Though it is true our dear friend Ligon Duncan is no longer our senior minister, I wanted to tell you something very exciting about his ministry to us. We have been working a long time getting the entire catalog of his preaching ministry during Ligon’s tenure as our senior minister available online. This project involves converting sermons stored on audio cassettes to a digital format. So far this has been a team effort involving some staff and volunteers who have labored faithfully behind the scenes on this tedious project. We have reached a significant milestone with the publication of Ligon’s sermons on the Book of Romans that were preached from 2000 to 2002. As you know, Romans is a book written for the Church. The Apostle Paul was burdened to see all of God’s people joined together as one body in Jesus Christ. Romans is Paul’s most comprehensive explanation of the gospel. Augustine and all the Reformers saw Romans as crucial to understanding the rest of Scripture. I invite you to visit our web site, www.fpcjackson.org and listen to Ligon as he proclaims God’s Word from this important and helpful book. Let me add that a great way to serve FPC and the body of Christ across the globe is to join the team of volunteers who are working on this sermon conversion project. If you have any interest in being a part of this, email David Day at davidd@fpcjackson.org to find how you might get involved.
We have been truly blessed this month by the pulpit ministry from dear friends of First Presbyterian Church. The month certainly ended on a high note as David Strain preached both morning and evening for us and once again did a wonderful job teaching us the truths of God. I am blessed by David’s teaching every time he preaches. If you missed any of the sermons this month, they can all be found on our website.
This coming month, we will once again be blessed by some wonderful preachers. David Strain will be preaching most Sunday nights as he continues his series on the Book of Zechariah. In the mornings, we are thrilled to have good friends of First Presbyterian preaching for us. On February 2, Sandy Willson, senior minister of Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis, TN, will be preaching in the morning. Sandy is also preaching at our Mid-South Men’s Rally on Friday night, January 31. February 9, Guy Waters will be back to preach. On February 16, Paul Levy from England will be preaching both morning and evening. You may recall Paul was with us in November of 2012 and spoke on Sunday night. He left us all wanting to hear more from him. Paul is one of the best preachers in all of the United Kingdom. You don’t want to miss hearing him. Finally, the last Sunday of the month, David Strain will be preaching morning and evening as we kick off our Mission Conference.
The last thing I want to draw your attention to is the lineup for the Men of the Covenant luncheons this spring. Billy Dempsey wrote this in a letter recently: “We have an exciting lineup of speakers for Men of the Covenant this spring! Billy Joseph, our former minister of congregational care, will speak on February 6. We’ll forego our March luncheon and encourage all our men to attend the men’s luncheon of our Mission Conference scheduled for Friday, February 28. We’ll resume our regular schedule on Thursday, April 3, with T. Mac Howard. He will share with us the story of his work with at risk youth in Greenwood through Delta Streets Academy. I’ll wrap up our spring series on May 1. This will be a powerful series of talks built around the theme For the Glory of God Alone. On Thursday, March 20, we will have an MOC Special Edition, as we welcome Hugh Freeze, head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels football team. Coach Freeze will talk to us about Christian Leadership in Today’s World, a powerful word for us.”
Semper Reformada (always reforming)
Ralph Kelley