants us greater knowledge of how other people react – and therefore, perhaps – deeper understanding of how other people think. Join us to learn about each other. (The movie is just a good excuse to get to know one another!)

Debbie and I are in Tampa, Florida, visiting friends and family. Carl is scheduled to preach this Sunday and next. Attached is the bulletin for Morning Worship and the weekly Prayer List.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday 7/31/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors. - Psalm 119:24

It is bittersweet when God’s children pass on to glory. The funeral service for David Jernigan is scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday) at 11am at Bell Grove MB Church. The Rev. Melvin Matthews is officiating and I have been asked to say a few words. David’s burial will follow at Riverside Memorial Gardens. Visitation is scheduled for today (Friday) from 5pm to 6pm at Byas Funeral Home.

It is a delight to admit children into the covenant community. Be sure to join us Sunday morning for the baptism of Ryan Buckley. We plan to have a fellowship meal afterwards, so please bring a covered dish to share.

It is challenging to live as a child of God in the world without being of the world. Invite your friends and neighbors to join us on August 5th at 7pm for the next First Friday Film Fellowship. We plan to watch The Truman Show (1998, PG) and discuss the religious and cultural implications of this curious tale about living before all men.

This world can be bittersweet. Yet, God gives us much to delight in. And, sometimes we find life to be challenging.

Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. - Matthew 24:44

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

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 7/23/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

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

We mourn with Selena Jernigan at the passing of her husband David on Thursday. Funeral services are being arranged for Saturday, July 30, at 11:00am. Please pray especially for Selena as she goes through this difficult adjustment.

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. - Genesis 2:24

We rejoice with the marriage today of Fran and Q’s granddaughter Ellie to David Hancock in Louisiana. Pray that God be glorified in their marriage and that they delight in His gracious provision.

All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. - Isaiah 54:13

We look forward to leading children to learn more about Jesus Christ during Vacation Bible School, starting Sunday, July 24, at 5:30pm. Thanks to all who have already contributed so much to the preparations. If you have any questions, please let Caroline know.

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

Attached is the bulletin for Morning Worship as well as the weekly Prayer List. I look forward to worshiping together as we wrap up our study of the Song of Songs.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 7/16/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

Then Peter came up and said to Him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. - Matthew 18:21-22

As a fisherman, Peter had probably learned a lot about patience. He had cast his net over the side of the boat hundreds -- likely thousands -- of times. If Peter had cast a net twice a day, six days a week, for nearly a year, he would have waited to see what was in the net 490 times. In his life, he HAD learned to wait for fish. Yet, he wasn’t fond of the thought of having to forgive his brother once a day for a full week (seven times), much less twice a day, six times a week, for 10 months (seventy times seven times).

Like Peter, we might know something about PATIENCE, and we might like to receive FORGIVENESS for ourselves, but we might not be fond of having to forgive OTHERS when they sin against us, time and time again. Our Lord calls us to see things in a new light. Jesus wants us to see that even though He had lived a perfect life, He was willing to offer Himself as an atonement for YOUR sins, so that YOU could receive forgiveness that you did not deserve. He was willing to give His unstained life for your sin-filled life.

When you see your sin as sin -- each and every day -- then you can start to grasp Jesus’s patience and forgiveness. When you see your brother’s sin not primarily as an offense against you but as an opportunity to forgive him, then you can start to grasp the love of Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit to conform you more and more to the likeness of Christ. Ask Him to help you to forgive hundreds and thousands of times.

Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. - Colossians 3:13

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

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday 7/8/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed - 1 Corinthians 15:51

Our upcoming VBS involves Scottish Sleuths seeking to solve a mystery: The Case of the Hidden Hero. My daughter Tori is in town for the month of July and I am excited that her son Winston will be here for this fun and potentially life-changing event. Be sure to get the word out to others!

Here are some reminders of upcoming church events that you can share with your friends and neighbors:

• SCMACS Prayer Vigil - Today at 5:00pm, gather with us in prayer at the site of the proposed Homeless Transition Center, adjacent to the Sheriff’s Office.

• Saturday Morning Ambassadors - Tomorrow morning at 9am, you can join us in prayer and then at 9:30am, walk with us in the neighborhood surrounding the church to meet our neighbors and invite them to church (and to VBS).

• Wednesday Night Live - Midweek, at 5:45pm, we have great food, a season of prayer, and a discussion of the book I Will Be Your God. (You don’t need to have read the book to be part of the stimulating conversation.)

• Vacation Bible School - July 24th through 27th from 5:30pm to 8:00, use your sleuthing skills to discover the exciting Hidden Hero!

• Be sure to order your VBS t-shirt by 5pm today!

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

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Community Prayer Opportunity on July 8, 2022

I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling - 1 Timothy 2:8

Tomorrow (Friday, July 8) evening at 5pm, members of the community plan to gather for a prayer vigil across the street from the Sheriff's office. This is the site where Sunflower County Ministerial Alliance Counseling Services (SCMACS) is planning to establish a Homeless Transitional Center. Before they even break ground, the Board of SCMACS desires to gather in prayer at the site.

A number of local pastors (including me) have been asked to lift up prayers for this exciting and much-needed project for our community.

Feel free to join us in-person or remotely at 5pm. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Let me also remind you that now is a good time to invite friends and family to join us for Vacation Bible School, July 24th through 27th. Please be praying for the VBS workers and participants, as well.

Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear you. - Jeremiah 29:12

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday 7/1/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

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

Have you thought much about posture in worship? Almost universally -- throughout Scripture and across cultures -- bowing down is recognized as a proper posture for worship. Kneeling is likewise understood to be a common position for praying. In fact, in Scripture we read of people kneeling for prayer (Acts 20:36) and standing for prayer (Gen 24:12-13) and lifting hands in prayer (1 Tim 2:8) and looking upward in prayer (John 17:1), but we don't hear much of someone sitting in prayer (though David spoke before the Lord while sitting in 2 Sam 7:18).

We are called to pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17), which implies that there is no right or wrong position for prayer -- pray where you are, as you are. I recall reading an old pastor’s answer to a question about this topic, and he said that if you fall headfirst into a well, it would be fine to pray upside down. Still, there is something particularly God-glorifying about stopping what you are doing, closing your eyes, bowing your head, maybe folding your hands, and submitting yourself to Him in earnest prayer -- heart, soul, strength, and mind, -- with your body and without distraction.

In the middle of the night, when you can’t sleep, is a fine time to pray -- after all, praying might relax and carry you back to sleep! Alternatively, kneeling next to your bed in prayer can help you to remain awake and focused as you adore, confess, thank, and petition God.

Do our prayers need to be spoken out loud? They can be (like David in Psalm 141:1). In fact, we can cry our prayers loudly (Psalm 77:1 “I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and He will hear me”). Jesus prayed with loud cries (Heb 5:7). Still, our prayers can be soft or silent, like Hannah’s prayer of anguish (1 Sam 1:12-13 “As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard.”). Silent, quiet, or loud, the prayers of God's children are heard by their Father in heaven.

Our entire body participates in worship -- outwardly and inwardly, from the heart. Pray that God will create in you a clean heart and renew a right spirit within you (Psalm 51:10) so that you may worship Him this Lord’s Day in body and in Spirit and in truth. Attached is the bulletin for Morning Worship as well as the weekly Prayer List. I look forward to celebrating the Lord’s Supper with you this Sunday.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Thursday 6/30/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. - James 5:16

Quick reminder: Tomorrow night (Friday, July 1st) at 7pm, First Presbyterian is hosting our First Friday Film Fellowship!

For our movie nights on the first Friday of each month, films are selected across a variety of genres (action, classic, comedy, drama, sci-fi, etc.). Everyone 13 and older is welcome to gather in the Fellowship Hall for a free movie, popcorn, and discussion of the film's cultural and religious issues.

This Friday, we plan to screen Beautifully Broken (2018) which tells intertwined stories of a wealthy family in Nashville and two poverty-stricken families from war-torn Rwanda.

The screenwriter and producer of this film, Grammy-award winner Chuck Howard, has agreed to join our discussion by telephone! (Chuck caught covid-19 earlier this week, so please pray that his health is restored.)

I hope to see you tomorrow evening at 7pm. I have attached the Church Calendar for July.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 6/25/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

Moses assembled all the congregation of the people of Israel and said to them, “These are the things that the LORD has commanded you to do. - Exodus 35:1

This past week, your three elders attended the 49th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America. We worshiped alongside about 2,200 other elders from across the country, heard excellent preaching, attended seminars, participated in committees, and voted on numerous important issues and requests. An ad interim committee presented a 220-page report on Domestic Violence. We ate fried okra and visited with friends -- new and old.

Next year, for our golden jubilee, the denomination will assemble in nearby Memphis. Our presbytery -- Covenant Presbytery -- will host this 50th year, landmark event. The presbytery is looking for volunteers to contribute time and resources, so you will be hearing more about this. Please be praying about how you might be able to help. Let me encourage you to attend at least one of the worship services next June. It is wonderful to hear thousands of Presbyterians in one room singing praise to our Lord. It is truly a taste of heaven.

We will get a taste of heaven tomorrow morning, as well. Come and sing alongside your brothers and sisters as we lift the name of Jesus on high and hear what the Lord has commanded us to do.

And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who is seated on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created.” - Revelation 4:9-10

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

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 6/18/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed. - 1 Peter 2:24

After having contracted covid-19 last week, Debbie and I are feeling much better now. Praise the Lord for His gracious healing!

In accord with CDC guidelines, the doctor has released me from isolation and I plan to return to the pulpit tomorrow. I look forward to worshiping with you.

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

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 6/11/22 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

The last 24 hours have been difficult: I tested positive for covid-19 last night. Thanks to medical advice from Dr. Lessmann, I am feeling a bit better and my fever has broken. Still, I am stuck in bed and will not be able to join you in worship tomorrow. Carl Brannan has graciously agreed to preach. We will reschedule the baptism of Ryan Buckley. I pray that you may be in good health. I am praying for your soul.

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

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 6/5/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

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

Tomorrow, we are planning to observe the Lord’s Supper. As one of the two sacraments, this means of grace was ordained by Jesus Christ to bless you. And, He instituted communion so that you would proclaim His death until He comes back. Why should we proclaim death? We proclaim the Lord’s death because it reminds us of:

• The certainty of death (Heb 9:27)

• The humanity of Jesus (John 1:14; Phil 2:8; Heb 4:15)

• The sinfulness in the world that sought to bring about Jesus’s death (Matt 2:16)

• Our personal sin that deserves death as punishment (Rom 6:23)

• Our rebellion that required atonement for forgiveness, for which Jesus died (1 Pet 2:24)

• The obedience of Jesus that brought about His sacrificial death (Matt 16:21)

• The resurrection in which Jesus rose from the dead (Acts 3:15)

• The prophetic fulfillment of God's plan through Jesus's death (John 3:14)

• The ordinary death that is common to all mankind and is imminent (Rom 5:12)

• The extraordinary torture of Jesus's crucifixion until dead (Is 53:4-6)

• The eternal life because of Jesus's death and resurrection (John 11:25-26)

• The power of Jesus over death (1 Cor 1:18)

• The love of God in His Son's death (Rom 5:8)

• The grace of God through Jesus's atoning sacrifice through His death on a cross (Rom 6:14)

• The faith that overcomes death (2 Cor 5:6-8)

• The hope seen in Jesus’s death that ends death (Rev 21:4)

Tomorrow, let's us proclaim Jesus’s death together, and rejoice in the certain hope from faith in Him. Proclaiming the Lord’s death says a lot. Eating the bread and drinking the wine proclaims the Lord’s death -- to us and to others.

