Fall Services to begin at Washington Presbyterian

Fall Services to begin at Washington Presbyterian 

The Washington Presbyterian Church will be holding Fall Services on November 7-9, and will be open for everyone to attend. The theme for this year is Luke 9:20: "But who do you say that I am?"

"We will be looking at the ministry of Jesus from four different angles in what will be a worshipful as well as an educational way," says Rev. Glen Kohlhagen, pastor of the church. Each evening service will begin at 6 p.m.battery powered. 

On Friday night, November 7, Rev. Gaye Brown, interim pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, Milledgeville, will discuss Jesus before his birth as Mary is being told by the angel that she will be giving birth. This message will be based on Luke 1:26-33.

On Saturday evening, Dr. Alex Williams, retired campus minister from the University of Georgia, will talk about Jesus during his ministry.

He will base his comments on Mark 8:27-31.

On Sunday morning at the church's with purcha se. r eg ular wo rship time of 11:15, Rev.Lamar Carney, the former Associate Pastor for Youth, Young Adults, and Outreach/Mission Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Pascagoula, Miss., will center his remarks around Matthew 27:11-14, when Jesus was before Pilate.

Sunday night the Executive Presbyter for the Northeast Georgia  Presbytery, Dr. Ken Meeks, will discuss who Jesus is in our lives today and the missions that we are all called to do, basing his remarks on Hebrews 12:1-3. This service will be preceded by a potluck supper at 5 p.m.

The church will celebrate communion at each service, and after each service Rev. Kohlhagen and the guest pastor will be available for individual prayer as well as offering to answer any questions that may have arisen from that service's lesson.

An offering will not be collected from the pews during the evening services; however, the offering  plates will be available at the exitsfor anyone who would like to make a love offering to benefit the food  pantry at God's Market Place.

Presbyterian Church, Rev. Kohlhagen has supplied the following .information. ..............

"The Presbyterian Church has long been steeped in education, and our services this year are geared toward who Jesus was during his life here and who he is today. Our services are contemplative and provide time for reflection and prayer.

We are offering these services as a .... time for those with questions to be able to ask them, and to be able to talk with someone about the answers he or she is seeking.

"Each service is laid out so that even those unfamiliar with our style of worship will be able to take part.

In particular we are tailoring our services  to those who would be considered  'empty-nesters,' although the nursery will be staffed for anyone attending with small children.

"In the late 1800s, Albert Schweitzer led a group on a quest to find the historical Jesus. After years of research and study he concluded that the historical Jesus that you will find is the one you are looking for and need. Presbyterian evangelism is different from many other faith traditions, as we feel that we are not here to give you your answers.

Instead, we look to help each person with his or her own journey, knowingthat the answers being sought by one person are different from the next, and that each of us looks at the Bible through different life experiences. While we recognize the infallibility of the scripture, we also recognize that each of us interprets the Bible a bit differently.

"The term 'Presbyterian' comes from the Greek word 'presbyteroi' which translated means elder, which is how we base our church government.

Each church is governed by elected elders who are called ruling elders. The ministers are called teaching elders.

"While our theology is based on the work of John Calvin and John Knox, we do not have predestination, or double-predestination, as one of the central themes of our theology. Rather, God has given us freedom of choice and leads us with the Holy Spirit throughout our lives. We do not earn our way into eternal life, instead we are justified by grace through our faith, and how we answer God's call upon our daily lives. It is merely a quirk of the English language that makes Presbyterian and predestination sound similar."

Questions may be directed to Rev. Kohlhagen at 706-678-7511.