Presbyterian Mission Agency st. james presbyterian church Archives

‘You are mine’

Posted June 28th, 2021

Preaching on John the Baptist, whose ministry centered on preparing people for one more powerful than he and who would baptize with fire and the Holy Spirit, the Rev. CeCe Armstrong began her sermon on Luke 3:15-17, 21-22, with these words: “You belong to God.”

‘Surprise, surprise, surprise!’

Posted June 27th, 2021

When he portrayed Private Gomer Pyle during the mid-1960s, actor Jim Nabors employed a number of catch phrases, including “gall-lee” and “Shazam.” But Pyle, who hailed from fictional Mayberry, North Carolina, which is in the same state as the very real Montreat Conference Center, the setting the Presbyterian Association of Musicians’ Worship and Music Conference, was best known for recounting mixed-up stories punctuated by this phrase: “Surprise, surprise, surprise!”

The Rev. Grace Elizabeth Bowen dies at age 69

Posted December 8th, 2020

The Rev. Grace Bowen, interim pastor at the First Presbyterian Church of Newtown in Elmhurst, New York since September 2019, has died at age 69.

‘It’s time to go’

Posted July 21st, 2019

“It’s time to go,” the Rev. CeCe Armstrong told the thousands of people gathered for closing worship Saturday at Presbyterian Youth Triennium. “We often forget that mission starts at home — your own house or your own church. We’ve experienced things here, but if we don’t take them back, the church doesn’t change but you have. Hallelujah!”

Three small congregations net $2,114.13 in One Great Hour of Sharing Fishing Derby

Posted May 10th, 2019

It was an event that stretched through three U.S. time zones and whose impact will be felt around the world.