A Time for Giving Thanks
Nov 26 ⋅ by James Boice
Our lives are filled with many responsibilities. Our days are usually taken up with useful activities. Much of our time is spent working. We have five days a week for that, and for many of us the other days are filled with work too. Sometimes our days are taken up with fighting—not physically for most of us, but for causes or sometimes even against colleagues who want to cut corners or do something that is morally questionable at work. There is also a time for us to weep for sin, and we do sin. Most of us try to avoid such times. They need to be urged upon us more often than they are.
But the day of Thanksgiving is different. Work? Yes, but not that day. You will work on another day. Fight? Perhaps, but not then. There will be other times for that. Weep? By all means, but not on Thanksgiving Day. Thanksgiving is a day 'to enjoy what God has given.
In the biblical context, joy is never mere frivolity, however. We rejoice because of the way God has ...
30 Years of God’s Faithfulness
Nov 19 ⋅ by Del Wesley
The story of Esperanza Health Center (EHC) is a story of God’s faithfulness, and Tenth Church has been a vital part of this story. Since 2001, Tenth has supported Esperanza for a total of $177,646. The mission of EHC is fulfilled in cooperation with the church and others—this is unchanged in over 30 years of service. No patient is turned away because of inability to pay, and thousan...
2019 Nominees
Nov 6 ⋅ by
As a Presbyterian church, our leaders are elected from a pool of nominees to represent and serve the members of the church. All Christians are to be engaged in service to the world and each other, but special responsibilities for service are given to some specifically equipped for the task.
This year, we have 26 nominees for your consideration, each of whom would be ele...
Of Mercy and Grace
Nov 5 ⋅ by Douglas E. Baker
Born in the shadow of New York City, David Apple never knew life apart from urban America. As the grandson of Russian immigrants, he quickly learned as a child that life in Patterson, New Jersey, was not for the faint of heart. His high school days at Eastside High School proved to be a challenge from the start. Apple was a bookish sort of young man—always interested in reading and writin...
Justification Finds Its Footing
Oct 15 ⋅ by Douglas E. Baker
Mention of the Protestant Reformation still evokes passion 502 years after Martin Luther nailed 95 statements to the church door in Wittenburg, Germany. Luther’s “theses,” as they are commonly known, begin with a call to an ongoing personal repentance in the life of every true Christian and end with a statement of assurance grounding believers in the knowledge that “thro...
In the Company of Lepers
Oct 8 ⋅ by Douglas E. Baker
When Neil White reported to prison on May 3, 1993 after being convicted of bank fraud, he did not realize that Carville, Louisiana, not only housed a penal colony, but also the nation’s only remaining leper colony. Those suffering from Hansen’s disease (the formal name for leprosy) lived their lives in seclusion alongside prisoners—many of whom were convicted of white-collar c...
Bread, Burgers, and Blessings
Sep 19 ⋅ by Phil Scribano
We are reminded of the relational realities for the early church, and the importance placed on time together, as an integral aspect of the fellowship of believers. More specifically, Luke described in Acts 2, “…they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Well, when we think of “breaki...
In Kensington, the Freedom to Serve God Boldly
Sep 17 ⋅ by Holly Favino
I pulled my car to the front of the church building and saw that the police had already arrived. Nick stood on the sidewalk talking to the pastor, both looking at Nick’s car with its window broken, shattered glass filling the driver’s seat, sidewalk and curb. Nick, a Philadelphia medical student and participant in the Summer Medical Institute (SMI), had parked his car beside the chu...
Introducing John Park
Sep 10 ⋅ by Travers Oliver
Few know the harsh realities Tenth’s global partners face like John Park, a former Global Partner and Tenth’s new Minister of Small Groups and Partner Care. Of his twenty years as a Global Partner, John spent fifteen of those in the Middle East, working in areas that were largely closed to the church. He understands how partners can easily suffer from loneliness as they serve far fr...