Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4.9
Dear Church,
More than a few times over the last year, members have asked me a version of this question: “What’s the next big, bold thing FPC Dallas should do?” The request is understandable and totally consistent with our history. We are serial entrepreneurs with an uncanny tolerance (maybe even preference) for risk.
In the late 1970’s we decided to stay downtown at the exact same time everyone else scattered to the suburbs. That big, bold decision was a prelude to the story we’ve been writing ever since. The Stewpot, Presbyterian Children’s Homes and Services, the Day School, and Children’s Medical Center were all started here in response to the emerging needs of our neighbors.
For a more recent example, consider that the capital campaign and construction for the sanctuary renovation was completed during the most recent Senior Pastor interim; a reminder that discerning with God the next big and bold, or small and simple, thing FPC Dallas should do is a communal practice.
And so, my response is the same to the question that kicked off this letter. Look around, or flip through the pages ahead, the next big, bold thing the church should do is already at hand. At the risk of not being noticed in a world that’s conditioned to value viral trends, we’ve renewed our commitment to the quiet work of following Jesus: sharing the bread we break, making room for strangers, passing peace.
Bless you for being big and bold in your pledge to “keep doing the things.”
Pastor
Peace, Amos Disasa
AMOS DISASA
Each day, individually and as a community, we make a choice to do the things. Buffeted by the complexities and challenges of life, being intentional about following the way of Jesus can be centering, grounding.
When we gather together—in worship, around a dinner table, in the woods, on a hill, in a classroom, in an amphitheater—we recommit to each other and choose to keep doing the things. We learn from each other, we support each other, we heal each other.
What we share at FPC Dallas is precious. The community we create and recreate together sustains and inspires us for service in the world.
In so many ways over the past year, we have experienced the presence of God in moments we have spent together, as well as those spent in quiet contemplation.
We accompany each other on our individual journeys, brought together by faith, love, and shared commitment to follow the way of Jesus.
Throughout the following pages, you will hear about the varied ways we have supported each other in following the way of Jesus here at FPC Dallas, and the difference doing so can make in our individual and shared experiences.
Some of these experiences will be shared by different members of our community in their own voices.
As you consider your pledge for the coming year, take time for prayer and reflection. Consider all that your commitment makes possible, the vision that it enables us to realize.
worship + music
Worship this year was all about doing the things. We asked hard questions of ourselves, were prompted to look inwards as well as outwards, urged by the gospel to live consciously with both faith and intention.
Our sermons series began with Here I Am: Listening for God When the Word of the Lord Is Rare, and continued with Deep Is the Hunger during the season of Lent. We considered how to cultivate Quiet Charisma and Eating Jesus: The Bread of Life Taken Seriously. As we rolled into fall, we meditated on Having and Being
We welcomed guest speakers like Rev. Virzola Jo-Nan Law, Senior Pastor at Northway Christian Church here in Dallas who preached from the gospel of Mark in her sermon, “I’ve Been Meaning to Ask,” while Rev. Dawn Hyde of Downtown Church Columbia, SC encouraged us to “Plant Anyway.”
On Pentecost we celebrated Youth and Senior Sunday and were led in worship by our Youth. Together we marked Legacy Sunday, recognizing and giving thanks for the FPC Dallas Foundation and considering how we might join those who have gone before us by making a gift in support of the future of our church.
In the last calendar year, the pastoral team has officiated 10 baptisms in the Wood Street community, reminding beaming infants, curious toddlers, stoic preteens, and moved-to-tears adults that they are held in God’s hands forever.
Wood Street continues to be a place where love and care is extended to all who find their way here, and each week we welcome around 100 sojourners to dwell together as the body of Christ. Programs like the Shifting Faith support group, monthly lunches at the Dallas Farmers Market, and robust participation in children’s and youth programming are witness to the deepening of relationships and mutual trust that are markers of this community.
This past year has been a season of growth for our music-making community. Chairs were pulled out for new singers in the chancel choir and a new set of robes were broken in.
At the end of last year, over 300 people attended our transformative performance of “Considering Matthew Shepard,” the first performance of this work in a church in Texas, and the sanctuary was filled for our annual Christmas concert.
Fifty-two children were welcomed to Jam Camp, where they discovered and explored their own musical voices, and our handbell choir added 5 new ringers to its ranks. Our pool of Wood Street musicians grew to 32 strong, in step with the rapid growth of the Wood Street community.
We’ve cultivated new and existing partnerships with outside artists, allowing our sacred spaces to be filled with music—and people—throughout the week.
