CALEDONIA
First Presbyterian Church
About Our Pastor
Rev. Vinod Immanuel Gnanaraj is the installed pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, Caledonia. He perceives his pastoral ministry as a calling to build communities of faith in Jesus Christ and help Christians of all age groups to live out the gospel of Christ in the community.
Prior to becoming the pastor of this church, Vinod served for over two decades in several ministerial settings including Hospital Chaplaincy, Youth and Children’s ministry, Administration of Christian Mission Organization, Teaching Faculty of Theological Seminary, and Pastoral Ministry in India and the USA.
During his free time, Vinod loves to meet people, learn about history and culture, visit historical places, enjoy authentic food, listen to contemporary Christian music, and spend time with his family. He has a Master’s degree in Accountancy, Bachelor of Divinity, Master of Theology (specializing in pastoral counseling), and is pursuing a PhD in Pastoral Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary.
Contact
Rev. Vinod would love to hear from you. Please reach out with any questions or concerns via email or phone.
Phone: 585-538-4555
Pastor's Corner - September 2023
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. - Psalm 32:8
Dear FPC family and friends,
Grace and peace to you in the loving name of our Lord, Jesus Christ! I hope you are having a good time with your loved ones as the summer is drawing to an end. We are truly blessed to have a tolerable summer heat thus far in our part of the country. It is heartbreaking to learn that many people around this nation, and in other parts of the world, are not as fortunate as we are. While some nations in the northern hemisphere are experiencing unusually high temperatures around this time of the year, many nations in the southern hemisphere are dealing with loss of lives and properties due to floods. As God’s children, it is our duty to hold our siblings in prayer as they face the challenges posed by climate change. God also calls us to be more mindful of our lifestyle so that we can cut down our carbon footprint that contributes to climate change. God wants us to care for God’s creation which He has entrusted to us. He reminds that through the Scriptures. He also offers us counsel, as promised in Psalm 32:8, through the scientific community on how to care for our creation. There is a brief but excellent online article titled “The 35 Easiest Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint” on the Columbia University’s School of Climate webpage, which offers simple and easy steps that we can take to cut down our carbon footprint. I would highly recommend reading that article which will help us to be responsible stewards of God’s creation.
God loves to speak with us. He is eager to instruct, teach, and provide counsel so that we would be successful in all areas of our lives. I exhort you to take time this month to spend time in God's presence in prayer and Bible reading so that you and your family will receive the instruction and counsel of God.
Praise God for enabling us to serve our community through our new community garden in our church premises. It is a delight to see our garden. Thanks to the volunteers who regularly care for it. As the summer season is coming to an end, I want to thank the Summer seasonal team for their help in organizing worship services and in carrying out our church’s mission to the community and beyond. I welcome the Harvest seasonal team who will be taking charge from the second Sunday in September and wish them God’s blessings.
If you have been away from church during the summer due to vacation and family commitments, we totally understand. Please know that the church family misses you and would be delighted to see you soon.
In Christ’s love and peace,
Rev. Vinod I. Gnanaraj