The fellowship class begins its sessions each week by exchanging names so that we may focus our prayers on the person whose name we draw for the entire week.  Mrs. MacLaren says, “you might say that we are the senior, mostly female members of our church, but anyone, no matter the age, is welcome to join us.  We study “The Present Word,” published quarterly by the Presbyterian Church and we will start a new year of study in September. 

Wednesday Evening Fellowship at First Presbyterian Church

Youth Fellowship at FPC involves all students of middle and high school age.  Throughout the school year, youth fellowship takes places on Wednesday nights at the church from 5:30-7:30 p.m.  After enjoying dinner with other members of the congregation, the youth and adult advisors have a time of fellowship, recreation, and learning.  Exploring how our Christian faith impacts our daily life, the youth tackle subjects such as stress, relationships, doubt, and prayer.  Our youth are also engaged in worship, mission, and several wonderful retreats throughout the year.  We celebrate our young people not only as the future of the church, but also as the present!  Everyone is welcome!

Potluck and Praise is a mid-week experience of prayer, praise, and devotions.  Scheduled for the third Wednesday of every month, "Potluck and Praise" will replace all other Wednesday programming for that evening.  This gives our entire fellowship the opportunity to share joys and concerns of the congregation, pray for loved ones, friends, and the world, and express the joy of our faith through song.  Everyone is welcome!  Invite friends and relatives to join you! 

Small Groups at First Presbyterian

Small Group on Character of Elijah. 

Bill and Shirley Linne are starting another small group bible study, this time on the Character of Elijah, beginning November 5, 2009.  The study consists of eight lessons which will take the group through four months. The meetings will be the first and third Thursday of each month from November through February. All meetings begin at 7:00 p.m. and will be over by 8:30 p.m. The study will last approximately one hour followed by a time of sharing and prayer.

Fourth Day Cursillo Small Group, Last Tuesday of every month at appointed homes, 438-9619 for more information. 

4th Day is a group based on the Cursillo retreat model (see below under retreats), but is open to everyone! 4th Day meets on the last Tuesday of the month at different homes. The meeting starts out with finger foods for about 20 minutes, music and singing for 15 to 20 minutes and a time of sharing after that.  This group emphasizes spiritual renewal, close community, and a welcoming, prayerful, and supportive environment. 

Gender-Specific Study Groups

Pinky Bach Men’s Prayer Breakfast, Tuesdays, 7:00 a.m., Small Dining Room, Jane C. Noonan Center, across the back parking lot from the Sanctuary Building.

Men all over our community get together at First Presbyterian on Tuesday mornings for a delicious home-cooked breakfast, hearty discussion, and faith-building.  The eggs are always done right, the topics always relevant and the crowd lively--even at this time of the morning!  Don’t miss it!

Presbyterian Women hosts a number of groups called “circles.”  These women meet together faithfully in times and places that work for each group to study the Bible, plan and implement service projects, and fellowship.  Like the Men’s Prayer Breakfast, these groups emphasize the creation of a supportive, prayerful community. 

Conferences, Retreats, Vacation Bible School

Art is truly the perfect companion for spirituality.  Much like faith, art is a process that involves trust in a vision larger than one’s self and a finishing point that doesn’t always match one’s original plan.  Art and faith are both investments of one’s whole self in that they incorporate the heart, head, and hands.  Art camp at First Presbyterian puts these natural allies together in an art experience for children based on each Bible story discovered in the Magic Wardrobe.  This time, though, the children hear the stories from a team leader they learn to trust; they play the stories again in the Magic Wardrobe, and then they respond to those stories with their art.  Finally, the children apply their faith in the act of letting their creations go.  The children’s art is sold for charity on the final evening, making them at once real live artists and real live disciples.  Tentatively scheduled for the first week of August, 2010.

Dogwood Acres, Grades 2-8, Annual Event, 438-9619 for more information.

Summer camp is said to be the time when children grow the most spiritually and Dogwood Acres is no exception.  Amidst a quiet, natural, North-Florida setting, housed in comfortable, but simple cabins, children learn to live together, eat together, work together, play together and worship together.  It’s an experience they never forget and always return to.  FPC children usually time their experience at Dogwood Acres with the youth’s journey to Montreat.

Next summer, July 17-24, rising ninth graders through graduating seniors have the opportunity to attend the Montreat Youth Conference in Montreat, North Carolina.  According to the conference center, "the conferences for youth at Montreat model true Christian commitment and community, where young people are both are both challenged and comforted. Likewise, the leaders who come with them begin to see their connectedness with the greater church and the vast community of Christ. They take home the tools they need to expand the Montreat experience into the everyday lives of their young people."  Through worship, small groups, and recreation, youth grow closer to God and to one another.

Cursillo Presbyterian Retreat, Bi-Annual Event, 438-9619 for more information.

Cursillo is a three-day retreat designed for Presbyterians who desire to renew their faith and to develop a deeper understanding of their relationship with Christ. The lay-led retreat is organized around a series of talks given by lay people and clergy who serve as staff. Along with these talks, there are opportunities to worship, fellowship, sing and enjoy uplifting music, celebrate the Lord’s Supper and participate in group discussions.  Cursillo is held semi-annually (September and March) at Camp Beckwith Retreat and Conference Center just south of Fairhope, Alabama.

