Rev. Dr. Carter Lester

Carter retired in June 2022 as co-pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Pottstown, where he served for 28 years with his wife, Rev. Kerry Pidcock-Lester. Earlier, Carter served as Associate Pastor at Second Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Virginia for 4 years, and as an attorney in Baltimore for five years. He has degrees from Duke University, University of Virginia Law School, Union Presbyterian Seminary (M.Div.), and McCormick Theological Seminary (D. Min.). Pastor Carter has been teaching elective courses in McCormick Theological Seminary’s Doctor of Ministry program for about 20 years. Away from work, Carter enjoys traveling, reading, gardening, walking, and bicycling. After a bad knee made him give up first basketball and then tennis, he is now discovering pickleball. Carter and Kerry have three adult daughters: Kate is a Presbyterian Minister serving on the Duke Chapel staff, Molly is an architectural historian and preservation planner living in Philadelphia, and Elizabeth is an attorney living in Bucks County. Carter and Kerry also have two sons-in-law, one of whom is also a Presbyterian minister, and one of whom is equally beloved despite being a Carolina Tarheel fan, and they have two very adorable grandchildren, age 6 and 4.

Dear Friends in Christ, This Sunday we will complete our Fall preaching series on the “fruits of the Spirit.” This week’s fruit, “Gratitude,” is fitting, not only because we will soon be celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday, but also because gratitude is, in many ways the seed of the other fruits that have been part of […]

Dear Friends in Christ, This Sunday we will welcome the Rev. Denise Pass to preach and help lead both services.  This past August, Denise moved into the area to become the new Shared General Presbyter for Lackawanna and Lehigh Presbyteries.  As an introduction, Denise was born in Fort Worth, Texas, but her family moved to […]

A young man was searching for the secret of wisdom, and heard that there was a guru high in the Himalayas who knew he secret. So, he set off to find the guru, going through much hardship and travail until finally, high in the mountains, he found the Master sitting in the lotus posture. “Tell […]

Kerry was having what she thought would be a routine premarital conversation with a young couple, when it took an unexpected turn, moving suddenly from logistics to theology and Presbyterian history.  Kerry was asking a series of questions in preparation for the service in the sanctuary.  Will there be bridesmaids and grooms?  If so, how […]

Today, we continue our Fall preaching series on the Fruits of the Spirit, the marks of being a Christian. Courage, Peace, Temperance and Self-control, Patience, and Justice lie behind us. Hospitality, Humility, Wisdom, and Gratitude lie ahead of us. During this election season, I have thought what if we were to take this list into […]

Dear Friends in Christ, This Sunday, something will happen in worship that I wish all the world could see. This Sunday, I will once again have a great vantage point for seeing an illustration of who we are, a vision that has always moved my heart and brought a lump to my throat. We will […]

Sally and Ryan’s mother faced a situation that all parents often face.  There were two brownies left for her two young children – and one was bigger than the other.  It did not take long for the two children to argue about who would get the bigger piece.  This time, the mother tried a new […]

Dear Friends in Christ: Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?Will you go where you don’t know and never be the same?Will you let my love be shown, will you let my name be known,will you let my life be grown in you and you in me? Will you leave yourself behind if I but call your name?Will you care for cruel and kind and never be the same?Will you

It is one of the most difficult choices I face in daily life.  It is a choice that each one of you undoubtedly has also faced this week.  You, of course, know what I am talking about: The decision about which checkout line will be fastest. In these days of gargantuan grocery stores, building supply […]

Dear Friends in Christ: This Sunday, October 6, 2024, is designated as “World Communion Sunday,” a Sunday when churches all around the world and from all denominations, will celebrate the fundamental unity of the church in Jesus Christ.  World Communion Sunday is a gift of the of the Presbyterian Church to the larger ecumenical church.  […]

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”  I am guessing that in Paul’s list of some of the fruits of the Spirit, “self-control” is not the one that would get you particularly excited and racing to church to hear preached.  I also imagine that few of […]

Dear Friends in Christ: “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God.”  –Matthew 5:9. On World Communion Sunday, October 6, we will dedicate one of the four Presbyterian Church special offerings: The Peace and Global Witness Offering.  This peacemaking offering is used to support efforts to bring peace and fight injustice around […]