Focal Point Winter 2025

FOCAL POINT Winter 2025-2026

A publication of First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta

From the Pastor

Preparing our hearts and homes for holy readiness Dear Members and Friends,

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dvent is one of the church’s most beautiful contradictions. It asks us to wait in a world that does not wait. It calls us to watch when so much around us urges distraction. It invites us to hope even when headlines preach cynicism. Advent is the season when the church leans forward with expectation— remembering Christ’s first coming in Bethlehem and anticipating Christ’s promised coming again, when all things will be made new.

At its heart, Advent is about holy readiness.

It is the careful, prayerful preparation of our lives to receive the God who always arrives, often in ways we least expect. Advent reminds us that God draws near not only at the end of history, but in the hidden places of our ordinary days. God draws near in our longing, our questions, our commitments, and our communities. Advent is a season that trains our eyes to see grace coming on the horizon.

This year, Advent carries a particular resonance for our congregation because we are only weeks away from opening our brand-new spaces, including the extraordinary 5,500-square-foot Commons.

As we come to this milestone moment,

my heart overflows with gratitude. More than 450 households made a pledge or contribution to our capital campaign. Your generosity has built something that will bless this congregation for decades to come. You have created spaces where faith can deepen, friendships can strengthen, and our mission to the city can expand. You have shown what happens when God’s people give not out of obligation, but out of vision, trusting that Christ is doing a new thing among us.

Advent asks us to prepare room in our hearts for the coming Christ. This year, we are also preparing room on our campus, spaces that will welcome Christ in the form of every neighbor, every visitor, every child, every seeker, and every person who crosses our threshold in need of grace, hospitality, or hope.

As we light candles, sing familiar hymns, and pray ancient prayers, may this Advent season open us again to the God who comes.

The one who came long ago in Bethlehem, the one who comes to us now in community, and the one who will come again to make all things new.

Blessings, Tony

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 10

4 The importance of being earnest 10 Looking back on the all church retreat 12 Global Mission Sunday

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14 FPC’s legacy to MLK Day extends over 70 years 16 The High and Community Ministries engage in unique partnership 24 Advent Schedule & Activities 26 News and Notes 28 FPC in focus

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The importance of being

Earnest

From left, Chip Edwards, with his two sons, Charlie, 8, and Davis, 7. Both generations studied under Bill Earnest.

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In 1970, Richard Nixon sat in the White House, Jimi Hendrix gave a soaring performance at the Atlanta International Pop Festival, and the population of metro Atlanta was a little more than 1 million.

Since then, nine other men have served as president.

Hendrix and the Atlanta International Pop Festival have passed into memory, and metro Atlanta’s population has grown to more than 6 million.

However, one thing hasn’t changed.

Longtime FPC member William “Bill” Earnest is still teaching children’s Sunday School at First Presbyterian of Atlanta.

In 1970, Earnest began teaching Sunday School to children at FPC who were primarily in the first grade. Stop by a class on any Sunday morning and chances are, you can still find him introducing students to the characters and stories of The Bible.

How did Earnest begin teaching Sunday School?

He had recently married FPC member Eve and he joined his wife as a member of the congregation.

He was working as an attorney.

He did not have any prior teaching experience.

Yet, born from a childhood devoid of deep knowledge of The Bible, he harbored a desire to do the opposite with young children involved with the church.

“I began teaching Sunday School because I enjoy teaching elementary age children,” he said. “I grew up as an Episcopalian and in Sunday School learned the Bible stories as isolated happenings. I felt it important that students also connect these stories sequentially to better see how God is working in the lives of His people.”

Earnest said an extra benefit of teaching has been creating the development of strong bonds with other team teachers and witnessing children create special bonds with each other that often last longer than their time in Sunday School.

“That’s what you want to foster.” Earnest said.

Earnest said one key part of the teaching process is to make sure that classes are not only taught with knowledge as the key, but they are also enjoyable.

“Two things I have tried to is to have them learn the material and secondly to have fun doing it,” he said. “If they don’t do that, they don’t want to come back.”