With 4,000+ candles adorning the chancel, we hosted over 10,000 guests in our sanctuary for Candlelight Concerts, a concert series by the international production company Fever. The Turtle Creek Chorale now calls FPC Dallas its rehearsal home, gathering 250 singers each Tuesday to prepare their repertoire for their concert season.
Voices of Change, a staple DFW ensemble dedicated to premiering new music from diverse backgrounds, is set to perform new works at FPC Dallas later this year. Local choirs including The Arts District Chorale, The Dallas Street Choir, Verdigris Ensemble, The Dallas Symphony Chorus, and Orpheus Chamber Choir continue to enjoy the acoustics of our spaces for both rehearsals and concerts alike.
With the inclusion of these new voices and musical ideas, our worship on Sunday mornings is made more whole. In our diversity of musical interpretations, God’s kingdom is realized—note by note, song by song.
Listen to sermons from this past year
practice + formation
We are a congregation that loves to not just contemplate, but to do. We live our faith.
This year, we invited Soup’s On speaker Father Gregory Boyle and two of his Homeboys to share with us and the wider community insights from his book The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness, as well as the mission and impact of the work of Homeboy Industries.
We’ve opened our doors for the Interreligious Communities Project: Sharing Sacred Spaces, and considered Displacement and Embrace: Conversations About Immigration, Migration, and Faith with the Mission, Justice, and Advocacy Committee. Our adult Sunday school classes invited
us to join them, week after week, as they took up hard and holy issues, and led by Charlene, we beckoned to the curious with Come This Way, a crash course on Christianity and what it means to follow Jesus at FPC Dallas.
Among our most profound and stirring efforts to engage with our faith was prompted by something new: the Lenten Devotionals that accompanied the Lenten series Deep Is the Hunger, a collection of beginnings for Lenten travelers that included seven sermons, forty devotionals commissioned just for the occasion, and two community talkbacks, all inspired by the earthy wonder of Howard Thurman’s example.
I was surprised when Charlene asked me to be the copy editor on a Lenten project that would be unlike anything FPC Dallas had done before. I had helped with past writing and editing assignments for the church, but nothing as extensive as this 2024 Lenten opportunity. The proposed editing timeline was quite short, and the anticipated amount of reading considerable, but I never contemplated saying, “no, thank you” to her intriguing invitation.
The chance to copy-edit a sample devotional with Charlene was an invaluable first step in the process, giving me the chance to gain clarity about punctuation, spacing, structure and voice expectations. As the devotionals were submitted, I read and reread each text to get a sense of the writer’s thoughts before making any edits. I tried to respect each writer’s unique voice, so sometimes phrases or sentences that may not have been considered traditionally “correct” were kept because they fit an individual’s writing style. I read each devotional multiple times before I turned it in as “completed.”
As I immersed myself in the texts, I realized that what began as an editing assignment had become a spiritual experience. Many of the writers I have known for years. Some I recognized by reputation, and others were unfamiliar to me. Written in response to the Black theologian and civil rights activist Howard Thurman’s words, each devotional challenged me to think in a different way about contemporary theological or cultural concepts. Time spent contemplating the forty texts was holy. Then seeing the final project—the result of multiple individuals’ involvement in the preparation of each Lenten devotional box—and feeling the excitement that the project generated church-wide filled me with pure gratitude for the chance to have been a small part of this aweinspiring process.
Susi Grissom, Editor, Lenten Devotional
This past year, FPC Dallas Youth have come together for donuts and Bible Study, where they shared important conversations about the world that we currently live in, as well as the challenges they face in their own lives. Most Sunday afternoons, you would find our Youth participating in a themed event followed by a lunch prepared by one of their families. On Service Saturdays, they went out into the community to give and to grow in faith and service.
I think my favorite thing about the Youth Group in general is the connectivity everybody has. There’s always a place for you. No one’s excluded, no one’s left out. You make good friends…some of the people I’ve known since preschool. Those connections last for a long, long time. Especially in high school, life can get kind of stressful sometimes, so it always helps to come decompress, have fun, relax.
Everything about the church, it connects really with young people…I think it connects with everyone, and it makes it easier to join the church and not feel like there’s something about you that will be looked down upon or shamed, because everyone is welcome here. And I think that is just really important to a church….It feels like everyone, no matter who you are, is welcome…
Our Youth Ministry is a safe place to ask questions, a foundation for our Youth who are building their faith in God, and listening for God’s call in their lives, trusting they will always have people nearby to build and listen with them.
