HomePage Archives - Northminster Evangelical Presbyterian Church

September 2025 Pastor’s Corner — 3 Circles

Posted on Aug 27, 2025 by David Garrison in Christian Living, General, HomePage, Ministry, Missions, Pastor's Corner, Sermons, Spiritual Growth | 0

Aug '25

And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.” — Luke 10:2-3

Last fall we had a couple of town hall meetings to discuss the state and future of our church. To recap: like many churches, we have seen a significant decline in worship attendance and engagement in the life of our church. While for the most part our income has remained steady, it is also declining. Up until last fall, we had seen very few visitors to our church, and those who did visit usually did not return. It seemed as if, while we love our church and what we offer, it wasn’t resonating or connecting with others in our community. Our circumstances seemed discouraging, to say the least. One year later, we’ve often been asked about where things stand and if we are as concerned as we were.

When you look at the practical numbers — worship attendance and income — not much has changed. Our average worship attendance is about the same as it was last fall, and our income is just slightly lower. But those numbers only tell one part of the story, and not the most important part. Since last fall we have had a steady increase in visitors to our church, which led to our largest Inquirer’s Class in the past 8 years. One new regular attender commented, “I didn’t know churches like yours existed any more.” Where we often wonder if our church is declining into irrelevance, another visitor sees a community that has deep faith and deep relationships, the very things she has been needing and looking for.

Where did these new visitors come from? In almost every case, the answer is the same: Someone invited me. In fact, when you boil every church growth and evangelism strategy down to its core, it’s always about some form of personal invitation. It’s how the Gospel spread in the very beginning, and it’s how the Church has grown ever since. Telling others about Jesus is something that all believers are called and invited to do. As Jesus and the Holy Spirit change and transform us, we are invited to share that transformation with others.

The most important part of our life of faith is for us to be looking to see how we are growing as disciples of Jesus Christ, paying attention to how the Holy Spirit is making us into new creations, formed in the image of our Savior: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Think about it this way: when something good happens in our lives or when we have good news to share, we naturally and instinctively want to share that with the people around us. When we see how Jesus has changed us, we want to share that change with others. This change is a process that happens throughout our lives on this side of Glory. Look for how the Holy Spirit has changed you and how you are growing as a disciple. If you aren’t sure how that change is happening in your life, consider asking what the Holy Spirit might be inviting you to change or do differently so you can experience the change He wants to bring about in you.

Sometimes, though, even when we know how we are being changed, we hesitate or aren’t sure how to share that with others. We know Jesus has told us to tell others about the good news of God’s grace, but don’t want to be pushy or offensive. In fact, this is one of the most common questions we’re asked: I know I’m supposed to tell others about Jesus, but I don’t know what to say. To that end, we are going to spend time in September talking about a model for sharing your faith called “The Three Circles.” This is a slightly different model than others you might already know. The emphasis with The Three Circles is helping you learn how to turn everyday conversations into Gospel conversations. We’ll introduce the Three Circles in a three week sermon series, which will be followed by a six week Sunday School class.

If we want to see Northminster grow, it simply comes down to telling others about Jesus and inviting them to church to learn more about Him. The elders and I encourage everyone to join us for worship and plan to participate in the Sunday School class. We’re excited about how the Lord will use the Three Circles to help us share the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with our friends, our family, and the community around us. Find more information about the Three Circles Sunday School class on page seven of the newsletter, or by clicking here..

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” — Romans 10:14-15

Blessings,

Rev. David Garrison

Aug '25

MILLS’ MUSINGS – ANOTHER BIRTHDAY?

Posted on Aug 27, 2025 by Robert Mills in Christian Living, General, HomePage, Mills Musings | 0

Aug '25

On January 28, the Roman Catholic Church annually observes the Feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas. This year, that festival celebrated the 800th anniversary of his birth.

I use that admittedly awkward phrasing because no one knows his actual birthday. From existing records, we can tell he was born either in late 1224 or early 1225. However, 13^th-century Italian officials in the city of Aquino weren’t terribly fastidious about the exact dates children were born to minor noblemen. Nonetheless, the providential timing of his birth helped Aquinas become one of the most important theologians in the Christian Church and one of humanity’s most influential philosophers.