One part of the fun process is the “table slides,” that Earnest would engage in near the conclusion of class. If a student could answer a question from the lesson

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Earnest prepares for one of the hallmarks of his teaching - a table slide.

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correctly, they would earn a slide down the table.

The act of a table slide plays out exactly how it sounds. Earnest and a volunteer would lift one side of a table and a student would be lifted and slide down the table.

While Earnest might not list a litany of secrets and techniques used to connect and encourage students, his former pupils have their own ideas.

One former student is longtime member Wilson Covington.

Covington not only studied under Earnest, but later taught alongside him as well. Later, Earnest taught Covington’s sons, Rhodes and Hudson.

“Bill was definitely somebody that took teaching first grade Sunday School very seriously,” Covington said. “He always was always prepared and love,” he said. “Teaching with him - I wouldn’t say was intimidating - but you’ve got to be prepared to teach first grade Sunday School to keep up with Mr. Bill.”

Covington and his sons aren’t the only generational family that Earnest has touched.

Chip Edwards was also taught by Earnest when he was a first-grader. Now 40 years old, Edwards has watched both his sons, Charlie, 8, and Davis, 7, both study under Earnest.

“There’s just a warmth about him. It might sound trite because that’s what everybody says about Bill Earnest, but it’s true,” he said.

Ask Edwards about his relationship with Earnest, and he admits it is a challenge separating from where the teacher relationship ended and where the fellow church member relationship began.

The one word he uses is, “stalwart.”

“It’s hard to pick a certain memory. Some of my first adulthood memories with him are working with him on Habitat for Humanity.

It was very clear to me his devotion and commitment to it,” he said.

Teaching is the act of giving, but the teacher receives much more in return by seeing students’ successes over the years.

“It’s been a great experience,” Earnest said.

“Above all, they teach me.”

ABOUT BILL EARNEST Bill and his wife Eve are longtime members of FPC of Atlanta.

The couple have three sons, Merrill, Andy, and Lewis. The couple was married in 1970.

They met on a blind date.

“It was love at first sight,” Earnest says.

He is a Tennessee native and spent decades as an attorney with multiple firms.

His favorite Bible verses: Mark 12:30 where Jesus says the greatest commandment is “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul with all your mind and with all your strength.

The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.

There is no commandment greater than these.” Jesus similarly states in John 15:17 “This is my command: Love each other.”

He retired in 2000 from a fruitful career in law.

Yet, retirement did not bound him to the couch or the golf course. Rather, the opposite took place.

“When I decided to retire, a friend told me, ‘You need to retire to something, not from

something,’” he said. “Your sofa is your worst enemy.”

Earnest took the phrase and ran with it.

He took up yard work.

He works on FPC’s Habitat houses.

He volunteers in the mail room at Community Ministries.

Listen to Vocal Point, a service that provides book reading to the blind, and chances are you will hear his voice there.

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Reflecting, Rejoicing, and Reconnecting:

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More than 230 members attended our All Church Retreat ith the largest attendance ever, FPC’s friends and meet new friends in an environment of this pastAll-Church weekend ina weekend Montreat, N.C.!growth Weandengaged in Retreat was of spiritual community. service, and spiritual growth.

New to the All-Church Retreat this year, a service worship,laughter, service projects, learning, fellowship.

There were 230 people joining project toand serve those impacted by Hurricane Helene together over Labor Day Weekend at the Montreat Conference Center just north of Black Mountain, N.C. which marked a 25 percent increase over 2024.

Families, couples, singles, older adults, youth, and young children participated in our theme, “Shout From the Mountains,” learning about experiences of praise and worship in our homes, at our work and schools, in contemplative moments and in movement outdoors.

Field games, an evening of line dancing, mountain hikes, and moments together around the tables at meals encouraged everyone to spend time with old

was organized by Melanie Gilbert and Valerie Naglich. Participants were encouraged to bring toiletries for those in need. During worship on Sunday everyone worked together to pack individual toiletry bags that were then delivered to a Christian relief organization in Asheville. We shared together how serving the needs of our communities is another way of praising God, of “Shouting From the Mountains” with our actions as well as our words.

