First Presbyterian Church of St. Louis (University City)

First Presbyterian Church of St. Louis extends a warm welcome to the Rev. Bill Perman, who joins us starting Sunday, Aug. 22.

Bill’s association with First Pres stretches back many years; he and his wife Deb were married in the church. Over the past 20 years he has served in several churches in the St. Louis area, most recently at Southampton Presbyterian Church.

A native of Yakima, Washington, Bill spent most of his time growing up in and around the Seattle area. Baptized in the Roman Catholic faith, his upbringing was an ecumenical faith journey through the Episcopal tradition to the Swedish Covenant Church. Bill graduated from Seattle Pacific University, a Free Methodist school, with a degree in Religion/Greek. Feeling the call to ministry, he began his theological education at Eden Seminary in Webster Groves, at which time he joined and became a candidate in the PCUSA. Bill graduated from Columbia Seminary (of the PCUSA) in Decatur, Georgia with a Master of Divinity with academic distinction.

In 1992, Bill and Deb (also a PCUSA minister) moved from Decatur to Webster Groves to start their respective ministries – Bill as a Solo Pastor and Deb as an Assistant Professor of New Testament at Eden.

The Krause-Permans live in Webster Groves on the campus of Eden Seminary, where Deb is now Professor of New Testament and Academic Dean. Bill and Deb have two daughters. Bill is a potter, bakes sourdough bread and pizza regularly, enjoys cooking, cycling and sailing.

We welcome Pastor Bill and his family to First Pres!

The Gateway to Agape Choir will perform a free concert at First Presbyterian Church of St. Louis this Friday, Aug. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Sanctuary.

Come out and hear this trans-denominational, multicultural group perform! For more information about the Gateway to Agape Choir, visit their website.

This year’s Vacation Bible School starts Sunday for all ages with the theme, “How Do You Imagine God? Exploring Images of God Through Scripture and Art.”

VBS takes place each evening Sunday through Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. We’ll express our creativity as we explore a different facet of the Trinity each night through intergenerational art, music and fellowship.

Bring a picnic meal and blanket and join us on the lawn for fun and fellowship. Dessert and beverages will be provided. There is no fee for VBS.

A group of First Pres volunteers this morning helped to install “Higher Thoughts,” a sculpture on loan from artist Charlie Brouwer.

“Higher Thoughts” has been installed at First in anticipation of the “Transcend2010″ project. Charlie Brouwer will give a talk and slide show Sunday, May 16 at First at 2 p.m. to discuss “Higher Thoughts,” and the upcoming community art project. Click on the video to see the installation and learn more about Charlie’s use of ladders in his art. And click here to learn more about Transcend2010.