Aquinas lived and worked at a hinge point in Western culture. Europe was on the cusp of the Renaissance. Just 25 years before Aquinas’ birth, the University of Paris received its royal charter. Paris was the first university in the sense that we now use that term: an institution that teaches a variety of disciplines to both undergraduate and graduate students. And with the rise of educational institutions not run by the Roman Catholic Church, the relationship between Christian faith and human reason was undergoing its first major reevaluation in nearly a millennia. Aquinas would play a key role in that project.

As a monk in the recently formed Dominican order, Aquinas spent most of his ministry as a teacher, including at the University of Paris. A great deal of his work, in the classroom and his writings, intended to show the Church and the world that the truths of human reason, those demonstrable by the observations of the senses and the exercise of logic, are compatible with the truths of revelation, those that have been divinely disclosed by God to his human creation.

Today, Aquinas is also recognized as the culminating figure of Scholasticism. The primary aim of the late-medieval Scholastics, who were both philosophers and theologians, was to correlate Christian doctrine with human reason. The Scholastics wanted to show the reasonableness of God’s teachings. They also wanted to explain why those doctrines were important to the daily life of every Christian regardless of occupation or level of education. The Scholastics recognized Christian religion and contemporary science aren’t enemies. Rather, they saw them as complementary ways of learning about God and his world.

And yet, from the Renaissance through the Enlightenment and the Modern era, powerful forces have been trying to separate religious faith from human reason. Those forces are now waning and their centuries-old project is in peril. Most notably, the farther back in time scientists are able to see, the more their observations begin to sound like Aquinas’ articulations of his arguments for the existence and nature of God.

In his 1978 book God and the Astronomers, Robert Jastrow, founder of NASA’s Goddard Institute and an atheist, explained:

For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.

Aquinas, I suspect, has a seat on the front row. Christians from all traditions, along with those who share his concerns if not our faith, can continue to learn from his work and celebrate his life – even if we’re not quite sure about his birthday.

Aug '25

News & Announcements for Sunday, August 31, 2025

Posted on Aug 27, 2025 by David Garrison in Announcements, General, HomePage, News | 0

Aug '25

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY – TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 7PM

The Women’s Bible Study will meet this Tuesday, September 2 at 7:00 p.m. at the church. We will be studying the last chapter of our book, “God’s Unconditional Love for Us” in The Love Stories of the Bible Speak by Shannon Bream. Please read the chapter and complete the questions in your workbook. Come prepared to share what you got out of the reading and any questions you might have. (And if you don’t get a chance to read it, come anyway!)

HELPING HANDS OFFERING – THIS MORNING

Each 5th Sunday, any undesignated offerings placed in the collection plates go to Helping Hands, a ministry of churches in the Madison Heights-Elon area of Amherst County to help residents in need. It is administered through Madison Heights Baptist Church. Thank you for helping us meet the needs of those in our community!

MISSION FOCUS FOR SEPTEMBER: HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

Our mission focus for the month of September is Amherst County Habitat for Humanity. We have partnered with Amherst County Habitat for Humanity for many years. Recently, we helped fund three houses in Amherst and provided volunteer support for two new homes off Coolwell Road. Learn more about Amherst County Habitat for Humanity in this month’s newsletter. You may make a donation by specifying Habitat for Humanity on your check memo line.

COLLEGE & CAREER BIBLE STUDY – NEXT SUNDAY, 6PM

Join us for a weekly(ish) bible study for College & Career Young Adults this summer. We meet at the Garrisons for dinner (probably something fancy, like pizza) and then spend some time digging into God’s Word. This is a place and time you can bring your questions and whatnot as well. All young adults, ages 18-29(ish) are welcome.

Coming Soon

3 CIRCLES EVANGELISM TRAINING – BEGINS SUN. SEPT. 28

You are encouraged to sign up for the 3 Circles: Turning Everyday Conversations into Gospel Conversations training class. 3 Circles is a simple way to have gospel conversations. This begins on Sunday, September 28^th and will meet weekly for 6 weeks at 9:30 am. Sign up today by going to npcmh.churchcenter.com.

Aug '25

News & Announcements for Sunday, August 24, 2025

Posted on Aug 20, 2025 by David Garrison in Announcements, General, HomePage, News | 0

Aug '25

WOMEN’S BOOK CLUB – THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 10 AM

The Women’s Book Club will meet this Thursday, August 28 (rescheduled from last week) at 10:00 a.m. at the church. This month’s book is The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner. Please bring a snack to share and as always, bring a friend. We look forward to seeing you next Thursday, whether you’ve read the book or not!

