“Getting to Know You…”

My fourth grade teacher taught our whole class to sing a song from the Broadway musical “The King and I”.  The words exactly expressed what I most cared about in my first few weeks in a new town, going to a new school, meeting new faces: Getting to know you, Getting to know all about you. Getting to like you, Getting to hope you like me.

Over the years I have noticed how different people satisfy the urge to get to know others in different ways.  When I lived in Richmond, Virginia, people wanted to learn about my family connections: (people would say in a delicious Southern drawl: “And who ah’ yo’ people, Preacher?).  In big eastern cities like Pittsburgh, it seemed normal to get to know people through their resumes: school records, military service, employment history, what promotions or honors have they been awarded?  As we go deeper into the 21st Century, it is becoming more common to get to know a person by “googling” him or her on the internet.

For me, the way to really know people is to learn what they care about.  The way people care about family, or work, or politics, or pleasure, is a real window into their soul.  And just like a person, you can learn a lot about a church by noticing what it cares about.

In the short time I have been with First Presbyterian Church, these are some of the things I have noticed this church cares about deeply.

This congregation cares about

discipleship:  You care that what you do in, through and for the church is a way to live out your calling to follow Jesus and testify to the world that Jesus is Lord.
each other:  When someone has a problem, you want to help.  In this church, no one grieves alone, and no one rejoices alone.
children:  You want children to be safe, be healthy, be educated, and to know the love of Jesus.
the community: You love Kearney, want others to know how great it is, and help to make it better.
truthfulness: you want people to be honest about who they are and what they think.
process:  You care that not only will the right things be done, but that things will be done the right way.
getting things done:  You are proud when you accomplish your plans, and frustrated when projects never get completed.
the future: the community and culture are changing, and you want to be ready to share the gospel with others in the most effective way possible.

These are the things I have come to believe the congregation of First Presbyterian cares about deeply.  And it is the caring that I see in this congregation that makes me very glad to be here, and looking forward to knowing you better, and working with you to bear witness to Jesus Christ and his transforming love.

Let me know what you think I have missed.  And let me know what you care about.

See you in church,

Stephen Price-Gibson