Together they were imaging what it would take to shape, lead and nurture a new nation. In his inaugural address, our first President leaned into the moment and described this freshly-sprouted country as “the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.”

Nearly seventy-five years later, in November of 1863, standing in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, a few months after the bloodiest battle in American history, Abraham Lincoln addressed another field of sober listeners. In a set of brief, but powerful words, Lincoln declared that our war-torn republic was testing whether a nation “conceived in liberty” could “long endure.”

As this country approaches its 250th anniversary, many are asking the same question: Does this still young nation have the constitution (pun intended) and the moral compass that will enable us to endure?

This winter, Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church will consider (from the perspective of faith) questions being debated by politicians, pundits and everyday citizens in classrooms and around kitchen tables all across this country. Is the U.S. Constitution capable of meeting the challenges of the modern world? What are the limits of executive power? Did those who hammered together the framework for this republic have a moral and even religious vision for this country? Or did our founders want to prevent religious movements from exerting influence through the levers of government?

We are going to conduct this study holding the Bible in one hand and some of America’s most famous documents in the other hand. We are going to ask: What perspectives does our faith bring to conversations about human freedom, our obligations to each other as citizens (and neighbors), and our responsibility to work together in pursuit of the good?

Join us, for relevant adult education classes and reflective worship services. Join us in seeking holy guidance as we ask: “Will the American experiment last? What will it look like going forward? And what is our responsibility as people of faith in this critical moment?”

See you in worship, my friends,

Scott Black Johnston
Senior Pastor


January 18, 2026 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday
9:30 am: Adult Education Class - “Courageous Conversations Part 2”
11:00 am: Worship
The Rev. Dr. Scott Black Johnston, preaching.
“Endowed By Their Creator”
Scripture: Genesis 1:24-27
Document: The Declaration of Independence

January 25, 2026   
9:30 am & 11:00 am: Worship
The Rev. Dr. Scott Black Johnston, preaching.
“Perfecting the Union”
Scripture: Matthew 25:31-46
Document: The U.S. Constitution
12:30 pm Adult Education Class: Blessings of Liberty: Dreaming Constitutional Freedom

February 1, 2026     
9:30 am & 11:00 am: Worship
The Rev. Natalie Owens-Pike, preaching.
“Remember Egypt, Remember England”
Scripture: Deuteronomy 24:17-22; Romans 13:8-12
Document: The Bill of Rights
12:30 pm Adult Education Panel Discussion: Faith, Law, and the Bill of Rights

February 8, 2026 
9:30 am & 11:00 am: Worship
The Rev. Chris Palmer, preaching.
Sermon: “The Unfinished Work of the Living”
Scripture: Ephesians 2:19-22
Document: The Gettysburg Address
 
February 15, 2026 
9:30 am & 11:00 am: Worship
The Rev. Dr. Scott Black Johnston, preaching.
“The Virtues and Vices of Moderates”
Scripture: Revelation 3:14-20; Philippians 4:4-9
Document: The Letter from the Birmingham Jail
12:45 pm Adult Education Class, feat. Dr. Heath W. Carter: The Perils & Promise of a Big-Tent Faith: Lessons from the Civil Rights Era