This summer was our third partnering with Youth Mission Co. for Dallas Youth Mission. This year’s theme was “The Call of Community,” which engaged youth in “downstream issues” like food insecurity and homelessness while pointing youth “upstream” to the systemic injustices that cause poverty and marginalization. We welcomed young people from Omaha, NE; Simpsonville, SC; and Austin, Abilene, Kerrville, and McKinney, TX who served with Brother Bill’s Helping Hand, Austin Street Center, GROW North Texas, Trusted World, White Rock Center of Hope, Street Side Showers, and our very own Stewpot.
Excerpt from an interview of Bas Gray, FPC Dallas Youth member and Class of 2024
Learn about Dallas Youth Mission 2024
Experience Youth + Senior Sunday
Meet the Class of 2024
The heart of our Children’s Ministry—bringing children closer to God and building a welcoming community of faith—was on full display this year. Our youngest community members enjoyed vibrant and engaging programs including KidQuake and GAP at Gilmont, plus investments were made in our facilities to enhance offerings, including a new sprinkler system on the third floor, an indoor play area in the PAC, and two outdoor playgrounds in front of the Welcome Center.
Director of Children’s Music Helen Kim took on the role of Transitional Director of Children’s Ministry this past spring and helped make VBS a great success. With the theme, “Camp Firelight: Whenever I Am Afraid, I Put My Trust in God,” 57 children from Pre-K to 4th grade participated. Almost 40% of attendees came from the surrounding community, marking a significant increase in outreach and connection with families beyond our church walls.
Sam Allen, our Wood Street Music Director, brought energy and excitement to our daily assemblies, with our new Children’s Ministry Coordinator, Betsy Musarurwa, co-leading alongside him. Teachers from the Stewpot Children and Youth Program served as group leaders, guiding each class with care and enthusiasm. Our church members and youth volunteers generously gave their time to lead the science, craft, snack, and recreation classes, creating a diverse and enriching VBS experience.
care + belonging
From visitors to members, from births to memorial services, the area of Care and Belonging is wide and deep. We have, among our aims, to be the most welcoming place in Dallas.
The care of our church is far-reaching, providing home communion to those that are unable to come to church in person, food for those experiencing a major life event and transportation to church for those unable to drive themselves. A new member, who was able to participate in serving home communion the other month shared, “Thank you so much for allowing us to participate in this ministry, it blessed me beyond words.”
At FPC Dallas we gather round tables and hold the grief of others while we in turn are held in our own grief at our Faith and Grief Gathering Luncheons
Pastors and those new to the community gather around tables and share stories and get to know each other at our monthly Table for Ten. People from all walks of life gather around tables and share life and prayer and faith in Home Groups
We have held space for each other through Stephen Ministries, and laughed and learned together at First Thursdays Women’s Gatherings and Young St. Seniors events. Once again this year, we held a Mission Weekend at Camp Gilmont. The
Presbyterian Women continued with their projects and set out Circle Boxes so that members of our community could help support efforts benefiting the wider community. We hosted blood drives in partnership with the Red Cross and even helped Happy Riders with their Bike Donation Drive.
Our new members are welcomed through lunches and volunteer opportunities. One new visitor shared how overwhelming the hospitality was of this place; it was unlike anything they had ever experienced before. A member shared how they scheduled to have coffee with a first-time visitor to share what it is that they love about this church.
Care and Belonging is synonymous with the life of the church. One area this is seen robustly is through our All-Church Retreat. In July 2024, we celebrated 47 years of going to Mo-Ranch: the community, fellowship, laughter, embraces are evidence of the Spirit of God moving through this community.
Meet our newest members here
Heard
from Home Groups
Members for 55 Years or More
Joan Mead 84 years
Nell Baker 80 years
Jody Morgan 76 years
Deanna Pomeroy 76 years
Joy McMinn 73 years
Elsa Miller 71 years
Eleanor Otto 70 years
Mary Lou LeBeau 69 years
Martha Wertheimer 67 years
Zoe Stafford 66 years
John Eickmeyer 66 years
Edward Beanland 65 years
Mike Haney 65 years
Monroe Waak 65 years
Mark Hollingsworth 62 years
Ken Pickett 62 years
Linda Pickett 62 years
David Brass 61 years
Alayne Sprague 61 years
John Fox Holt 61 years
Cindy Alexander 60 years
Diane Graifemberg 60 years
Alice Jester 60 years
Graciela Flores 59 years
Josh Holt 59 years
Warren Johnson 59 years
Les Read 59 years
Gay Brass 58 years
Art Albin 58 years
Charles Briner 57 years
Diana Briner 57 years
Judy Johns 57 years
Sheryl Nelson 57 years
Jo Laing 56 years
Jim Carvell 56 years
Nell Carvell 56 years
Mark Blackburn 56 years
Karen Kerr 56 years
Lisa Baker 55 years
Diane Roemer 55 years
Connie Moore 55 years
Ted Moreland 55 years
Don Johnson 55 years
“
We laugh together, cry together, pray together, and grow together. It is an experience like no other.”
