FPC John Parker Community Lecture Series
One of our beloved members, John Parker, used to organize a community lecture series which featured relevant speakers in Biblical and other areas of scholarship, and he has still been contributing ideas for the series, even though he can no longer attend them. He isn’t the only one seeing this need! Our first event is intentionally scheduled on a weekday evening and will begin with a social time at 6pm with light snacks and drinks.
Thursday, June 11th at 7pm
The Delights and Dilemmas of Caring for Creation
Greg Pitchford has spent nearly 40 years working in conservation, with a focus on protecting and enhancing fish and wildlife resources in the Green Hills Region of northern Missouri. For 27 years, Greg served as a Fisheries Management Biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation.
A lifelong Christian, Greg has spent years reflecting on what Scripture teaches about the natural world and our responsibility to care for it. He has taught and lectured at institutions such as Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, the Au Sable Institute for Environmental Studies in Michigan, and the L’Abri Conference in Minnesota.
In his teaching, Greg explores the biblical narrative of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration to better understand humanity’s relationship with creation and the integration of faith and vocation, especially in challenging contexts. As a speaker, Greg likes to be conversational and interactive with audiences, instead of just presenting a speech.
Thursday, March 12th
Finding and Losing the Boy Jesus
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Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka will lead us in an exploration of what we know about Jesus from the Bible and other gospels that were written around the same time but not included in the Bible. These stories will help us see how Jesus’ ministry was shaped by his childhood from refugee to student to miracle worker. All are welcome! Rev. Dr. Rodger currently serves as the senior pastor of Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, KS. He is well known for his lively and personable seminars in Education and Christian Leadership. We know much from the gospels about the active ministry of Jesus Christ in his adult life, we know very little about his childhood and adolescence. Yet, as with all humans, his childhood shaped his worldview.
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Rodger believes that because God created us all for relationship, discovering how to follow Jesus Christ happens best in community. He is profoundly grateful to be serving at Village Church and is inspired daily by the faith and faithfulness of this vibrant community of children, youth, young adults and adults.
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Born in Honolulu and raised in Seattle at the Japanese Presbyterian Church, prior to coming to Village, Rodger taught at Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta for 15 years as the Benton Family professor of Christian Education. Before serving on the faculty of Columbia Seminary, he was director of youth and young adult ministries for the Presbyterian Church (USA). Rodger is a graduate of Seattle Pacific University (BA), McCormick Theological Seminary (MATS), and Georgia State University (PhD.). Rodger is most at home in the classroom both as a teacher and as a learner. The son of Rev. Richard and Alice Nishioka, he is evidence that you can be a pastor’s kid and still love Jesus and the church.​
Fall Feature
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A Church in the Community
As we approach our Bicentennial Celebrations stretching from September 2027-September 2028,
we will be looking back at the ways that FPC has acted as a community partner during times of civil strife, recovery from tragedy, and visioning for the growth of our city. These events represent a history and future of ministry with, for, and in the community of Columbia, Missouri.
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