July 3, 2026

Dear FPCA family,

I write this week from Milwaukee, Wisconsin where I am participating in the 227th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA). This 4th of July weekend I am reminded that the history of our denomination runs parallel to the history of this nation. The Presbyterians were a part of the British colonies beginning in the late 1600s, and the Presbytery of Philadelphia was founded in 1706. When the push for independence came later in the 18th century, Presbyterians were often credited or blamed for the Revolution, depending on one’s feelings about it. King George III called the war “a Presbyterian Rebellion,” which many Presbyterians consider only the start of our strong history of political activism in this country. By the end of the American Revolutionary War there were enough of us throughout the new nation to hold the first General Assembly in 1789.

Even as we find interest or even pride in this history, with humility and honesty, we must also acknowledge that Presbyterians were among the colonizers who displaced indigenous people to build the farms, villages, towns, and cities that stand today.  My own Presbyterian family has a documented history of pushing members of the Susquehanna from their ancestral lands in Lancaster and Cumberland Counties in order to build our homes and churches in this 17th and 18th centuries. Moving closer to those places at this point in my adult life has invited me to think about how I have benefited from this injustice so many generations later and consider what I might be able to do to repair even just some of the harm.

Our worship in our English speaking services this weekend will mark this nation’s 250th anniversary with reflection on the ideals we have espoused and their intersections with the values of our Christian faith – where we reflect them best, where we have missed the mark, and how we can still become the people we are called by God to be in God’s kingdom regardless of our national citizenship. I hope you will join us in person or worship online from wherever you are celebrating. Have a safe, happy, and at least a little introspective 4th of July!

Peace,

We Give Because Christ First Gave to Us

We give to support the ministries of First Presbyterian Church Allentown because we cannot imagine our lives without the life changing experiences that happen here.