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

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 5/28/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. - Genesis 2:24

My youngest daughter is scheduled to get married this afternoon. Weddings are good reminder to pray for all relationships -- that they would glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Since I am out of town, Carl Brannan is scheduled to preach tomorrow. Attached is the bulletin for Morning Worship as well as the weekly Prayer List.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday 5/20/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

O God, from my youth You have taught me, and I still proclaim Your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim Your might to another generation, Your power to all those to come. - Psalm 71:17-18

Debbie and I celebrated our birthdays this week. Birthdays are a good time to reflect, to give thanks, and to ask for more time to proclaim the Good News to the next generation. After all, God gives strength to the young to carry forward His message of salvation!

The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair. - Proverbs 20:29

And God gives wisdom to the aged to bless those who come behind.

Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days. - Job 12:12

Attached is the bulletin for Morning Worship, the weekly Prayer List, and the Church Calendar for June. I look forward to praising our God together this Lord’s Day. Like birthdays, the Sabbath is a regular reminder to celebrate our great King in heaven.

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. - Psalm 118:24

God remains our only hope. He is the one who grants us birthdays, so let us celebrate Him.

For by Me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life. - Proverbs 9:11

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday 5/13/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

He brought me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me was love. - Song of Songs 2:4

This week, the Mayor’s First Lady, Cheryl Featherstone, organized meals to show appreciation to the employees of a city department each day. On Monday, Debbie, Lucy, me, and others delivered a Mexican lunch to the Police Department. We thanked them for their service, and they seemed very grateful for this show of appreciation. In fact, one of our congregants was speaking to a police officer today who said that he had enjoyed the enchiladas. The church member invited him to Wednesday Night Live.

Tomorrow, the city is hosting a community volunteer sign-up day from 10am to 2pm, at City Hall (101 Front Avenue). This might be a good opportunity to build relationships and increase our church's involvement in the community.

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. - Galatians 6:2

Also, we plan to meet tomorrow at 9am for Saturday Morning Ambassadors. Join us for prayer and then walk the neighborhood with us (if the rain lets up).

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

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday 5/6/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

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. - Ephesians 4:29
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. - 1 Thessalonians 5:11

If you are able, be sure to join us this evening at 7pm for First Friday Film Fellowship. We plan to watch and discuss Field of Dreams (1989, PG). We’ll provide the movie, popcorn, raisinets, and soft drinks; you provide the conversation. Well, and Burt Lancaster, Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, and some others will provide some of the conversation:

Dr. Archibald “Moonlight” Graham: “We just don’t recognize life’s most significant moments while they’re happening. Back then I thought, ‘Well, there’ll be other days.’ I didn’t realize that that was the only day.”

John Kinsella: “Is this heaven?”
Ray Kinsella: “It’s Iowa.”
John Kinsella: “Iowa? I could have sworn this was heaven.”
Ray Kinsella: “Is there a heaven?”
John Kinsella: “Oh yeah. It’s the place where dreams come true.”
Ray Kinsella: “Maybe this is heaven.”

Attached is the weekly Prayer List as well as the bulletin for Morning Worship this Lord’s day.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. - Proverbs 13:12

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Wednesday 5/4/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. - Song of Songs 2:11-12

This beautiful week of spring weather is jumping with a lot of activities, so I wanted to remind you of a few at First Presbyterian Church:

• Wednesday Night Live - Sloppy Joes at 5:45pm! Join us for food, fellowship, prayer, and a discussion of God’s covenant faithfulness.

• National Day of Prayer - on the Courthouse steps, Thursday at noon. Public prayers led by local ministers, including your own.

• Thursday Women’s Bible Study - Exploring 1 Samuel 13 at 1:00pm (beginning right after we get back from the National Day of Prayer event).

• First Friday Film Fellowship - This Friday is the first Friday of the month! Everyone 13 and older is welcome to gather in the Fellowship Hall at 7:00pm for a free movie, popcorn, and discussion of a movie's cultural and religious issues. Each month, we explore a different movie genre (action, comedy, drama, sci-fi, etc.). This Friday, we are screening a bit of a sports fantasy about a farmer who wishes that he could reconcile with his father and who then follows his dreams: Field of Dreams (1989, PG). Invite your friends! To paraphrase from the movie: “If you show it, they will come.”

Also this week, Mount Beulah M.B. Church is hosting a Mother’s Day Gospel Concert at 4:30pm on Saturday. Bring your own lawn chair and listen to Gospel artists (including Cheryl Featherstone) on the lawn at 310 Church Street.

The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the Word of the Lord remains forever. - 1 Peter 1:24-25

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 4/30/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. - 1 Corinthians 12:12-13

Faith is a team sport. If you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you know that even though your were saved as an individual, you cane to faith as an individual, you now live and walk as part of His body. Your faith is nourished through membership in His body. The faith of others is nourished by your faith and obedience. We were made to be nourished together -- made to drink of one Spirit.

