First Presbyterian Church of Valparaiso

It happens every year around this time. I fill my hummingbird feeders, hoping the little dynamos of the bird world will stay around long enough to empty them again. I always dread the day when I suddenly realize that most of our birds have either migrated or gone undercover. (But that's a topic for another day!) I noticed something for the first time today. Two feeders hang on a shepherd's crook in our yard -- one filled with sugar water for the hummers, the other with sunf

This Sunday is our first Sunday with our new Pastor/Head of Staff, the Reverend Kimber-lee Adams. We are all glad to have her with us and leading our congregation. How she ended up as our newest pastor is the result of an established process, a process used by the PCUSA to fill vacant pastor positions that some view as a bit cumbersome... and even slow. And yet, it works. As a member of the Pastor Nominating Committee, I can attest that the process is one that affords both th

During the spring semester of my daughter Evey's 5th grade year, students interested in playing an instrument in middle school were invited to meet with the band instructors and try out different instruments. The auditorium filled with students, parents, teachers, and all variety of instruments was a wonderful cacophony of musical aspirations! On first glance, it may have appeared this represented these children's first exposure to music at all. Truly, it was a milestone in a

When I first began attending First Presbyterian Church of Valparaiso, I remember hearing the words, "This is Christ's church, not ours" which, of course, placed great emphasis that Jesus Christ is Head of the Church. Throughout the ministry of Jesus, he anointed disciples to carry on his ministry after he ascended from earth into heaven. While the discipleship for the ministry of Jesus commenced with twelve disciples, one of the missions of the original disciples was to shar

"Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 1 Corinthians 15:55 NIV. Through my years of being a Christian, I had heard this verse multiple times in sermons, at funerals and in Bible Study. I have to admit that while it had meaning to me when hearing it, this verse never rang truer than during the events of the last few months and weeks. "Where, O death is your sting?" My grandmother died on August 8, 2019. She was 94 years old. Our family knew this was c