"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)  

Stories from the Border

Sept 9 through Sept 23, 2018
from 9:45 to 10:45 am
Room 102

Come hear about the experiences that our FPC members had at the Arizona-Mexico border in August. We all know that about 12 people from our FPC community have been on a Mission Trip to work with and learn from Mark Adams and Miriam Maldonado, the PCUSA missionaries we support at Frontera de Cristo. But what did our members do, see, and learn at the border?

          Sept 9 – What is Frontera de Christo?

          Sept 16 – The Coyote to the CBP (Customs & Border Patrol)

          Sept 23 – History of the Border and “the Wall”

We look forward to learning from them and hearing their uplifting and heartbreaking stories from the border. Join us between worship services on Sunday mornings in September.

This series will fit perfectly with the Reformed Institute program “What the Bible has to say About Immigration” on Sat. Sept. 29, 2018. See the separate article below for details.  

 Transgender Identity

Sept 30, 2018
from 9:45 to 10:45 am
Room 102

Ann Murdoch from the Transgender Advocacy Speakers Bureau (TASB) will be leading a class about transgenders with plenty of time for questions. Personal and spiritual concerns, along with career, political and others may be addressed.

Ann served 24 years in the US Army, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and received many awards for her service. She now works as a program analyst for the Department of Veteran Affairs and is also involved in the Methodist and Metropolitan Community Churches. LGBT issues are very topical in the PCUSA, as well as in other denominations. This is your chance to learn more.

   Also coming at FPC in the Fall of 2018:

Storytelling with a Purpose: Parables

Faith and Hope in Tumultuous Times

WHAT THE BIBLE HAS TO SAY ABOUT IMMIGRATION

Saturday, September 29, 2018

Immanuel Presbyterian Church
1125 Savile Lane
McLean, VA 22101
www.ipcmclean.org
9:30 a.m. – Noon in the Meeting House | Coffee at 9:00 a.m.

Some prominent Protestant figures in this country have claimed in recent years that immigration is not a Biblical topic. Dr. Joel Baden disagrees, arguing that the issues raised by the migration of peoples across political borders is a recurring theme in both the Old and New Testaments. But does the Bible offer any sort of coherent message for people of faith who are seeking to make sense of the challenges posed by immigration? In Prof. Baden’s writing and lecturing on this subject, he seeks to provide an answer to that question.

Dr. Joel Baden is Professor of Hebrew Bible, Yale Divinity School, author of The Promise to the Patriarchs (Oxford 2013); Reconceiving Infertiliy--Biblical Perspectives on Procreation and Childlessness (with Candida Moss, Princeton 2015); and Bible Nation--The United States of Hobby Lobby (with Candida Moss, Princeton 2017), among other works.  

This is a program of The Reformed Insititute.  There is no fee for this event.

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