For the body does not consist of one member but of many. - 1 Corinthians 12:14

God elects individuals and regenerates their hearts individually. He does so in the context of adoption into one family, as members of one body -- the church, the bride of Christ. Moreover, God works through the church to present the truth of salvation to the world, to call our neighbors to repent and believe, and to foster growth and sanctification for the members through the ministry of the Word. We need each other because we are all in this together.

If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. - 1 Corinthians 12:26-27

The wars and rumors of wars. The riots and rumors of riots. The cancers and rumors of cancer. Everything that we see and hear reminds us that we need each other. God graciously redeemed us as individual members of one body. Let us rejoice as we discern His body. “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” I look forward to celebrating the Lord’s Supper with you tomorrow, together, as one.

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

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday 4/22/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. - Genesis 1:27

On Sunday morning, we start a new sermon series: “The Song of Songs -- The Beauty and Holiness of Marital Love”. Over the past few decades, we have seen a societal shift away from traditional marriage, with an even more recent shift away from traditional understandings of gender and human sexuality. The Bible tells us a lot about marriage and, in particular, The Song of Songs (aka The Song of Solomon) focuses on love and marriage. That said, our interest in this book of the Bible is not primarily to sort out social or interpersonal issues. Rather, we want to explore how marriage reflects who Jesus is.

For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of His body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. - Ephesians 5:29-32

Saturday morning (tomorrow), please join us at 9am for prayer and 9:30 as the Saturday Morning Ambassadors walk the neighborhood and get to know those whom God has placed close to us.

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

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Good Friday 4/15/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit!” And having said this He breathed His last. - Luke 23:44-46

When I was young, I was confused about why they would call today “Good Friday”. After all, Jesus died -- how could that be good? Sure, I had also heard that He rose again on the third day after He died, but even though He came back to life, it seemed odd to me to call the day of His death good.

Back then, I was a big fan of the Baltimore Orioles. If the other team had scored a bunch of runs in the seventh inning, I did not regard this as good, even if the Orioles did come back to score and win in the ninth inning. Though it was a good game, I would not have called the seventh a “Good Inning”. How is it a Good Friday?

There are several ways in which Good Friday is, in fact, good:

• The crucifixion was a demonstration of Jesus’s holiness and righteousness -- Good Friday reflects His goodness. - God is good. God is perfectly righteous; He is truly holy. Everything that God says and does is good, and right, and true. We sometimes use “good” to mean holy and righteous, as in “this is what the good book says” -- the Holy Bible -- or “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Matt 10:17) As a holy and righteous act, Jesus’s work on the cross was good.

• Jesus’s atoning sacrifice is beneficial -- Good Friday brings good. - Through His work, Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of the elect, thereby purchasing their redemption and granting them eternal life with their God. We sometimes talk about returns from a “good investment”, in fact we call useful things that we produce “goods”. That Friday blessed and continues to bless those who believe.

• We honor Jesus by remembering that He is the suffering servant -- Good Friday prompts good. God’s people have been called to celebrate God’s covenant faithfulness through our own faithful recognition of His grace and mercy. “I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.” (Psalm 7:17) Honoring Jesus is good.

Tomorrow is going to be a good Saturday -- especially since we are planning on having our Resurrection Egg Hunt at 11am. The weatherman says that it will be raining, but even so, it will be good: we will simply move the festivities indoors and hide eggs in the Fellowship Hall / Sunday School wing. Therefore -- young or old -- be sure to attend and invite your friends and family. If you are able to help us with set-up, please meet at the church by 10am to hide eggs, etc.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List as well as the bulletin for Morning Worship on Easter Sunday. Let us rejoice together that our Savior has risen, indeed.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday 4/8/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up, after He had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen. - Acts 1:1-2

Luke begins the Book of Acts with a personal note reminding his primary reader -- Theophilus -- that his first book, the Gospel of Luke, describes Jesus’s earthly ministry. In this sense, Acts is more directly about the work of the Holy Spirit as He empowers the birth and growth of the church and missions.

This Sunday is Palm Sunday, commemorating Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem the week that He would later be betrayed and crucified. As Jesus entered the city, crowds of people rejoiced and praised God, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” At the same time, Luke tells us that some Pharisees complained to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples” (Luke 9:39). But Jesus responded, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

As you reflect on “Passion Week”, consider how God has graciously and personally revealed to you His love for His Son, as well as Christ’s love for His Bride, the church. “God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). Even though many people rejoiced at Jesus’s entry on that first Palm Sunday, some would in fact turn against Him that week. Eventually, though, the world will bow - every knee. How will they hear about the King who comes in the name of the Lord? We could tell them, personally! We could tell them all that Jesus began to do and teach. After all, God empowers His church to teach the Good News of His Kingdom to the entire world through His personal interactions.

Attached is the bulletin for Sunday Morning Worship and the weekly Prayer List. In addition, since this Sunday we will be wrapping up our sermon series on the Book of Acts, I have included an insert in the bulletin (and attached it here as well) that lists the Main Propositions from each sermon in the series over the past 22 months. In this way, you can see the flow of concepts as presented chapter-by-chapter. You can also appreciate the overall messaging, such as: “God empowers His church to teach the Good News of His Kingdom to the entire world through His personal interactions.”

Please consider joining us tomorrow morning at 9am as the Saturday Morning Ambassadors pray together and then walk the community at 9:30. We are especially excited about inviting our neighbors to the Resurrection Egg Hunt next week: Saturday, April 16, at 11am.