All are welcome to join us next year. The AllChurch Retreat will be September 4 to 7, 2026 at the Montreat Conference Center.

Would you like to view a video montage of the retreat?

Just click the QR code above.

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Sitting JAMAICA with the United Church of Jamaica and the Caymen Islands to sustain our engagement with the Mount Olivet Boy’s Home.

at the table with our brothers and sisters in Christ everywhere,

GUATEMALA FPC is in the process of discerning and developing a partnership with CEDEPCA in Guatemala, allowing us to send teams to learn about and engage meaningfully in issues of migration, women’s health, education, and disaster relief.

LOCAL MINISTRIES

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oday we are celebrating and thanking

MEMORIAL DRIVE MINISTRIES includes the Amani Women’s Center, a sewing school for refugee women, in Clarkston; engagement with after-school tutoring; and the development of a new partnership with Friends of Refugees who are engaged in literacy and language as well as healthy pregnancy and birthing for refugee women.

our family

God for the Global Mission Ministry of First Presbyterian Atlanta and the privilege of being partners with what God is doing in the world. We rejoice in the collaborative work that we can do through partnerships around the world as well as with ministries in Atlanta who serve people from around the world. We give thanks to God for our long-standing relationships with organizations who are passionately engaged in that healing and redemptive work.

AMIS promotes cultural and global understanding through friendship and hospitality with international students on university campuses in Atlanta.

WORLD PEDIATRICS (formerly Childspring Int’l) seeks to elevate the human condition by enabling the sustainable transformation of access to advanced GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS pediatricahealthcare.

The familiar rhythm of worship carried global From Haiti to Kenya, from Brazil to the refugee

CUBA In partnership with a congregation message.

Choirs swelled with children’s voices and communities of metro Atlanta, First Presbyterian’s VILLA INTERNATIONAL provides in Perico, Cuba we support a clean water housing and fellowship for internationproject for the entire village.

We also help stories of partnership rippled acrossalthe sanctuary. mission scholars taking or teaching classes orwork is rooted in the belief that with food, medicine, eyeglasses and more seminars at the CDC or Emory University.

It was Global Mission Sunday, an annual relationships define service. for the congregation.

You can reminder that faith stretches far beyond thesupport corner Global Mission Sunday focuses those HAITI We engage through the LaGonave these ministries Haiti Partnership, supporting an elemenwith a financial gift oftary 16th and Peachtree. relationships, offering the congregation a window school, teacher training, books, stuthrough our misdent meals each day and an adult literacy This special Sunday is less a singlesion event than an into the ministries they support and the people market.

Please program. There is also a health center that explore the variety provides care 24 hours a day. ongoing conversation, an avenue forofour who call them friends. gifts historic you can help us share with our Midtown congregation to stay attentive to a Throughout the morning, members shared KENYA includes partnerships with St. partners by using the Andrews Presbyterian Church in Nairobi QR code and sending changing and to remain faithful to its call. updates from partner churches and organizations supporting world two children’s homes and with your gift.

Mount Kenya Academy with a microfinance If you want to know moreabroad. about GlobFPC members Monique and Bland Byrne offered The children’s choir, grades Pre-K through program to empower women to create busi- al Missions at FPC or are interested in nesses and support their families. this observation of the 2025 service joining and global fifth grade, us in any of these partnerships or sang an anthem of hope written for the going on a mission trip to one of these mission general: occasion.

There arein 2 global partnerships that are be- locations, please contact Rev. Barry Gaeding explored or re-activated. dertcelebrate (bgaeddert@firstpresatl.org).

