ANNIVERSARY SUNDAY: Yesterday, Today and Forever

Sunday, April 29, 2012 was an historic day in the life of First Presbyterian Church, Pascagoula, Mississippi. We celebrated our 122nd anniversary with two incredibly moving worship services, held an all-day prayer vigil, and came together for a potluck dinner at 5 p.m.


Following dinner, the congregation moved to the sanctuary for a Congregational Meeting to be conducted by the Committee on Consultation of the Presbytery of Mississippi.  At this meeting, the congregation voted 188 - 16 (12 no votes and 4 abstentions) to approve the Session's Recommendation to the Congregation of First Presbyterian Church (USA), Pascagoula, Mississippi to dissolve its relationship with the Presbyterian Church (USA) to join the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC). 


FPC's request for dismissal from the Presbytery of Mississippi will be received at Presbytery's next regular meeting on May 17, 2012, to be held at First Presbyterian Church in Ocean Springs.


The Rev. Matt Mitchell's sermon on this remarkable Sunday reflected on the sovereign influence of God in the life of our congregation throughout its history, and into the future. The scripture lesson for the day was Hebrews 13:1-8.


To listen to this sermon, click on the following link:
Yesterday, Today and Forever

Hebrews 13

Concluding Exhortations

 ¹ Keep on loving each other as brothers. ² Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. ³ Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

 ⁴ Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. ⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

   “Never will I leave you;
   never will I forsake you.”^[a]

 ⁶ So we say with confidence,

   “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
   What can man do to me?”^[b]

 ⁷ Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. ⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Footnotes:

1. Hebrews 13:5 Deut. 31:6
2. Hebrews 13:6 Psalm 118:6,7

EASTER Sunday:He is Risen!

On Easter Sunday, April 8, Rev. Matt Mitchell celebrated the conclusion of the Lenten Series, "The Last Seven Days of Christ" with a message entitled "He is Risen!" The scripture basis for this message was Matthew 28:1-10.

To listen to this message, click the following link:
He is Risen!

Matthew 28

The Resurrection

¹ After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
² There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
⁵ The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
⁸ So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

LENT Season 2012

DATE	SERMON TITLE	SCRIPTURE
2/26/2012	The Tale of Two Parades	Mark 11:1-11
3/4/2012	Turning the Tables	Mark 11:15-18
3/11/2012	Crisis & Conflict	Mark 11-13
3/18/2012	Extravagant Love	Mark 14:1-11
3/25/2012	The Hour of Betrayal	Mark 14:43-52
4/1/2012	The Irony of it All	Mark 15:1-15

UNITY: In Light of Our Current Congregational Concerns

From Rev. Matt Mitchell regarding the message on February 5, 2012: "This sermon came about as a result of our Session’s recommendation that our church leave the PC(USA) and seek to affiliate with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. I have been preaching through the book of Romans and was planning on finishing Chapter 5, but felt led to talk about what true Unity in the church could and should look like. This sermon is focused on our specific church and our situation, but I believe it also holds truths for the church universal as it seeks to come to grips with a growing secularization and a desire for unity at the cost of truth."

To listen to this important message, click on the following link:
UNITY: In Light of Our Current Congregational Concerns

John 17:20-26

Jesus Prays for All Believers

²⁰ “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, ²¹ that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: ²³ I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
²⁴ “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
²⁵ “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. ²⁶ I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

THANKSGIVING Service - Where Are the Nine?

Our special Thanksgiving worship service held the evening of Sunday, November 20, 2011, included Rev.Matt Mitchell's message, "Where Are the Nine?" based on Luke 17:11-19. Do you remember to be thankful for the blessings in your life?

Click on the following link to listen to this message:

Where Are the Nine?

Luke 17:11-19

New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

Ten Healed of Leprosy

¹¹ Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy^[a] met him. They stood at a distance ¹³ and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” ¹⁴ When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
¹⁵ One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. ¹⁶ He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
¹⁷ Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸ Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Footnotes:

1. Luke 17:12 The Greek word was used for various diseases affecting the skin—not necessarily leprosy.