We look forward to welcoming James Hudnut-Beumler to First Pres on Sunday, October 11, for a morning of worship, conversation, and reflection on the life of the church today.

James will preach at both the 9:00am and 11:00am worship services with a sermon titled “Sounds Like Jesus.”

At 10:00am in the Agape Classroom, he will lead a class titled Adrift: How and Why Organized Christianity in the United States Is at Sea, and What Can Be Done About It. The class will explore declining membership and participation across several major Christian traditions, especially among younger adults, and consider how churches might respond faithfully in a polarized and attention-seeking culture.

James is the Anne Potter Wilson Distinguished Professor of American Religious History Emeritus at Vanderbilt University and former dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School. He previously served as dean of the faculty at Columbia Theological Seminary and recently received the Excellence in Theological Education Award at the 227th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).