“Global Mission Sunday is a time to But for many, the day’s most powerful message our church’s mission in the world, and First Pres came not from a display or a speech, but from a has a lot to celebrate. We have been fortunate to quiet invitation — to see mission not as a distant see firsthand what our church is doing with our project but as a shared journey. partners in Kenya and our soon-to-be partners For more about First Presbyterian Church in Guatemala. But ‘global’ includes Atlanta in our of Atlanta’s mission partners and volunteer minds... [We] feel that the most important part opportunities, visit firstpresatl.org/global-mission. of our participation in mission activities has been Follow us on Youtube for just sitting at table with our brothers and sisters in an in-depth video on our Christ everywhere, our family.” mission work As the final hymn rose and the congregation in Guatemala coming in dispersed, that sense of connection lingered: a December. You may also gentle reminder that the Church’s reach, like its click the QR code for more hope, is wide enough to hold everyone. information.

The week of Global Mission Sunday featured a special worship service and speakers in Sunday School, pictured below. Right, a group of members and staff on a recent mission trip to Guatemala. Above right: The week prior to Global Mission Sunday, the Rev. Dr. Edward Buri preached at FPC. Buri is part of a longtime partnership between groups in Kenya and FPC.

A Living Legacy of Service

FPC’s ties to King go back more than half a centur y

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ach January, the campus of First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta fills the steady rhythm of hands at work.

It is the church’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service when worship takes the form of work and the congregation gathers to serve Atlanta as one body.

The upcoming 2026 Day of Service on Jan. 19 is about serving and learning. The multi-ministry, intergenerational event will offer something for everyone — from assembling hygiene kits and making blankets to crafting note cards and lending a hand with first-floor maintenance. Don’t miss the Story Corner, a special time to

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learn about the Civil Rights movement and for sharing and connection.

The event, now a hallmark of the church’s community life, began more than a decade ago as a modest volunteer project. Early efforts focused on preparing lunches and care kits for neighbors without homes. These were simple acts that quickly grew into a citywide network.

Throughout the years, participation in the Day of Service has expanded to include every generation and nearly every ministry. Even during the pandemic, the work continued from kitchen tables and drive-up drop-offs as members found creative ways to keep serving safely. What started as a few projects has become a churchwide tradition of compassion, woven into the rhythm of January like a liturgical season of its own.

KING DAY SCHEDULE

9:30 a.m.: Participant Arrival & Fellowship in The Commons 10 a.m.: Initial Gathering in Fifield Hall 10:15 a.m. Service Projects begin 11 a.m. and Noon: Story Corner

Rev. Dr. Harry Fifield, left, was part of a forward-thinking group of white clergy that signed the ‘Minister’s Manifesto’ in 1957 helping herald in a new era of change in Atlanta. FPC is enthusiastic about continuing his legacy with an expanded King Day in January 2026.

The spirit of the Day of Service, however, reaches back much farther to two strokes of a pen by First Presbyterian’s Rev. Dr. Harry A. Fifield. In 1957, at the height of public-school integration tensions, Fifield joined 79 other Atlanta ministers in signing what became known as the Ministers’ Manifesto.

The document began with words that still resonate: “These are days of tremendous political and social tension throughout our entire world, but particularly in our nation and beloved Southland.

The issues which we face are not simple, nor can they be resolved overnight. Because the questions which confront us are in so many respects moral and spiritual as well as political, it is appropriate

and necessary that men who occupy places of responsibility in the churches should not be silent concerning their convictions.”

Though measured by modern standards, the Manifesto marked a turning point in Atlanta’s religious life—one of the first times a broad coalition of white Southern clergy publicly rejected violence and affirmed moral responsibility for racial understanding. By adding his name, Fifield placed First Presbyterian on the record as a congregation willing to face the questions of its time with faith rather than fear. His decision, made with quiet conviction, helped shape a legacy that still guides the church’s mission.

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M

an d

useum

ministry

The High and Community Ministries engage in ground-breaking program

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Except for a lone security guard stationed near the door, the Margaretta Taylor Room at the High Museum is vacant.

The usual bustling area with sound bouncing off the 18-foot high ceilings is nearly silent.

Near the entryway, Carlton Mackey, Assistant Director for Community Dialogue and Community Engagement at The High, and Demetri Burke, Art Bridges Cultural and Civic Engagement Fellow, welcome seven men from First Presbyterian Community Ministries who have crossed 16th Street for a unique program at the museum.