May God bless your worship and fellowship this week, personally!

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 3/19/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. - Matthew 24:6-8

If you have been watching the news, you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. The stories and images are quite disturbing. So disturbing that many people have chosen to avoid following the news; it all seems so depressing.

Jesus has a message for you: “See that you are not alarmed.” After all, we are not alarmed when our stomach grumbles. For this must take place to let us know that it is lunch time. We expect to get hungry at various times of the day. We expect to hear our tummy notify us to stop what we are doing and grab a bite to eat. We are not alarmed when we hear our dog bark to go outside. After all, we expect -- and appreciate -- being notified of his needs. For this must take place.

In a fallen world, Jesus reminds us to not be alarmed when nation rises against nation. After all, sinful people will be driven by their sin, and eventually they will seek to pull others down to their level. In a world broken by sin, famines and earthquakes must take place. After all, if such devastating events did not occur, then we would have to conclude that sin is really not all that bad: Adam’s rebellion against his Creator was no big deal.

This is our view, oftentimes. We think that our particular sin is not all that bad -- not devastating. It’s just a small story; he didn’t need that anyway; no one will notice; no one got hurt; I’ll say “I’m sorry”; he’ll forget it. But, our sin and the sins of warring nations are the beginning of birth pains. They are a big deal, but we need not be alarmed. We should expect sin in a sinful world. And Jesus tells us that He will make everything new again. Birth pains are painful (I am told), but we need not be alarmed, for this must take place in order for God to establish a new heaven and a new earth.

Today, we can mourn over the pains around us and in us, but instead of cursing this earth, let us also rejoice that God has a plan. And that plan is to redeem His children and dwell with them forever. Join me in praying for the nations and the sinful people who make them up. Pray that people would trust in Jesus and thus not be alarmed.

Attached is the bulletin for tomorrow morning’s Lord’s Day worship, as well as the weekly Prayer List. The Travelers Sunday School class (which meets in the Fellowship Hall at 9:30am) has begun a new series on interpreting and applying the Bible. Join us as we seek to understand this world through God’s Word.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday 3/11/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us. - Acts 16:15

Baptism is one of the two sacraments of the church, the other being the Lord’s Supper. The sacraments are one of the “ordinary means of grace”, the others being the Word (especially preaching) and prayer. While Baptism is “ordinary”, it is an exciting sign and seal of the memorable event in which an individual is received into the covenant community. It is delightful when children of believing parents are received as non-communing members of the visible church. Entire households celebrate God’s grace as He marks His people as His own. Through the visible church, the world can see the blessings of God upon the people whom He has called out to witness His love.

This week Debbie and I attended Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary’s annual Spring Conference. The topic was “Light in the Darkness: Christian Living in a Post-Christian World”. In addition, we are staying in Greenville, South Carolina for the baptism of our grandson: Duncan Rainey Hoopes III. All five of our children plan to attend this memorable event. We plan to be back in town Monday night.

In the meantime, Carl Brannan is scheduled to preach Sunday. Attached is the bulletin for Morning Worship, as well as the weekly Prayer List.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 3/5/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” - Acts 9:3-6

We had a wonderful time of fellowship last night. In addition to members of our church family, two additional couples from the community joined us as we watched a thought-provoking movie and then spent time discussing the film. The main character in the movie saw a bright light and fell to the ground in the middle of the road. He remained the same person, but his life was changed. One theme that the movie reinforced was Colossians 4:5 - Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Be sure to put our next First Friday Film Fellowship on your calendar for April 1st -- and invite others to join us, as well. We have plenty of popcorn.

A quick reminder: Debbie and I will be heading to Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary’s annual Spring Conference this week. There will be no Wednesday Night Live nor Thursday Women’s Bible Study this week. We will be back in the church office on March 15th.

Attached is the bulletin for tomorrow's Morning Worship. Also attached is the weekly Prayer List.

I look forward to worshiping with you and celebrating together as we observe the Lord’s Supper.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Wednesday 3/2/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

After we were brought safely through, we then learned that the island was called Malta. The native people showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. - Acts 28:1-2

We rejoice that Anne McKee is back home from the hospital! Her little Maltese buddy, named Buddy, rejoices as well! Anne’s blood pressure has improved; please continue to pray that it stabilizes further. Also, please continue to pray for others on our Prayer List, such as Lucy Lessmann and Frank Covington, as they receive medical care and treatments.

Also, please continue praying for the residents of Ukraine, Russia, and other areas that have suffered devastation from war. The native people of Ukraine have faced an opponent who threatens their very existence. Many have been driven from their homes and/or are struggling to survive a harsh winter without heat. Pray especially for biblical wisdom from the national leaders as they deal with these situations.

We hope to see you this evening for Wednesday Night Live. As we gather in fellowship, prayer, and study, we can encourage and intercede for one another during these difficult times.

Don’t forget: this Friday, March 4th, at 7pm in the Fellowship Hall, we plan to watch an interesting movie, eat popcorn, and discuss the cultural and religious themes. This month’s movie is a mysterious tear-jerker: Phenomenon (1996, PG). We would love for you to join the conversation during our First Friday Film Fellowship.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 2/26/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. - Ephesians 6:12

If you watch the news, you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you not be alarmed: for this is a fallen, broken world. Broken, sinful people like to start wars. Sure, they claim to not like war; they claim to want peace. But, they prefer battling over submitting to God. Take heart. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil. Take heart.