HYMNS THAT CALL US HOME COMMUNITY WORSHIP SERVICE

Join us at Madison Heights Baptist Church tonight at 7pm for a community worship service. This will be a Gaither-style hymn sing and is a wonderful opportunity to worship together with our brothers and sisters throughout Madison Heights and Amherst County.

HELPING HANDS OFFERING – NEXT SUNDAY

MISSION FOCUS FOR AUGUST: DOWNTOWN PRESBYTERIAN

Our mission focus for the month of August is Downtown Presbyterian Church, a new EPC church plant in downtown Lynchburg. Rev. Rich Brown, who preached for Pastor David a couple of times last year, is the pastor and will be with us on Sunday, August 17 to share more about the exciting things God is doing just across the river. You may make a donation by specifying Downtown EPC on your check memo line.

***Coming* *Soon***

3 CIRCLES EVANGELISM TRAINING – BEGINS SUN. SEPT. 28

The question we’re asked more than any other is, “how do I tell others about Jesus?” If that’s you, then we invite you to sign up for the 3 Circles: Turning Everyday Conversations into Gospel Conversations training class. 3 Circles is a simple way to have gospel conversations. This begins on Sunday, September 28^th and will meet weekly for 6 weeks at 9:30 am. Sign up today under the Groups tab of the Church Center app or npcmh.churchcenter.com.

Aug '25

News & Announcements for Sunday, August 17, 2025

Posted on Aug 13, 2025 by David Garrison in Announcements, General, HomePage, News | 0

Aug '25

JOIN US FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL

If you’re looking for an opportunity to grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ, we encourage you to join us Sunday mornings for a intergenerational Sunday school class, from 9:30-10:30. We look forward to seeing you!

MIDWEEK PRAYER – WEDNESDAYS @ Noon

Please join us on Wednesdays at noon for a time of prayer in the sanctuary as we bring our needs before our loving God.

WOMEN’S BOOK CLUB – THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 10 AM

The Women’s Book Club will meet next Thursday, August 21 at 10:00 a.m. at the church. This month’s book is The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner. Please bring a snack to share and as always, bring a friend. We look forward to seeing you next Thursday, whether you’ve read the book or not!

HYMNS THAT CALL US HOME COMMUNITY WORSHIP SERVICE

Join us at Madison Heights Baptist Church on Sunday, August 24 at 7pm for a community worship service. This will be a Gaither-style hymn sing and is a wonderful opportunity to worship together with our brothers and sisters throughout Madison Heights and Amherst County.

MISSION FOCUS FOR AUGUST: DOWNTOWN PRESBYTERIAN

Coming Soon

3 CIRCLES EVANGELISM TRAINING – BEGINS SUN. SEPT. 28

The question we’re asked more than any other is, “how do I tell others about Jesus?” If that’s you, then we invite you to sign up for the 3 Circles: Turning Everyday Conversations into Gospel Conversations training class. 3 Circles is a simple way to have gospel conversations. This begins on Sunday, September 28^thand will meet weekly for 6 weeks at 9:30 am. Sign up today under the Groups tab of the Church Center app or npcmh.churchcenter.com.

Aug '25

News & Announcements for Sunday, August 10, 2025

Posted on Aug 6, 2025 by David Garrison in Announcements, General, HomePage, News | 0

Aug '25

JOIN US FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL

MIDWEEK PRAYER – WEDNESDAYS @ Noon

Please join us on Wednesdays at noon for a time of prayer in the sanctuary as we bring our needs before our loving God.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OPEN HOUSE – MONDAY, AUG. 11

Amherst County Habitat for Humanity invites you to an open house on Monday, August 11 from 2-6 pm. Come check out the amazing new homes they have built at 1360 S. Coolwell Road. These are some of the most technologically innovative, secure and energy efficient homes in the area. Learn more about them in this month’s newsletter.

WOMEN’S BOOK CLUB – THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 10 AM

HYMNS THAT CALL US HOME COMMUNITY WORSHIP SERVICE

MISSION FOCUS FOR AUGUST: DOWNTOWN PRESBYTERIAN

Jul '25

News & Announcements for Sunday, August 3, 2025

Posted on Jul 30, 2025 by David Garrison in Announcements, General, HomePage, News | 0

Jul '25

JOIN US FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL

MIDWEEK PRAYER – WEDNESDAYS @ Noon

Please join us on Wednesdays at noon for a time of prayer in the sanctuary as we bring our needs before our loving God.

