First Presbyterian Church

Come Worship With Us!

Worship is 11:00 a.m. each Sunday in the Sanctuary at 1903 Church Street,

Sunday School (for all ages) at 9:30 a.m.,

Chancel Choir rehearsal at 9:30 a.m. in the Music Room on second floor of the Education Wing,

Fellowship with refreshments at 10:30 a.m. in Fellowship Hall,

& Gathering Music at 10:45 a.m. in the Sanctuary.

Young Children & Worship program available during latter part of worship service (Age 4 through Grade 3.) Children's bulletins are available (preschool & elementary) as well as Worship Activity Bags & children's Bibles & books.

Childcare for preschool 4's and under. A pager is available for parents.

Assisted listening devices available.

Communion on the first Sunday of the month.

Food Pantry collection for St. Vincent's House on the first Sunday of each month - bring items any time.

For information on the Praise Band & its rehearsal schedule, please contact Jennifer Klein Salyer.

Church Season: Epiphany (Ordinary Time)

Liturgical Color: Green

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Church year information below is from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) website at http://www.pcusa.org/theologyandworship/faq/questions.htm

Back-up Sound Technician Volunteer Needed:

If you are interested in serving as a back-up sound technician for FPC's worship services, please contact Colby Parker at ccparker@suddenlink.net or the church office at scoggin@galvpres.net

Director of Worship Arts, Beth Slaughter, began work on September 1, 2011. Beth has 15+ years of teaching/directing experience and holds a Bachelor of Music Education from TCU, a Master of Music from UH, and a Master of Computer Science from UHCL. She lives in the Seabrook area with husband John and three children - Marie (15), John (5), and Cathy(2), and two cats & a Schipperke. Beth grew up in South Texas, near Corpus Christi and moved to Sugarland in 1980, graduating from Dulles High School. Beth likes to read, jog and sing with the Houston Symphony Chorus.

Organist, C. Anthony Pessarra began his time of service with First Presbyterian on October 2, 2011. Anthony is a career organist and has held several long-term positions in Houston churches. He studied organ at Sam Houston University, UT Austin and the University of Houston, obtaining B.A., M.M. and M.A. degrees. Anthony is no stranger to First Presbyterian Galveston as he was organist here for a short period of time in the 1970's.

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The congregation is celebrating the restoration of its historic Sanctuary with community-wide events through January 2012.

(Above right) The top of one of the sanctuary's stained glass windows

Above left) Detail of the hand-carved communion table at First Presbyterian Church, which is being restored following flooding of the sanctuary by Hurricane Ike in 2008.

The pew cushions were installed in time for Christmas Eve 2011.

Link to History of First Presbyterian Church, Galveston

First Presbyterian Galveston has a Facebook page and

also a Twitter link at FirstPresGalves

Links to FPC event information on the website - Church Calendar

If you don't currently receive the First Presbyterian Galveston email newsletter & would like to, please sign up below!

For Email Marketing you can trust

If you want a snail-mail copy of the FPC newsletter sent to you, please contact Marsha Scoggin, Office Administrator, at 409.762.8638. Also contact her at scoggin@galvpres.net to update your contact information.

The Reverend Dr. David H. Green has a website featuring podcasts of his sermons at http://DavidHGreen.com

Sermon Archives of Rev. Dr. David H. Green

Sermons are in downloadable in MP3 audio. Some are also available in text form. From September 2011, sermons are being posted as podcasts on Rev. Dr. Green's new website.

Biographical information on our pastor, the Rev. Dr. David H. Green

Email for Dr. Green: green@galvpres.net

Website for Dr. Green: http://DavidHGreen.com

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Looking back to Christmas Eve 2008, in the tent....

Christmas Eve at First Presbyterian was very special for us. At 4:00 p.m., we had a service of lessons & carols outdoors in the chapel garden - the first worship service FPC Galveston has had "at home" since Hurricane Ike. 65-70 people of all ages attended. It was a cold, damp and very windy December afternoon.

Earlier in the day, Marsha (the Office Administrator) and I felt the chapel garden was too bare, so we raided some holiday supplies in the south tower and put a wreath on the chapel door and on the wrought iron gate, with greens & ribbons (formerly on the fellowship hall sconces) along the old iron fence. We agreed that it was 100 per cent better than nothing!

Some of our red plastic Sunday School chairs were put out on the new rye grass in the chapel garden (grass grown from the grass seed the preacher had been sharing with the pigeons) - even weeds were allowed to stay, because they were green, in a town that has seen so much grey and brown in recent months. Some sound equipment was hooked up & working (more or less!). The Advent wreath was balanced on the uneven ground. Four youth read scripture. Organist Bonnye Karger played her keyboard, the Chancel Choir led by Larry Patton sang, Lisa Velasquez played her flute, Rev. Green gave a children's message about the color of candlelight - and I make a quick run to my office in the trailer to find a basket for the Joy Gift offering. One jr. high sat on the concrete fence around the chapel yard. (Can anyone guess who that might have been?)

We sang shortened versions of carols that we all know, as the the mist turned to rain and the service moved a little faster. The preacher suggested we make a run to the tent in the church parking lot and we did, some bringing their chairs. I passed out "shepherd's staves" - candy canes to the children.
Under the tent, the communion elements were set upon a chair. In the rain & wind, standing in a big circle, the extended FPC family took communion together. The university students helped us light each other's small candles, and we sang "Silent Night" as the sky darkened. We hugged and knew it was wonderful to be "home."

Elizabeth Godbehere, Director of Christian Education/Photographer

On Christmas Eve 2009 two worship services were held at First Presbyterian, in the renovated McCullough Hall, a time of celebration of recovery & reunion.

(left) Rev. David Green moderating the Hurricane Ike Anniversary "Reflection & Remembrance" Sunrise Service, September 13, 2009, at the Hotel Galvez

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"Hear the Word".....a Weekly Revised Common Lectionary podcast of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

One of the stained glass windows in the sanctuary at First Presbyterian Church, Galveston (photos on this page by Elizabeth Godbehere)