The program dubbed “Monday’s Neighborhood Meet Up,” began earlier this year.

Once a month, on the first Monday, a group of interested guests from Community Ministries ventures to The High for a lesson on art, discussion, and then an opportunity to create art themselves.

Watching these two High employees greet the men is more akin to a reunion, rather than a program introduction or a formal visit. The men the two have met before are greeted with hugs or fist bumps. The new faces are quickly introduced and welcomed.

After introductions are made, Mackey explains what the class will entail today and begins the lesson in the lobby.

Today’s subject is “Folk Art,” with a focus on Georgia legend, Howard Finster. Finster was renowned as a folk artist, preacher, and

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the genius behind Paradise Gardens, a multi-artistic venue and property north of Summerville, Georgia.

Throughout his storied career, Finster gained not only the attention of Southern artists, such as R.E.M., but also international film maker Werner Herzog, and, later, even earned an appearance on the Johnny Carson show.

To say Finster was prolific is an understatement. He produced more than 46,000 pieces of art in his lifetime.

Upon his passing, The High received a significant amount of his art, including not only paintings and sculptures, but pieces of stone and sidewalks from Paradise Gardens.

Several of those pieces are in the Stent Family Wing in Gallery 407 where we are heading.

It’s Like Walking on Air We take the elevator and we cross over the skyway, the long shafts of sunlight bathing the glass bridge in a borderlineethereal glow.

“It’s like walking on air,” one of the men says.

“Because you are,” Mackey answers with a smile.

We begin the tour with the Finster area. Mackey notes a few pieces. He makes some observations and then segues into what he does best on this morning. He provides gentle prods on

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the pieces. He asks questions.

He lets the conversation breathe.

When a guest responds with his opinion on art, he listens.

When another guest shows his a photo on his phone, Mackey takes a minute out of the conversation to chat with the man about the photo, the story behind it, and give him an ear.

Burke embodies calmness and patience. Some might observe him, with his quiet encouragement and patient ear, and say he would make a good teacher.

But then again, he already is, just in a unique classroom.

Art washes away Like most art, Finster’s work is ambiguous and begs questions. Our group has many.

Are those angels in his paintings or UFOs? Are the people praying or praising?

For an extended period of time, our group pauses in front of Finster’s painting of George Washington.

One man notices how Washington’s eyes are not looking at you, but off to the side. Another man notes that Washington’s hair is brown, instead of the white we are accustomed to seeing in paintings. And, another notes how the towers depicted in the painting have an Eastern influence of onion domes, instead of a traditional Western architecture.

“Flip the painting over, and it is an inverted triangle,” one man notes.

Mackey lets the conversation ebb and flow, occasionally sprinkling in his own comments. It is organic, each person seeing something different. I find myself caught up inside the conversation. Seeing things new for the first time. It is refreshing. As Picasso once said, “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”

That is how I feel. I can only imagine the sublime escape our unhoused friends are experiencing.

Transcending The second part of “Monday’s Neighborhood Meet Up” program is a hands-on art project.

Today, we’re in luck.

In addition to the art displayed in the gallery, Finster’s estate also left pieces to be handled, touched, observed. An embodiment of art by the people, for the people, Mackey and Burke distribute pieces of Finster’s art for the group to examine, to touch, to feel.

Then, the two lead the group in an exercise.

Each man is provided a pad and a marker to create their own illustrations.

Burke explains it could be an interpretation of what they saw. It could something in their heads inspired by the paintings. It could be how they are feeling today.

The talkative group shifts into silence.

After 10 minutes or so, they are invited to share if they wish. Just about each man shares. One man Mackey nicknamed “New York” shares his special affinity for a painting Finster created in the shape of a Cadillac.

Another man, Mr. F., has been painting for more than 50 years. In an interview later, he admits he had never been to The High before the Neighborhood Meet Ups. Ask him what his favorite class has been from the partnership and he responds, “All of them.”

