What is your earliest memory of First Presbyterian Church Fresno?
I was trying to remember this morning, if I ever worshiped here before my journey to become the senior pastor. If I did, I don’t remember. It is possible, though, because I grew up in the same presbytery of which FPC Fresno was once part. When I was going through my ordination process, back in the early 2000’s, Barb Grunwald, a member of FPC, was on the presbytery committee that was guiding me through the process. And, of course, I served on staff at Calvin Crest with FPC Fresno folks back in the 90’s. Still, as far as I can remember, I don’t believe I ever worshiped in our sanctuary until August 12, 2012.
August 12, 2012 was an important day in the life of FPC and the life of the Vaccaro family. It was the day that I came to preach as your Senior Pastor candidate and the day that you voted to receive me as your new Senior Pastor. But the main thing that most of us remember about that day is that it was 112 degrees. Even worse, the Sanctuary was totally packed and the air conditioner broke. I, of course, was wearing a tie and suit coat for the important event. People kept encouraging me to remove my coat, but I didn’t dare because my white shirt had become translucent with all my perspiration (there was a lot of perspiration). It was quite a day.
For some of you, that day in 2012 came after decades of involvement in FPC. For others of you, this may be the very first time you’re receiving this Thursday Weekly email. That’s the beauty of being part of FPC Fresno.
Why all this talk about first memories? It’s because I always get a bit reflective around my birthdays, and this weekend is our church’s 140th birthday. A small group of people began meeting in 1882 for the purpose of forming a Presbyterian Church, but the official organization of FPC didn’t happen until January 20, 1884. For some reference points, Fresno was founded in 1872, made the county seat in 1874 and incorporated in 1885. In 1890 the population of Fresno was about 10,000. In our 140 years, we’ve changed locations a few times, but we’ve been gathering in our current location since 1922. The church was first pastored by Rev. Henry Budge, but only while the congregation searched for their first installed pastor, Rev. I.N. Hurd, who started on January 1, 1885. Since then, 18 other men have served as the called Senior Pastor of this congregation, which makes me the 20th installed Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church Fresno.
But the story of FPC Fresno isn’t centered around the pastors. The story of FPC Fresno is God’s faithfulness working in and through the congregation. The impact over these 140 years has been deep and wide. I imagine it would be close to impossible to know how many individuals have been members of the church or, even more, involved in the church since 1884. I’m sure that number would be astounding. But I can tell you that right now, in our church’s database, we have records for 2758 living people. Obviously, all those people aren’t currently involved in the life of our congregation, but somehow we have interacted with them. I imagine that there are thousands more who have been through our doors or watched online who have never shared their contact information with us. It’s truly astounding to consider.
So, today, would you please take a moment to thank God for First Presbyterian Church Fresno? Thank God for something you’ve appreciated about our church. Thank God for the specific ways that you’ve been impacted through the people and ministries of this congregation.
I am so grateful to be part of what God is doing in and through First Presbyterian Church Fresno. May the Lord continue to show us His faithfulness for His Kingdom to come, His will to be done, and His name to be hallowed in Fresno as it is in heaven.
Blessings,
Jeremy
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