Month: July 2026

Hey Everyone,

I hope you are all well, where ever you are in the world. I know many of you headed back to your homes, while others had already planned travels during this time. Truth be told, the town feels a little strange right now with so many of you away during this part of the summer season. Regardless of where you are in the country or world, we’ve got some stuff to celebrate. Consider joining us–in person and online (when available)–for our upcoming gatherings commemorating our 150th anniversary.

Glory to God Hymn Sing
To officially get things started for our “Season of Celebration,” we’re holding an old-fashioned hymn sing with our new Glory To God: Presbyterian Hymnal. Before diving into some of our favorite hymns, however, I’ll be sharing briefly about the new hymnal, why we’re incorporating it into our musical repertoire, and highlighting some of its notable features. Join us this Saturday night, July 25th in the CPC sanctuary at 7:00pm for this special gathering.

This Sunday’s Worship Service
This Sunday, July 26th, we’ll kick-off our 150th Anniversary Season of Celebration by welcoming the Rev. Dr. Ray Jones, III, the Director of Leadership Development for the national agency of Presbyterian Life and Witness. Ray will bring us greetings and a commemorative certificate acknowledging our 150th anniversary, signed by the Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Rev. Jihyun Oh (the closest thing we have to a pope). Join us at 10:00am in the yard for this special service. During the sermon this Sunday, I’ll be exploring the first of the Six Great Ends of the Church–”the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind.” Fellowship will follow in Darley Hall with coffee and cookies.

Cookies Drive
Don’t forget that we’re having a Fellowship Cookie Drive. Consider baking a couple dozen of your favorite cookies and dropping them off in a sealable bag in the Darley Hall kitchen freezer or refrigerator. Thanks in advance!

Trail Hiker Center and Hiker Dinner
This Sunday night, July 26th, we’ll host our third trail hiker dinner of the season. The theme of this week’s dinner is Asian/Hawaiian and we’ll be serving poké bowls (pronounced “poh-kay” and the “bowls” part is just the normal way). A poké bowl is a Hawaiian dish that has spread across the globe and into several different cultures. In short, poké means to slice and is referential to the manner in which Hawaiians would catch and slice the raw fish into cubes. Our version of it includes a bed of jasmine rice, topped with a (not raw) spicy salmon salad (also not in cubes), shredded carrots, sliced cucumbers, edamame, scallions, and an array of Asian sauces and other fun toppings. Bring something in an Asian theme or whatever you’d like to make. Just join us at 5:30pm for this magical gathering.

Next Week
This coming week, it’s business as usual with Game up Here on Monday night, July 27th from 7:00pm to 9:00pm and our weekly Bible study on Wednesday, July 29th at 5:00pm. Both gatherings are in the Annex/Trail Hiker Center.

That’s it for this week folks. Below are your links and your order of worship for this Sunday’s service. If you’re in town, please consider joining us for our Glory to God Hymn Sing this Saturday. It’s always amazing to hear the collective voices of the saints singing hymns of praise to God.

Glory to God Hymn Sing:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88489308747?pwd=RHVFY1BybkU0a1RXZE9GRlBZWWpNUT09

Sunday Worship Service:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88489308747?pwd=RHVFY1BybkU0a1RXZE9GRlBZWWpNUT09

Wednesday Bible Study:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83431443393?
pwd=NEFpYVlSNVloSkdCNGExU2kxMUNtQT0

CPC YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@communitypresbyterianchurc6145

Hey Everyone,

As I’m writing this post I can hear the sound of rain falling outside my window. Praise the Lord for His provision. We come to God in thanksgiving for this much needed rain and the promise of safety that it brings.

Well folks, it’s been a doozy of a week filled with a range of emotions–fear, anxiety, uncertainty, but also, hope, love, trust in God’s watchful eye. I know many of you have already headed home and we pray for your traveling mercies as you return home. For those in Lake City, we journey ahead as we face life together during these strange days. I’m certain there are many questions about what the next days and weeks will hold, not just for our town and county, but for our faith community on the eve of its 150th week of celebration.

150th Week of Celebration Postponed
I’ve talked to the ruling elders of CPC and many of you about the potential postponing of our 150th week of celebration. So many folks have left. Others are feeling anxious about what the future holds. This isn’t the spirit with which I was hoping we’d enter into this celebratory week. Truth be told, I’ve struggled immensely over the past few days trying to make the decision to move ahead as planned or to wait until an undetermined time to reschedule. In the end, we have decided to postpone and reschedule the planned events and gatherings. I’ll be sharing more about those changes in the morning announcements.

Sunday Morning Worship Service
Please make every effort to be present or online for the worship service tomorrow morning, Sunday July 19th at 10:00am. Tomorrow is the Seventh Sunday of Ordinal Time and the beginning of our summer sermon series–The Six Great Ends of the Church. If the air quality and/or weather is poor, we’ll move into the CPC sanctuary. Fellowship will follow the service in Darley Hall as usual.

Trail Hiker Center
Another reason we’re asking you to be present in the Sunday worship service tomorrow is, we as a faith community need to decide how to move forward in our hiker ministry with so many hosts and drivers leaving Lake City. We are considering limiting our services and/or hours for the next few weeks, but I’d really like to hear from all of you before making any decisions. Please pray about how we may continue to serve our hikers for as long as they are in our community.