The men can keep the art for themselves or donate them to Community Ministries for a possible upcoming art show The High and First Presbyterian are exploring.

Art, like all good works, transcends class, race, and, in this case, even being housed.

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Everybody Has Value and a Story To Share At the conclusion of the class, I sit down with Mackey and Burke under the trees in the courtyard outside the museum.

The two carry a gentle enthusiasm about the morning.

The program was Mackey’s brainchild. He pitched the idea to High Museum Director Rand Suffolk with the idea of engaging community and developing relationships.

“I saw this as an opportunity not as a big tent project but as a way to serve pockets we may have been un22

der-serving. To his credit, [Suffolk] took me seriously.”

Mackey took the proverbial ball and ran with it. He walked across 16th Street one day, met with Community Ministry Director Tricia Passuth and Operations Director Jacob Ivey, and the asked how the church could help facilitate the program.

Community Ministries and The High soon started this unique partnership. It’s impact was immediate.

It only took one Neighborhood Meet Up for Mackey to experience the impact of the venture.

“Entering the museum [with the

group], I realized very quickly, we were breaking barriers from the moment we entered the museum. There was a lot we had taken for granted.

It’s been so rewarding to help me see the art and museum through their eyes,” he said.

Burke echoes Mackey’s sentiments.

“This is a one of a kind experience.

Each day I’ve been at the museum working with this group has been so rewarding,” he said. “It’s an affirmation that people are individuals that live lives, and that everybody has a story, has value and has a story to share. Each and every single month, I wonder what story people have to

tell.”

And while Finster may have been the focal point of October’s event, the depth of the knowledge and passion of the group is a continual surprise to both of them.

Mackey mentions a recent session when a friend from Community Ministries began pointing out subtle differences in a class on statues or French printmaking that Mackey had not even noticed.

“Every month I am challenged to put any assumptions I may have about others in check,” he said. “Today was no exception.”

“It’s incredible working with a neighbor next door who is so concerned and so excited to work with our neighbors, and art is truly a therapeutic practice. So to see our neighbors be able to engage in art in a meaningful and special place is gratifying.” - J acob I vey

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dvent 2025

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ADVENT, CHRISTMAS EVE, AND CHRISTMAS WORSHIP SCHEDULE Advent I Sunday, November 30, 2025

8:15, 9 and 11 a.m.

What the World Needs Now: Hope Isaiah 64:1-9 and Romans 8:18-25 Tony Sundermeier, Preaching Communion at All Three Services

Advent II Sunday, December 7, 2025

8:15, 9 and 11 a.m.

What the World Needs Now: Peace Isaiah 11:1-10 and Luke 1:67-79 Saranell Hartman, Preaching 10 a.m.

Christmas Concert, Sanctuary

Advent III Sunday, December 14, 2025

8:15 and 9 a.m.

What the World Needs Now: Joy Isaiah 35:1-10 and Luke 1:39-56 Lauren Tucker, Preaching

11 a.m.

Annual Children’s Christmas Pageant, Sanctuary

Advent IV Sunday, December 21, 2025

8:15, 9 and 11 a.m.

What the World Needs Now: Love Isaiah 43:1-7 and John 3:16-21 Tony Sundermeier, Preaching

Christmas Eve Wednesday, December 24, 2025

11 a.m.

Younger Children and Family Service Sanctuary Candle Lighting

1 p.m.

Lessons and Carols Service Chapel Sindhu Giedd, Music Tony Sundermeier, Preaching Candle Lighting 3 p.m.

Traditional Service Sanctuary Organ, Choir and Orchestra, with Tom Bara and Dan Bara Tony Sundermeier, Preaching Candle Lighting 5 p.m.

Traditional Service Sanctuary Organ, Choir and Orchestra, with Tom Bara and Dan Bara Tony Sundermeier, Preaching Candle Lighting

Christmas Day Service Thursday, December 25, 2025

10 a.m.

