Pastor's Life - Glimmers of joy, beauty, and hope

Finding glimmers of joy, beauty, and hope, even in the midst of winter by Rev. Phil Beck "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13 (NRSVUE) By February, I have about had it. Winter in Western Pennsylvania can sometimes do that to a person. It feels like day after day of gray skies, frigid temperatures, mounds of snow in the parking lot with a grocery cart at the top that some prankster has managed to get up the 12 foot mound. The groundhog invariably predicts six more weeks of winter. There are those who love winter and embrace the cold. There are others who live in climates that are very different from Western Pennsylvania. I get it. I just happen to not be that person. Last year, Lent showed up early, but this year we have to wait another month. Though short, February can feel like it is almost a placeholder between winter and spring — almost, but not yet.

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Philip Beck is the pastor of First United Presbyterian Church of Tarentum having served there since May 2001. Phil, along with his wife Christa, have three adult children, Kathryn, Corey and Joshua. In his spare time, Phil likes to work in the local community garden, tend to his own backyard garden, go for walks, sing in the church choir and visit the Chautauqua Institution every year during the first two weeks of the season. Phil and Christa celebrated 30 years of marriage in June of 2024 and he will celebrate the 30th anniversary of his ordination in April of 2025.

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70 Years of Love and Laughter How do you stay in love for 70 years? In August 2021, Rev. Dr. Jim Reese and his wife, Neola, sat down for a fun interview about what it takes to stay married for seven decades. Each have since passed away, leaving a legacy of faith and love. Church Financial Leadership Coaching Program The Presbyterian Foundation is pleased to offer a 12-month coaching program that will pair a pastoral leader with a trained coach to offer a contextualized approach to church financial leadership.

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