Worship Education

Worship Education for Children, Children’s Sabbath, Annual Event.

Children’s Sabbath is a date set aside by our own denomination to honor children in the life of our church.  First Presbyterian will celebrate Children’s Sabbath this October through worship crafted and led totally by children and their parents.  This is an amazing learning experience for children as they not only learn the “mechanics” of crafting worship, but experience the trust and confidence of their congregational family.  This year, Children’s Sabbath is scheduled for October 11th, at 10 a.m.

Worship Education for Youth, Youth Sunday, Annual Event.

Every spring, the youth of the church, grades six through twelve, lead the congregation in worship.  Not only do the young people lead worship, but they also plan the service.  After choosing a scripture passage and theme, the youth write prayers, choose music, and ensure that every aspect of worship relates to the chosen theme.  An important aspect of Youth Sunday involves the graduating seniors writing and preaching their own sermons.  Youth Sunday is an exciting day in the life of our congregation.

Annual Events

Children learn by experience and there might not be a more classic faith experience for a child than the Christmas Pageant.  Always full of warmth, beauty, and hope, Christmas Pageant at FPC is a time of gathering all of our community’s children together to experience one of the central stories of our Christian faith:  the birth of Jesus Christ.  No one should miss this, no matter what their age, because no matter how many times you’ve seen it, it never loses its power.

For ages 4-12.  Magic Wardrobe is an annual interactive children’s museum built in First Presbyterian’s own Jane C. Noonan Center and dedicating itself to the extensive teaching of 7 Bible stories per year.  In 2009, the theme “Where is God,” was explored through the hands-on discovery of Bible stories that recounted someone’s encounter with God.  The stories included:  Abraham and Sarah, Moses, Solomon’s Temple, The Mystery of Christmas, The story of Baptism, Pentecost, and Paul’s Discovery.  2010 dates and theme tba.

Harbison Lecture Series, Annual Event, May 2-3, 2010, Main Sanctuary Building, 438-9619 for more information.

Harbison Lecture Series is one of FPC’s proudest traditions and an amazing opportunity for our congregation and the community at large to hear from some of the influential leaders in Christian life today.  The past three Harbison Lecturers have included such names as Drs. Martin Marty, Zan Holmes, and John Buchanan.  This year, First Presbyterian is thrilled to host A.J. Levine, a renowned Professor of New Testament Studies at Vanderbilt University.  Dr. Levine will join us May 2-3, 2010 in the sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church.

Ministries

First Presbyterian Church

Pensacola, Florida

“Splash!” is what we call our ministry with our littlest of littles.  Splash! is our Presbyterian curriculum for this age group and is centered around developing the very beginnings of faith language in the context of church and family.  Each family will receive a CD on the first day of Church school and a parent page after each session.  Our children’s ministry staff in the nursery, who come as experienced preschool teachers, will lead and add activities to the themes of this song-based curriculum.

Godly Play returns, continuing its focus on the reverence and beauty of our sacred stories.  This year, we’ve also added “We Believe Workshop” where, in addition to storytelling, children experience even more Bible stories from different perspectives such as art, technology, audiovisual, drama, and cooking.  We Believe adds movement and variety to Godly Play’s poetic sensibility.  We Believe also pulls in the foundational questions of a child’s faith by including the “First Catechism.”  In the end, children have a well-rounded experience of Christian Education that equips them for life-long discipleship.

Middle and High School students will meet together for Sunday School in the Youth Room, taught by Adam and Anne Broos.  Throughout the year, this class will take a look at the "50 Essential Bible Stories."  Not only will these 6th through 12th grade students become more familiar with the Bible, but they will also discuss how scripture impacts our day to day lives. Sunday mornings, 9 a.m., Upstairs Education Wing, Youth Room.

The Contemporaries is our newest Sunday School class.  Created by adults in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, this group desires to create an environment that encourages and develops open and honest discussion of serious faith questions, straightforward Bible study, and authentic hospitality to newcomers, guests, and friends. Because so many individuals participating in this group also serve in various capacities around the church on Sunday morning, the Contemporaries will kick off their time together after worship on August 30th, and then adjust to the needs of the group.  Everyone is welcome!  Bring friends. 

Possibility Thinkers is a class of long time First Presbyterian members, new church members and visitors.  We are individual, curious, a community of believers, diverse, talkative, informal, interested in God’s word and what it means for today, and welcoming.  We study God’s word through the Bible and books about the Bible; we examine who we are in Christ and how we live our lives as Christians; we look to scripture to guide us. 

Calvin’s Class is an adult church school class which decides its year-long curriculum at meetings the first two Sundays in May.  Members of the class serve as teachers and discussion leaders. Each class meeting begins with a time of fellowship over coffee and “goodies.”  Through honest engagement, the class confronts serious questions about theology, church history, contemporary public policy, trends in mainstream churches, and ways to live better and more faithful lives. 

Adults, Men’s Bible Class, Sundays, 9:00 a.m., Downstairs in Small Conference Room, down hallway behind Sanctuary.

Although the individual participants have changed over the years, this class is one of the longest standing classes in our church’s history.  It is tried and true in its approach to study and fellowship and continues to faithfully serve the needs of many men in this congregation.  Like the Fellowship Class, this class uses the Presbyterian curriculum, “The Present Word,” to guide their sessions and emphasizes the creation of a supportive community.