News

Cuba Update  In spite of the pandemic, our sister church in Cuba and we have been able to continue sharing  news, greetings, and prayer requests through emails, Baltimore Presbytery connections,  meetings with other U.S. partner churches of Taguasco Presbyterian Church, and two live  Facebook Messenger visits. The town of Taguasco and the province of Santi…

2021-01-03 – Scripture in Context – The Temptation

Welcome to the 2020 Alternative Christmas Market Here is an opportunity to honor friends, relatives, or co-workers by purchasing Christmas cards from the following mission and social justice organizations. Your donations will go directly to their programs. This year’s Market will be completely done on the internet. Here’s how to participate: 1. Choose organizations which…

Church Beyond the Building Task Force Report October 19, 2020 As you know by now, the church relies on its endowment for a significant portion of our operating budget. In addition, we are still paying off a loan for the interior renovations and are facing the need for exterior repairs and organ renovations which might…

Many of you know Alec MacGillis, a regular at First & Franklin Presbyterian Church. On Monday, September 28, The New Yorker published a piece he wrote about a young person he met at our church. Before long, Alec became this young person’s mentor. I think you will find his thinking lucid, challenging, and heartfelt. Here…

Hunger and the Coronavirus The world is living through unprecedented times. The coronavirus is causing anxiety, uncertainty, and disruption. As is often the case, people living in hunger and poverty are likely to suffer the most. Though we may feel powerless and overwhelmed, we are not. Now is the time to heed God’s call to care for the “least…

Day 5 of the school year on Zoom: Why is Love Important? Distance education for small children poses real hardships, too many to count, but even these contexts are not without their moments of light-hearted humor and maybe, if given an opportunity, some wisdom along the way. A teacher posed this question, Why is Love…

Meditation “Maybe I was praying for him then, in my own way. Does God have a set way of prayer, a way that He expects each of us to follow? I doubt it. I believe some people– lots of people– pray through the witness of their lives, through the work they do, the friendships they…

If you’re looking for some casual fellowship, join us on September 11 at 7 p.m. for First & Franklin’s Cocktail Hour . . . our theme, which we will hold loosely, is “Things About Cats . . .” BYO story about a cat, joke about a cat, poem about a cat, something about a cat.…

Meditation “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. . . . If, in this life only, we have hope in Christ, we are of all people the most miserable. Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard the things which God hath prepared for those who love him.” What…

The year 2020 has presented a number of challenges, COVID-19 and an awakening awareness of systematic racism chief among them. First & Franklin has had to address another issue as well – the state of our financial well-being and our ability to continue operating as we have in the past. These challenges also present us…