Peter wrote his first letter to Christians who were scattered throughout the Roman Empire. He encouraged them to live faithfully in the face of persecution, hardship, and suffering. In many ways, the lessons that Peter shared with those believers apply to us today. Our commitment to follow Christ may put us at odds with the prevailing direction of our culture.
Join us on Sunday mornings as we study 1 Peter and discover how to live faithfully in a fallen world.
Grab your Giving Tree tag from the tree in the heritage room or see the wish list below.
The tree this year supports Elizabeth’s New Life Center Women’s Center in Sidney. The center is a pro-life, non-profit pregnancy resource center that helps women to navigate unexpected pregnancies. The consultants at the center encourage each mother to choose life for her child, providing her with assistance in her spiritual, material, educational, and medical needs. These material needs include baby clothes, diapers, wipes, bottles, and many other essential infant care items.
We ask that your family share the joy of Christmas by donating an item listed on the Giving Tree ornament of your choice or wish list below.
The items do not need to be gift-wrapped; they are used to help those in need throughout the year. Please return your donated items to the heritage room or ministry center by December 27, 2021.
Advent is a season of preparation and waiting. There is no better way to prepare to celebrate the birth of our Savior and Lord than to read scripture together.
This year, we invite you to read Finding Hope Under Bethlehem Skies by Robin Ham. This Advent devotional focuses on the book of Ruth. Here is the description from the back cover of the book.
“We’re all familiar with the Christmas story, but do you know the story behind the story?
Tucked away in the Bible, hundreds of years before Mary, Joseph and the birth of Jesus, is the story of a girl called Ruth. It’s a story that rings true to our world ― a story of sadness and tears, even of death, but also a story of where hope can be found in the darkest places. A story that points us forward to the promise of a king.
Finding Hope Under Bethlehem Skies takes us on an Advent journey through 25 daily reflections. Each day has a short devotion, a suggested prayer and links to a response song. Come along to Bethlehem and discover the hope that shines brightly even on the darkest of nights.”
First Church purchased 200 copies to give away for free. You can pick up your copy at church starting on November 28th. You can also stop by the office during the week. Take a copy for your family and we invite you to give them away to family, friends, and neighbors who need to be encouraged. We pray that this devotional helps you find hope during this Christmas season!
This sermon series will explore what we believe, why it is important, and establish a Biblical foundation for our church to build on.
Want to dig deeper? Join a small group to study the Statement of Faith in depth and discuss what it means for us as individuals and as a church family.
Small group times and locations are listed below. You can sign up at the info center in the sanctuary or by contacting the church office.
Follow First Church on Instagram @firstchurchnk for photos of activities & events.
Leave a voice message or text for Pastor Joel and he will answer your questions regarding his teaching and preaching.
He may respond to you directly, or answer questions on his blog or a Facebook Live post. We hope this will be a great way for you to continue to interact with the sermon and deepen your understanding of God’s Word!
You can also submit a question or prayer request via our Contact Us page.
Reflections on the Bible, life, and the church from Joel Bucklin
First Church of New Knoxville 