I first went to Hawaii in 1968. It seemed like WWII was in the distant past then, but it was only 23 years earlier. I love these scenes from my parent’s generation.
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July 2011
July 07, 2011
"A Pilgrim Message for a Patriotic Weekend at First Presbyterian Church"
Rev. Steve Davis takes congregation on a journey from Abraham to America at July 3 worship service, and talks about The Samaritan Center afterward.
Published at Manasquan Patch by Christine A. Scheller
On July 3, as the Jersey Shore filled with out of town visitors and locals prepared to either greet or avoid them, Rev. Steve Davis, senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Manasquan, preached a sermon that connected American pilgrims with biblical ones.
The biblical patriarch Abraham was blessed in order to be a blessing to others, Davis said. Likewise, America has been blessed to be a blessing, but we don't always live up to our calling.
Preaching from Genesis 12:10-20, the pastor explained that Abraham faced a famine in the promised land and consulted his fears instead of God.
"Your famine could be anything that zaps your strength and threatens your relationship with Christ," said Davis.
Abraham fled to Egypt in search of food and asked his wife to lie about her identity to protect himself. We flee into TV, alcohol, drug use, social activities, and extramarital affairs.
A life of hypocrisy "becomes a plague to all who are watching," he said. Church helps recalibrate us through prayer, "the Word," and worship.
The 11:00 a.m. service began and ended with patriotic hymns and modern worship choruses. After the sermon, communion was served and congregants called out special concerns. Davis prayed for them and then prayed that our natiion's leaders wouldn't be engaged in "unresolvable conflicts," but would instead "reflect the better angels of our natures."
Amen to that.
Davis holds a Master of Divinity degree from Fuller Theoloical Seminary in Pasedena, California, and a Doctorate from San Francisco Theological Seminary. He has been serving as senior pastor at First Presbyterian for eight years, he said, and previously pastored for many years at churches in California and the Pacific Northwest.
"The thing that struck me when I first moved here is that there is a great sense of community," said Davis. "We have people in our church who are the eighth generation."
Volunteerism, camaraderie and inter-denominational cooperation are regional strengths, he said, and a series of local youth suicides have presented a unique ministerial challenge.
"Responding to some of those needs through community support, through coordinating efforts between the churches, through working together with different agencies and helping professionals, it's been gratifying to help pull those groups together and to respond in a united voice," said Davis.
One good that has emerged from the tragedies is the development of The Samaritan Center at the Jersey Shore, which is a counseling resource offering direct services to individua ls, but also a referral agency and educational tool for churches and families in the community, said Davis.
"We have initiated that in the past year together with other churches in the community. We're hoping that that is going to help contribute to better mental health in the broader community and a place where people can go in dealing with issues of either depression or suicide ideation or any number of other mental health issues," he said.
Thursday evening, July 7, The Samaritan Center will host its second Surf Jam at Manasquan High School from 6-10 p.m. The event is free and will include food, music, a guest speaker, and a meet-and-greet with professional surfer Sam Hammer. It will also be an opportunity to learn about the center's summer youth activities.
First Presbyterian Church of Manasquan holds three Sunday morning services: Day Break Communion at 8 a.m., Faith Celebration at 9:30 a.m., and Family Worship at 11:00 a.m.
It also hosts Bible studies throughout the week, a food pantry, and a variety of special events.
"Our slogan is that this is a place where Christ's love meets your life and we really do seek to have a Christ centered ministry where people feel the warmth of the spirit of Jesus here in our midst. We seek to edify Christ through our worship, through our Christian education for all ages, through our missions involvement both locally and around the world, and through our various fellowships. I welcome anybody to come and explore growing a relationship with God as they look into their own faith development," said Davis.