Trail Hiker Dinner
Speaking of the hiker ministry, don’t forget that tomorrow night, July 19th will be our second trail hiker dinner of the season. Tomorrow night’s main dish are croque monsieur sandwiches (which are basically grilled ham and swiss cheese sandwiches covered in a rich béchamel sauce and broiled just before serving. We invite you all to bring sides, salads, or desserts to share in the theme of French/European fare. I know that’s a tall order, so just bring whatever you’re able to do.

This Coming Week
Next week, we have our regular programming. Monday night, July 20th we’ll gather for Games Up Here in the Annex/Trail Hiker Center from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Wednesday night, July 22nd, we’ll continue on with our weekly Bible study series–Stuff Every Christian Should Know. Join us at 5:00pm in the Annex/Trail Hiker Center.

That’s it folks.  I know there are still a lot of questions out there, so please make every effort to be present at tomorrow’s Sunday morning worship service. Below are your links and your order of worship for tomorrow’s service.

Summer Community Worship Service:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88489308747?pwd=RHVFY1BybkU0a1RXZE9GRlBZWWpNUT09

WEDNESDAY Bible Study
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83431443393?pwd=NEFpYVlSNVloSkdCNGExU2kxMUNtQT0

Hey Everyone,

I hope this message finds you all well and in joyous spirits. I’m sending this right before we head out for Judah’s wedding (yes, I know). It’s been a whirlwind of a couple of days getting everything ready.

Tomorrow, Sunday, July 12th is the Sixth Sunday of Ordinal Time, and although I am away, you are all in the very capable hands of our summer staffer, Chloe Pittard, who will both be leading the service and preaching. Additionally, for the rest of the month, we welcome back to the piano, our past worship leader, Celeste Scott. The service will begin at 10:00am in the CPC yard and fellowship will follow in Darley Hall. Join us in person or online. Links to the service can be found below.

This week we have all the regular gatherings happen. Monday night, July 13th we’ll have Games Up Here in the Annex/Trail Hiker Center from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Then, we’ll gather on Wednesday, July 15th at 5:00pm for our weekly Bible Study. This week will be our ninth session of Stuff Every Christian Should Know.

This Tuesday, July 14th, we’ll also be having our monthly session meeting at 9:00am in Darley Hall.

It’s hard to believe, but in one week, we’ll enter into our 150th Anniversary Celebration Week here at CPC. Next week, we’ll be handing out printed schedules, but please look over the list of events for our week of celebration to plan how you’ll be involved.

150th Anniversary Celebration Week
Monday, July 20th–CPC Artifacts Display: Come check out some artifacts, historical items, paintings, and newspaper articles from the 150 years of CPC.
Tuesday, July 21st–Show your CPC pride by attending the Lake City Arts’ 2026 Arts and Crafts Festival in the Town Park. You might not know this, but our church started this community event right in our own yard!
Wednesday, July 22nd–Join us for a hymn sing with our new Glory to God, Presbyterian Hymnal. That’s right, we’re getting new hymnals! Join us at 7:00pm for a community hymn sing with our new hymnals.
Thursday, July 23rd–Join us 7:00pm for a Gospel Concert with the Honey Bees! This is a special treat for our community. Plan on joining us for this evening outdoor conference in the CPC yard.
Friday, July 24th–Join us at 5:00pm for a discussion and presentation with Grant Houston, our own local historian, as he recounts many stories from CPC’s history.
Saturday, July 25th–We’re making at pilgrimage to Darley Mountain. Join us at 9:00am on Saturday morning as we drive to Engineer Pass and hike a short way to the summit of Darley Mountain.

Finally, don’t forget that tomorrow, July 12th is our first Trail Hiker Meal! The dinner will start at 5:30pm in the Trail Hiker Center and the theme is Street Tacos, so please bring a dish to share that is in the theme of Tex-Mex, Mexican, or the like.

That’s it for this week folks.  Below are your links, but not the order of worship for this Sunday’s service. We’re having trouble with our server again, so no online order of worship for this week. Sorry folks.

Summer Community Worship Service:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88489308747?pwd=RHVFY1BybkU0a1RXZE9GRlBZWWpNUT09

WEDNESDAY Bible Study
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83431443393?pwd=NEFpYVlSNVloSkdCNGExU2kxMUNtQT0

Happy 4th of July to you all. It’s been a couple of insane weeks, so this update is coming to you late on Saturday night. I hope you all had a blessed day with your friends and family as we all celebrated the 250th of our nation.

Tomorrow, Sunday, July 5th, is our Summer Community Worship Service. We’ll gather at 10:00am in the soccer field across from the medical center for an ecumenical worship service with the other Lake City churches. Don’t forget to bring your own chair, a hat, and some sunglasses. Bathrooms will be available in the medical center. Tomorrow’s offering will go to the Christian Community Service of Lake City.

This coming week, game are on for Monday, July 6th and the weekly Bible study is back this Wednesday, July 8th. This coming week I’ll be teaching on all of the parables. Yes, that’s right, all of them.

That’s it for this week folks. Normal links and stuff below. 

Summer Community Worship Service:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88489308747?pwd=RHVFY1BybkU0a1RXZE9GRlBZWWpNUT09

WEDNESDAY Bible Study
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83431443393?pwd=NEFpYVlSNVloSkdCNGExU2kxMUNtQT0