Chapel Sindhu Giedd, Music Katie and Tony Sundermeier, Preaching

First Sunday of Christmas Sunday, December 28, 2025 11 a.m. only Sanctuary Barry Gaeddert, Preaching

Epiphany Sunday Sunday, January 4, 2026

8:15, 9 and 11 a.m.

Tony Sundermeier, Preaching Communion at all three services

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FPC NEWS & NOTES

SAVE THE DATE FEBRUARY 6 TO 7

F P C WO M E N ’ S R E T R E AT

Lilly Lewin, left, is our speaker.

You can learn more about her at https://www. freerangeworship. com/about/

Our annual Women’s Retreat takes place Feb. 6 to 7 at First Presbyterian Church.

This year’s theme is “Awaken: Encountering God in Everyday Moments” and features experiential worship curator and co-author of Sacred Space, Lilly Lewin.

The event begins Friday at 6 p.m. with a potluck dinner. On Saturday, Feb. 7, we will begin at 8:30 a.m. and finish at 3:30 p.m.

During this much-anticipated intergenerational retreat, we will awaken our senses to God’s presence and practice creative, small, and simple ways of noticing God in the everyday.

“There is a unique encouragement that rises when women of every age gather—

our stories braid together, our wisdom strengthens one another, and we remember that God never intended us to walk this journey alone,” said Saranell Hartman.

Childcare is available upon request.

To pre-register, scan the QR code or click the link below.

You may also contact Saranell Hartman at shartman@ firstpresatl.org or 404-228-7747.

BE A PART OF EPIPHANY Volunteers are needed to promote, coach, and pray.

To volunteer email epiphany@firstpresatl.org or visit firstpresatl.org/epiphany OCTOBER 19, 2025

Applications open

JANUARY 9, 2026

Applications close

FEBRUARY TO APRIL

Navigate and coach applicants

MAY 2026

Recipients announced

To apply as a recipient, email epiphany@firstpresatl.org, visit https://bit.ly/4ogHQZo or scan the QR code.

WE’RE SOCIAL! Are you on social media?

Make sure to like, subscribe, and share First Presbyterian Church!

You can follow all the upcoming activities, worship services, and more on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

FPC NEWS & NOTES

SAVE THE DATE FEBRUARY 22!

SIXTH ANNUAL MENTAL HEALTH CONNECTIONS

Music and Mental Health Music and Mental Health will take place February 22, 2026 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta.

We are grateful for this special partnership between Will for Hope, Samaritan Counseling Center of Atlanta, and First Presbyterian Church.

The event will feature Jim Sonefeld from Hootie & The Blowfish and focus on mental health, healing, and hope.

Sonefeld, who is a longtime drummer and songwriter for the band, will share his personal story of addiction and recovery and will also perform music.

Stay tuned to FPC communications for more details on this exceptional event.

The event will feature Jim Sonefeld, top right, plus Kate Monk with the Will for Hope Foundation, right. Far right, last year, Dr. Lauren Edwards with Edwards Psychological Associates interviews Jonny Sundermeier.

GARDEN VISIT Members of the DuPre family visited FPC to view the progress on the DuPre Garden. From left, Ann DuPre, Norman DuPre, Sarah DuPre Slick, and Charles Slick. The garden is scheduled to be completed soon.

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BEHIND THE SCENES WALK THRU During the stated meeting in October, the Session enjoyed a special behind-the-scenes tour of The Commons and other rooms included in FPC’s Capital Project.

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FPC OF ATLANTA EXPLORES ANCIENT CHRISTIANITY IN TURKEY In October, nearly 30 members and friends of FPC traveled to Turkey as part of the Stembler Ministry.

Participants explored the role of ancient Christianity in the Roman Empire, toured important religious sites for both Christianity and Islam, and grew closer to one another over dinner tables and on bus rides throughout the country.

MIDDLE SCHOOL RETREAT Fifteen FPC Middle Schoolers had a fruitful time at their fall retreat which took place in October at Lake Lanier.

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TRUNK OR TREAT Our Children’s Ministry had a great turnout for our Annual Trunk or Treat.

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