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. - James 4:1-2

You don’t have to be as rich and powerful as Vladimir Putin to start a war. It boils down to this: We create our own wars because of the spiritual struggles inside us. We fight and quarrel because we refuse to rely upon God; we refuse to turn to Him for fulfillment. We prefer to pursue our own desires and crowd out others in the process. Then, we like to complain that the world isn’t pleasant and peaceful.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. - Matthew 5:9

With all the wars and rumors of wars, it might be tempting for us to wring our hands. Let me encourage you to see yourself not as an outsider, not as a spectator from a great distance, but as a battlefield participant. If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you are a world-class wrestler!

A young man named Adonis Lattimore just won the high school wrestling championship for the entire state of Virginia. Adonis was born with no right leg and with barely half of a left leg. Someone probably told him that he could never wrestle. Regardless, Adonis had what he needed to wrestle and win.

You have been armed for major conflict. You are called to wrestle. Maybe you have weak legs and a tired body. But, we don’t wrestle with flesh and bones, we have been commissioned to wrestle against the spirits of darkness. So, grab your Psalter and pray with me. Let’s pray for peace. Let’s lead others to reconciliation. You do not have because you do not ask. Take heart. Blessed are the peacemakers.

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

I look forward to worshiping with you tomorrow.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 2/19/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. - Jeremiah 29:11

Maybe you have heard people say, “I want to know what God’s will is for my life.” Scripture provides answers to this question.

Jeremiah 29:11 is a popular Bible verse. In this particular verse, God does not say much about the specific content of His plans. However, in this verse God says at least three things about:

1. Knowledge of God’s Plans - God’s plans are known. God knows the plans that He has for His people.

2. Direction of God’s Plans - God’s plans are good. God says that His plans -- whatever they contain -- are plans for good (‘welfare’).

3. Purpose of God’s Plans - God’s plans are comforting. God says that He assures the direction of His plans in order to give His people hope.

At least part of God’s plan is for His people to be comforted by the good hope that what He has ordained shall come to pass. I pray that you rejoice in His plans and abound in this hope.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. - Romans 15:13

I look forward to rejoicing with you tomorrow in worship of our living Savior. God’s will is for His people to receive a future and a hope. Jesus Christ purchased this future. Attached is the bulletin for Morning Worship, as well as the weekly Prayer List.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 2/12/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us - Hebrews 12:1

This morning, Richard Lessmann ran a race in Hilton Head, South Carolina. He ran with endurance and completed all 26.2 miles of this marathon effort! Richard was the youngest runner in the race. He completed the course in 4 hours 7 minutes! Be sure to congratulate him when you see him!

While Richard was running this morning, some of us were walking the race set before us. The Saturday Morning Ambassadors had a delightful outing, knocking on doors, seeing some old friends, and meeting some new ones. Our interactions included:

• A man who has been working at Shoppers Value for 22 years used to live on Gillespie and has recently relocated to West Gresham. He has a 20 year old son and a two year old daughter. We chatted for a while and then prayed with him.

• Three men were taking advantage of the mild weather to do some landscaping and hedge trimming. One of them immediately recognized us from previous Saturdays. He quickly came over to us and shared how things had been going with him. He has had steady work for five months -- only missing one day due to his blood pressure. His wife is doing well but has some leg pain for which she is receiving medical attention. One of the other men recognized us as well. After catching up for a bit, we asked if we could pray for them. One of them hollered for everyone to stop work and bow their heads. It was glorious to pray with them and for the neighborhood as everyone stood reverently before God.

• A man who works at Protein Products opened the door at a house where we had met his wife this past summer. They have three children whom we had invited to VBS before. The husband works nights, so we encouraged him to invite his wife to bring the kids to join us for dinner on Wednesday Nights. He was very friendly and we prayed with him for his family.

• A young lady who recently moved into the neighborhood was walking her small dog named Hartley. We gave her some information about the church, invited her to join us on Sundays or Wednesdays, and told her to let us know if she needed any help getting settled in.

Please pray for Betty whose house caught fire recently. (She was the very first person we met when we began our Saturday Morning Ambassadors back in May.) The house is not currently able to be lived in. The insurance company has made its assessment and work on the house is about to begin. Please pray that Betty can move back in soon.

I look forward to worshiping with you tomorrow. Attached is the bulletin for Morning Worship and the weekly Prayer List. Please join us in person, or via livestream (http://IndianolaPCA.org/Livestream) or conference call (662-262-5152). And pray that some of our neighbors will join us in worship, as well.

For the first six months, the Saturday Morning Ambassadors went walking every Saturday. Now, we gather and walk the neighborhood on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays. If you can, please join us on February 26th for our next exciting outing. Our neighbors would love to meet you. We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. Let’s lay aside every weight and run, or walk, with endurance, together, the race that is set before us.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 2/5/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. - Ecclesiastes 1:5

Last night, we had a great turnout for our First Friday Film Fellowship! It seemed that everyone enjoyed the movie, popcorn, and discussion. Mark your calendar to join us on Friday, March 4th at 7pm for our next film fellowship. Be sure to invite friends from the community, as we consider:

• “Dialogue grants us greater knowledge of how other people react – and therefore, perhaps – deeper understanding of how other people think.”

• “There is no such thing as a bad movie – you can learn something from all of them, or at least you can engage in lively discussion about them. In that sense, the worse, the better.”

Even though the movie last night was a comedy, the protagonist seemed to proceed through the “five stages of grief” defined by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross in her book On Death and Dying.

• But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. - 1 Thessalonians 4:13

In light of the movie, it seems good to consider the question: If Christians are to grieve differently (‘not as others do’), how might Christians progress differently through a Groundhog Day experience?