A CELEBRATION OF WORK – SATURDAY, AUGUST 9, 6:30PM

Local author & speaker Karen Swallow Prior is having a launch event for her new book, You Have a Calling, at Second Stage in Amherst from 6:30-8pm. Several local missions and ministries that we support will be participating. Be sure to attend. More information in this month’s newsletter.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OPEN HOUSE – MONDAY, AUG 11

WOMEN’S BOOK CLUB – THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 10 AM

MISSION FOCUS FOR AUGUST: DOWNTOWN PRESBYTERIAN

Jul '25

MILLS’ MUSINGS – YOU’RE GONNA NEED A BIGGER CAKE

Posted on Jul 28, 2025 by David Garrison in Christian Living, Devotions, General, HomePage, Mills Musings, Spiritual Growth | 0

Jul '25

This year the Nicene Creed celebrates its 1,700^th birthday. Accommodating that many candles would require a birthday cake far larger than any I’ve ever seen. And if you’re wondering about this article’s title, you may want to rewatch Jaws, which turns 50 this year. (Anybody else feeling old?)

The Nicene Creed seems less well known to Presbyterians and other Reformed Christians than either the Apostles’ Creed or the Westminster Confession of Faith. For reasons I won’t explore here, I don’t find that surprising. But I do believe that as the Church enters its third millennium, all Christians would be well served by learning more about the background and importance of this creed as it reaches the ripe old age of 1,700.

In the year 325, the Church was still adjusting to its new status in the Roman Empire. Barely a decade earlier, the new Roman Emperor, Constantine, had converted to Christianity and issued his Edict of Toleration, which legalized the faith in the empire. The Edict would prove a mixed blessing. Official persecution of Christians ended and Church membership grew rapidly. Unfortunately, with growth came controversy.

As early as 318, a pastor named Arius began teaching that Jesus was not fully God; that Jesus was not eternal, but instead was the first creature made by God. This new doctrine contradicted Scripture and three centuries of Church teaching. To resolve the conflict in the Church, and not coincidentally to help keep peace in his empire, Constantine called for a council of church leaders to meet in city of Nicaea in 325.

There, Arius was given the opportunity to explain his beliefs to the bishops. He and his supporters were sure his views would prevail. However, his novel teaching, summarized by the slogan “There was when the Son was not,” was opposed by one of the most able and influential theologians of the Early Church, Athanasius. Athanasius insisted that if Jesus wasn’t fully God, he couldn’t fully accomplish human salvation. “That which has not been assumed has not been healed,” was his succinct response.

Rejecting as heretical Arius’ insistence that Jesus was not God, the Council of Nicaea produced the Nicene Creed, which declared that Jesus is “of one substance” (homoousia) with the Father. Homoousia combines homo, meaning same, with ousia, meaning substance, or essence. The Greek word isn’t found in the Bible, which troubled some members of the council. But as the Church worked to articulate the Bible’s unchanging revelation in the language of its day, homoousia seemed the best word to express the eternal relationship between God the Father and God the Son.

The importance of the Nicene Creed in Christian history is summarized by the late Presbyterian theologian John Leith who writes, “The first Christian doctrine that the church settled in an ecumenical council and that has subsequently received approval in the life of the church through the centuries had to do with the deity of Jesus Christ. The church made clear at Nicaea what it was convinced had always been the faith of Christian people. In Jesus Christ human beings are confronted by God.”

For nearly two millennia, the Nicene Creed has remained the most widely quoted creed in Christendom. It’s accepted by Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, and most Protestant denominations. Each time we recite this historic affirmation of our faith, we remind ourselves of a fundamental Christian truth: God’s nature is Triune. We also remind ourselves of our unbreakable connection to Christians around the world and throughout time.

So, on the 1,700^th birthday of the Nicene Creed, a cake may be in order. Especially if we fudge the candles.

Jul '25

August 2025 Pastor’s Corner — Echoes of Eden

Posted on Jul 28, 2025 by David Garrison in Christian Living, Devotions, General, HomePage, Pastor's Corner, Spiritual Growth | 0

Jul '25

I’m not lost

I’m just looking for what I haven’t found

there’s an ache inside of me that’s reaching out

for something deeper than anything I’m seeing

like a traveler I’m following

the echo of Eden.

