"As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord,  continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." (Colossians 2:6)  

For Now ... Virtual Classes 

Global Perspectives Group

Tuesdays at 2 pm - Winter 2021 Ongoing 

This group is led by FPC members who currently live in Lima, Peru. We often get updates on Qatar or other parts of the mid-east from another member living abroad.  We talk about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and about other international topics, religious variety in different countries, and issues from other places in the U.S we know about from our families or friends. Some of us have made new friends or get to spend time with friends who are far away.  The Zoom link is always in the Friday Weekly Word e-mail.  

 The Hinge Year of 2020

Sundays Feb 7 & 14, 2021  at 9:45 a.m.

2020 may have been a "hinge" year - one that marks a before and after in time. Historians tell us that 'hinge' years can provoke people to find new ways to restore meaning in their lives. This two-week conversation will first review just how different 2020 was, and second, how 2020 could anticipate themes for our future. The year was so packed with change that it may be good to pause and reflect upon it in different ways.  We will explore some possible Biblical themes in these notions - particularly from the Old Testament.

The trouble is it's awfully difficult to recognize, and even more so, to make sense of it all when you are inside a hinge year, but we shall try!  The Zoom link will be in each Friday’s Weekly Word e-mail.

Our Lenten Mission

 Sundays Feb 21 - March 28, 2021  at 9:45 am

 Isaiah tells us that the fast “acceptable to the Lord” is “to loose the bonds of injustice, … to let the oppressed go free, … to share your bread with the hungry, … and bring the homeless poor into your house.” Isaiah 58 vs. 5 - 7. Jesus announces that he is the one whom God has anointed to fulfill this prophecy. Luke: 4: 16-22. This Lenten series for adults will examine, through Scripture, poetry and short story, the societal and personal obstacles to carrying out this mission, and how we might seek God’s help to overcome them. Topics will include:

• Feb 21 – Introduction to “The True Fast”
• Feb 28 – The Fast of Grief
• March 7 – How we Avoid the Hard Journey
• March 14 – The “Unpleasantness” of the Passion
• March 21 – The Crucifixion
• March 28 – Resurrection, real or metaphor?

Bring your coffee and join us for education and discussion. The Zoom link will be in each Friday’s Weekly Word e-mail.

The Reformed Institute Spring 2021 Short Course (virtual) 

March 6, 13, and 20; 10:00am-noon

Renewing Theology and the Church for Public Life: Reformed Voices

Register on the Reformed Institute website at: www.reformedinstitute.org

First Presbyterian Church is a Sponsor of The Reformed Institute of Metropolitan Washington

In 2013, First Presbyterian Church became a sponsoring member of the Reformed Institute of Metropolitan Washington (RI). The RI is an organization that was established in 2003 "to promote understanding and awareness of the Reformed Tradition among the staff and members of Presbyterian churches located in the Washington area."  Its purpose is to help the churches in this presbytery live up to one of the basic principles of the Reformed Tradition – to ensure an educated laity. 

FPC Arlington has benefitted from many of the RI programs – the Confirmation Retreat, many of its classes, the annual convocation, and its Company of Teachers. As a sponsoring church of the Reformed Institute, First Presbyterian members are invited to participate in all of the RI adult education programs.  RI offers half-day, one day or short series adult education formats during the year for sponsoring church members. 

One member of our staff and a member of our congregation serve on the Board of Directors.  As members of the Board of Directors, we are involved in determining the programs that are offered, development activities, staffing decisions, etc.  We are expected to actively support the programs of the Institute by encouraging our members, friends, and community to participate in their offerings, and to take the things we learn and put them to use in our own congregation. For more information on the Reformed Institute, visit their website at: www.reformedinstitute.org