Attached is the weekly Prayer List as well as the bulletin for Morning Worship. I look forward to worshiping with you tomorrow, including celebrating the Lord’s Supper together.

As we saw in the movie last night, it is good to operate according to this principle: Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. - Ephesians 5:16

May you glorify and enjoy God this day and tomorrow and the next.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Thursday 2/3/22 Quick Reminders: Today and Tomorrow

Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples! - Psalm 96:3

Here is a quick reminder of two special events today and tomorrow:

• The Outreach Committee is meeting at the church at 6pm today to discuss plans for the year. If you are already a part of the outreach team -- or if you are interested in learning how you can be part of the team -- please join us in the upstairs youth room. It will be a working dinner with pizza, so RSVP (via email or to the church office - 662-887-1975) to help ensure that we have an adequate amount.

• February’s First Friday Film Fellowship is tomorrow at 7pm. Invite friends and family to join us for a free movie, popcorn, and discussion of the film's cultural and religious issues. In the past few months, we have shared a cinema classic, a sci-fi time travel movie, a Christmas-themed romantic comedy, and an intense drama. This Friday we plan to screen the comedy classic -- and thought-provoking -- Groundhog Day (PG-13).

Also, our weekly Women’s Bible Study is at 1pm in the Church Library today. We hope that you can join us.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 1/29/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. - 2 Corinthians 1:11

Prayers by the church are valuable to our missionaries.

We are excited that Jimmy & Nadia Dukes and their three daughters are scheduled to arrive in Indianola today. We praise God that a number of church families have gotten past their bouts with covid a few weeks ago. Tomorrow after morning worship, we have scheduled a fifth Sunday covered dish meal, so please plan to join us. At that time, the Dukes are planning to give us an update on their missions work in Peru. The church is providing an entree, so please bring a side dish or dessert to share.

Attached is the weekly Prayer List, the bulletin for Morning Worship, and the Church Calendar for February. Please plan to join us next week -- Friday the 4th at 7pm -- for a movie, popcorn, and discussion. We plan to screen Groundhog Day (yes, two days late -- we will just have to live through it again) for our First Friday Film Fellowship. This movie presents topics that are worthy of consideration from a Christian perspective.

About this film, Director Harold Ramis once said: “At first I would get mail saying, ‘Oh, you must be a Christian, because the movie so beautifully expresses Christian belief.’ Then rabbis started calling from all over, saying they were preaching the film as their next sermon. And the Buddhists! Well, I knew they loved it, because my mother-in-law has lived in a Buddhist meditation center for 30 years and my wife lived there for 5 years.’” This gives us a basis for lively discussion. It is rated PG-13, so please consider this when inviting friends and family members.

This week, join us for worship and fellowship, pray for our missionaries ... “and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the Gospel” - Ephesians 6:19.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Saturday 1/22/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. - Hebrews 11:1

Faith is not simply thinking that something is true. After all, someone could tell you that he put $500 in the bank, and you could believe that person -- but such belief would not necessarily be faith. We can believe all sorts of things to be true, without having faith in them. I believe that George Washington was the first president of the United States. I don’t have faith in George Washington.

Someone could tell you that Jesus was born to a virgin. You could believe this historical fact and still not have faith. Similarly, you could be told that Jesus died and rose from the dead, and you could believe this fact and still not have faith. Faith is not about historical facts; it does not only look back at the past. Faith looks to the future.

You see, faith is the assurance of things hoped for. To have faith, you must have something in which you are hoping. You must be convinced of something that you have not seen, because it has not yet come to pass.

Faith is not simply thinking that something is true, it is having assurance. Assurance is like insurance: it is a guarantee of a promise. Someone could tell you that he put $500 in your bank account, and you could believe that person. And if you wrote a check on that amount, you would be exercising your faith -- operating with assurance and being confident in your hope that the check would clear. By faith, you could write a check.

This week, consider each day in what you are hoping for. Consider where you faith is. Of what are you assured? More importantly, what is your faith convincing you to do?

By faith Abel offered to God (Heb 11:4); by faith Noah constructed (11:7); by faith Abraham obeyed and went out (11:8); by faith Jacob blessed his grandsons (11:21); by faith Moses left Egypt (11:27); by faith Rahab gave a friendly welcome to the spies (11:31). By faith, you could rejoice in God’s past, present, and future provision. By faith, you can worship God alongside His people tomorrow. Join His people in the hall of faith.

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

Keep in mind: Jimmy & Nadia Dukes are now scheduled to join us next Sunday, the 30th, during our Fifth Sunday Covered Dish Fellowship Meal. As such, we will not be having a Soup Luncheon after morning worship tomorrow.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Thursday 1/20/22 - Change of Plans! regarding Soup Luncheon at First Presbyterian

With Covid, plans can change...

Even though we had just announced a Soup Luncheon at church for this Sunday the 23rd, since Jimmy & Nadia Dukes were going to be in town...

The Dukes were going to be staying at the Lessmann’s house.
However, Erik has just tested positive for Covid, so the Dukes would prefer to visit the following weekend, instead.

Therefore, we now need to change plans:

• Jimmy & Nadia Dukes will be visiting First Presbyterian on January 30th.

• Since it is a fifth Sunday, we were already planning on having a covered dish fellowship meal after morning worship that day,
  so the Dukes will share their missions update during that time.

Thank you for your grace and patient understanding. Please be praying for Erik (who is doing well).

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Thursday 1/20/22 - Soup Luncheon After Worship on January 23rd

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. - Acts 1:8

It is very cold outside -- this is soup season! The world is broken -- the season is right for supporting missionaries!