— Green River Ordinance, “Echo of Eden” (video below)

Many years ago my grandfather and I boarded a plane to a place I’d never before been. When I stepped off the walkway into Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska, the very first thought that crossed my mind was, “I’m home,” which was strange because airports aren’t the homeliest of places and, again, I’d never been there before. It would be another decade before I was actually able to call Anchorage “home,” and that only lasted for two years.

For most of my life, “home” for me meant Rockville, Maryland. It’s where I grew up and where my parents lived for 40 years. I left Rockville in 1997 and my parents moved to North Carolina a few years ago. But even before my parents moved away, Rockville stopped being home. I would go back to visit, but it wasn’t a place I referred to as “home” any longer. Even though I call places in Orlando, Anchorage, St. Louis, Hendersonville and now Madison Heights “home,” the longing for home points to something deeper.

A few months ago I was with a group of friends and family, and we had the most heartwarming and delightful time together. It was an evening of silliness and joy, one of those moments in time that you wish would last forever, but of course never do. Those moments touch a longing in our soul to be in the company of others, a longing that is at times met in our relationship with our spouse, our children, life-long close friends, maybe extended family. But as good as those relationships are, they aren’t perfect and often bring as much pain as they do joy. We weren’t meant to be alone, God says in Genesis 2, but relationships are hard. Sometimes too hard. We long for deep, meaningful relationships with others, but because it’s often so hard and painful, we settle for something much less, like the shallow façade of social media.

It seems as if our lives are becoming ever more frenetic and chaotic; we feel stretched in a dozen different directions at once. We frantically try to keep all of the plates spinning, while they begin to slow and wobble precariously. The more we stretch, the harder we press, the more the cracks begin to show. 2 Corinthians 4:7 describes us as cracked “jars of clay,” through which the grace of God shines… but if there are more cracks than clay, can it still be called a jar? As Chuck DeGroat writes, “We all think we know the solution — more downtime, more relaxation, more rest. And we’re all wrong.” What we truly long for is wholeheartedness.

All of this points to a persistent gnawing discontent in our souls, a longing that we try to satisfy in a thousand different ways but is always unsatisfied. We know there’s something missing, but we often aren’t sure what. Augustine once said, “our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.” The most foundational longing of the human heart is for God. If earth has no sorrows heaven can’t heal, then neither does earth have any means of satisfying a longing that yearns for something beyond this world.

CS Lewis once wrote, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” Our longing for home, for relationship, for wholeheartedness, for God can never be satisfied by anything in this world, because they are longings that have existed long before this world. They are longings for “the way things used to be” in the truest, oldest sense of that phrase. They are echoes of Eden, longing for the way things were before The Fall. Eugene Peterson says, “This place, this garden, is not utopia, is not an ideal no-place. It is simply place, locale, geography, geology. But it is also a good place, Eden, because it provides the form by which we can live to the glory of God”

These longings have echoed for millennia, and they are only satisfied in Jesus Christ. Through our salvation in Christ, we are able to experience a partial satisfaction of those longings, but their ultimate satisfaction comes in the consummation of the Kingdom of God when Christ returns. Our August sermon series looks at the “echoes of Eden,” these deep longings of the human heart. We’ll see how they are born out of the goodness of God’s creation, how Christ has redeemed them, and how they will ultimately be satisfied in the New Heavens and New Earth when Jesus consummates His kingdom at the end of time. Be sure to join us for worship in person or online during August.

And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. — Romans 8:23-25

Blessings,

Rev. David Garrison

Jul '25

News & Announcements for Sunday, July 27, 2025

Posted on Jul 23, 2025 by David Garrison in Announcements, General, HomePage, News | 0

Jul '25

JOIN US FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL

MIDWEEK PRAYER – WEDNESDAYS @ Noon

Please join us on Wednesdays at noon for a time of prayer in the sanctuary as we bring our needs before our loving God.

COLLEGE & CAREER BIBLE STUDY – TONIGHT, 6PM

MISSION FOCUS FOR JULY: NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS

Our mission focus for the month of July is Neighbors Helping Neighbors which assists individuals in Amherst County in overcoming food insecurity. They also help connect those in need to area resources that can help build self-sufficiency and quality of life. You may make a donation by specifying NHN on your check memo line.

DOWNLOAD THE CHURCH CENTER APP

Scan the barcode below or search for “Church Center” in your favorite app store on your phone to download our app! In the app are the church calendar, small group and volunteer opportunities, the online church directory, and more.