Join us at 9:00 in the sanctuary tomorrow, Sunday, Dec 10, for our Festival of Carols…a celebration of the season with the choirs from FPC Marion, FPC IA City, and an incredibly accomplished chamber orchestra and accompanist. Hope to see you there!

Join us on Christmas Eve for candles and carols... fb.me/e/1tkU8zHq5

A new blog for a new year...fpcmarion.org/2024/01/happy-…

Due to the extreme weather conditions forecasted for tonight into Sunday, Jan. 14, FPC leadership has decided to cancel services tomorrow. Stay home, stay warm, and stay safe.

There is a lot of truth in this. Christianity shouldn’t be frozen in time with doctrines and beliefs better suited to a different age. It should be vibrant and alive…always growing as we engage with it and grow in faith and understanding.

After last night, it’s apparent there are a whole lot of people who need to be sprinkled with holy water and have somebody yell, “The power of Christ compels you!”

Quote of the day from Roman Catholic bishop Dom Helder Camara from Brazil: "When I gave food to the poor, they called me a saint; when I asked why there are so many poor, they called me a communist." Charity usually doesn't offend people; a passion for justice often does.

Out of an abundance of caution, FPC Marion will be closed today. The Deacon and Session mtgs scheduled for tonight have been postponed to 1/30.

Thought for the day: Taking the Bible at face value does a disservice to the Truth it contains and dishonors the One to whom it points.

"Our commitment to be an inclusive church is not based on a social theory or capitulation to the ways of the culture, but on our belief that the outstretched arms of Jesus on the cross are a sign of the very love of God reaching out to us all.” - Bishop Michael Curry #GoodFriday

Christianity without Augustine would be a kinder, gentler faith.

This morning’s deep thought from CS Lewis: “Those most willing to suffer and die for their faith may also be those most willing to harm and kill for it.”

Say what you want, Joe Biden is a true patriot. Placing the nation’s interests ahead of his own is an act of devotion not to a party or party line but to the ideals of self-sacrifice and preserving the common good on which this nation has stood. Proud to call him my President.

The kid is neurodivergent with a non-verbal learning disability. Only a cruel, heartless person would mock and ridicule a 17 year old boy. Leave him the hell alone!

This. Is. Awesome! Whoever the camera person is, thank you for showing the truth!

So to recap... rule-of-law voters get an alleged sex trafficker junkie as the country's top cop pro-life voters get an abortion enthusiast leading HHS America-First voters get a Kremlin stooge coordinating our intelligence ops ...but sure, go on believing in a "binary choice"

NO ONE NEEDS CHURCHES THAT ARE: — Doctrinally perfect — Politically Influential — Antagonistic toward culture — Focused more on God than Neighbor WE ALL NEED CHURCHES THAT WILL: — Do justice work — Defend the oppressed — Show endless mercy — Allow doubt — Be humble

Truth

Am I the only one who finds it ironic the Trump inauguration and MLK Jr Day are on the same day?