We are excited to announce that Jimmy & Nadia Dukes -- missionaries whom we have been supporting in Peru -- are visiting Indianola this weekend!

Therefore, we are putting together an impromptu Soup Luncheon on Sunday, January 23rd, just after Morning Worship. During this event, Jimmy & Nadia plan to give us an update on their ministry and spend time so that we may get to know them better. We will get to hear first-hand what it is like to be a missionary during the pandemic.

Soup will be provided, so please just plan to join us for some comfort food -- after all, you gotta eat, anyway!

Help us to celebrate the work that God is doing in Peru through this dear family.

Be sure to invite your friends and family as well!

(Note: The soup luncheon this Sunday the 23rd is in addition to the Covered Dish Fellowship Meal that we had already been planning for the following week, January 30th.)

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes and the Outreach Committee

Friday 1/14/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

He brought me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me was love. - Song of Solomon 2:4

This week, we had a wonderful kick-off for this year’s Wednesday Night Live. We had a delicious potato bar with all sorts of fixings. We divided up into inter-generational groups and explored the church on a “Team Quest” -- a sort of scavenger hunt. As part of the competition, each team took pictures (we will be posting some to the website), answered questions, learned about the church, and got to know each other a bit better. Here were the teams:

• Praying Warriors - Sarah Davis, Tom Humbarger, Owen Lessmann & Callie Davis (1 Thess 5:17) - WINNING TEAM!

• Sparkles Flag – Ellie Davis, Sally Lessmann, Phil Soen & Pastor Duncan (Song of Solomon 2:4)

• Promise Leaders – Eden Grace, Sterrett Lessmann, Case Newsom & Debbie Hoopes (Genesis 9:13)

• Truth Seekers – Silas Newsom, Lucy Lessmann, Caroline Newsom & Erik Lessmann (John 4:23)

This week, like the Praying Warriors, may you Pray without ceasing - 1 Thessalonians 5:17. I have attached the weekly Prayer List to assist you in this. Please continue to pray especially for Linus Lessmann.

Also, like the Truth Seekers, remember: The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. - John 4:23 Attached is the bulletin for Morning Worship. I look forward to worshiping with you this Lord’s Day!

And, as you look around at God’s creation, may you be comforted. Like the Promise Leaders, Consider beautiful rainbows in the sky: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. - Genesis 9:13

Be sure to join us next Wednesday at God’s banqueting table. His banner over His church is love.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Thursday 1/13/22

Fun Event Tonight to Support Our Local Community College!

As you probably know, Lucy Lessmann is a student at MDCC and Jason Conner is the Athletic Director there. This evening at 6:00 pm presents a great opportunity for you to support them and their school by attending the Women’s Basketball game at the J.T. Hall Coliseum.

Tonight, this school event includes a celebration of Pastor Appreciation Night -- so you would be supporting local pastors in the Delta, as well. If you have never attended an MDCC sports event, take advantage of this introduction to Jason, his team, and programs at the school. If you have attended before, then you are already aware of MDCC’s importance in our community and the need for ongoing support. I hope to see you there! Please let me know if you need a ride.

https://www.enterprise-tocsin.com/local-content-local-sports-schools-social-sports-state-sports-top-stories/mdcc-hosting-pastor?utm_source=The+Enterprise-Tocsin&utm_campaign=df00e66fa4-Enterprise-Tocsin+-+Daily+Updates+Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_402340519d-df00e66fa4-463256784#sthash.NQxmiolS.ixBtNipa.dpbs

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

Friday 1/7/22 First Presbyterian Church Update

But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. - 1 John 1:7

Happy first Friday of the month! Be sure to join us this evening in the Fellowship Hall at 7pm for our Film Fellowship.

We plan to have popcorn, beverages, a movie, and a conversation. Tonight, we will be screening and discussing Fearless (1993) by Australian film director Peter Weir. Maybe you have already seen some of his highly-regarded movies over the years, including: Master and Commander, The Truman Show, Green Card, Dead Poets Society, Witness, The Year of Living Dangerously, and Gallipoli.

One reviewer summarizes the plot of Fearless: “After a terrible air disaster, survivor Max Klein emerges a changed person. Unable to connect to his former life or to wife Laura, he feels godlike and invulnerable.” This evening’s selection includes a horrific airplane crash and some foul language, so please keep this in mind when inviting others to join. With such challenging topics, this drama offers an opportunity for us to discuss human nature, fear, and faith. Here are a few quotes from the main characters:

• “People don't believe in god so much as they choose not to believe in nothing.”

• “People say they want to know the truth, but what they really want to know is that they already know the truth.”

• “So what are you saying? That there’s no God, but there’s you?”

The film stars Jeff Bridges, Isabella Rossellini (who looks and sounds remarkably like her mother Ingrid Bergman), and Rosie Perez (who received an Oscar nomination for this movie). Come join us as we further discover how movies can foster dialogue.

We had encouraging fellowship at our annual Twelfth Night of Christmas Party last night. Debbie will like bring some of the leftover Peppermint Fudge to the Film Fellowship this evening.

I have attached the bulletin for Morning Worship, as well as the weekly Prayer List. Please remember that our Inquirer’s Class begins this Sunday at 9:30am -- all are welcome: current members who want to learn more about who we are, fellow worshipers who are interested in becoming members, and really anyone who wants to discuss what Presbyterians believe. I look forward to seeing you this weekend.

In His name,
Rev. Duncan Hoopes

If you believe that you are able to manage the health risks and safety precautions during the pandemic,
please join us in-person for worship and other activities.