“
I am drawn to small groups…primarily for the friendships that develop. I love our group/family, which is full of laughter and is an intimate, challenging place to grow.”
“
If
you
want to really be a part of a church community, join a Home Group. It’s the best part of the week.”
fpc day school
In its 41st year as a ministry of the church, FPC Day School remains deeply committed to its vision of being a highly sought-after early childhood program that reflects the diversity of our city and enriches the lives of families in our community.
Over the past three years, it has made great strides toward this goal. Its student body is now significantly more ethnically and racially diverse, and the financial assistance program has been expanded so that 29% of our families now participate.
Enhancing the educational experience for both students and staff is at the core of this ministry.
The Day School is on track to become the first preschool in the nation to be certified by the National Institute for STEM Education: each of its teachers receive training to equip them with the
knowledge to fully engage students in active learning environments. Together with the expanded music program, this and other elements of the curriculum ensure students can access innovative and creative learning opportunities.
What is more, 18 of the school’s dedicated teachers have earned their Child Development Associate credentials, with 5 more currently enrolled in degree programs—at no cost to them—through a partnership with Dallas College and the Texas Workforce Commission.
This year, the Day School also launched its first Kinder Ready program and continues to maintain the highest quality rating from the Texas Workforce Commission’s Rising Star Program, receiving a fourout-of-four-star rating.
It is through tears of gratitude that I share with you how meaningful it has been for my child to be able to attend FPC Day School.
I am a single mom who, like all parents, wants the best for her child. However, when your finances are limited, it can be really hard to find a place that is everything you want for your child. Looking at the options available to us, I was extremely discouraged until I came to the Day School.
Within the first couple of months after arriving, my child began to thrive. When they arrived, they weren’t walking, unlike the other children of a similar age. Just one week later, the teachers had figured out that the way to encourage them to start was through play. After walking came sleeping on a cot, doing without a pacifier during naps, and more. It just blows my mind.
But it’s not only these successes that bring tears to my eyes. It’s that all the teachers—all the staff— know my child’s name. There is a sense of family and love there, even among the parents. One of the biggest things for me is also that it’s such a diverse school. Children from every background grow and learn together, fostering a sense of inclusivity and acceptance that is truly heartwarming.
Thanks to the school’s financial assistance and generous community support, my child can be here. When our situation changed and we lost eligibility for Child Care Assistance, I was devastated. I prayed for a solution, and that same day, I was told that community donations would continue to support a portion of our tuition. Although I still struggle each month, this support allows my child to stay at this amazing school.
Our family’s ability to become part of the Day School community has been made possible through grants and donations. Yes, these gifts have value, but this support has been invaluable to us. We are forever grateful.
FPC Day School Parent
the stewpot
This year, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of its first meal served, The Stewpot received the George W. Bush Presidential Trailblazer Citation Award for its work in inspiring change and enriching the quality of life in North Texas.
Holistic care and program depth and breadth continue to be critical to its work, including the K–12 academic program on Wednesday nights and Saturdays, and now full days during the summer. This program for housed families serves 100 households and provides 29 young people scholarships for higher education The Food Distribution Program, serving food insecure community members, now serves more than 300 households twice a month.
For our unhoused neighbors, The Stewpot serves a vital role. Its programs provide everything from meal services to identification services, street outreach to housing, as well as enrichment programs: the Art Program, Writers Workshop, STREETZine, and its partnership with the Dallas Street Choir. Partners located onsite—Parkland Hospital’s medical and dental clinics, and Metrocare Services’ mental health programs— mean it can care for its clients in a holistic and trauma-informed manner
The Stewpot is a ministry driven by ingenuity and community. When a neighbor needs our support, we respond, adjust, and invent together.
The face of homelessness is you and me, whoever. And if you get a phone call, it can change your whole life.
I was doing ride sharing. But along the way I was getting sick. I didn’t know what was going on. Come to find out, I am pre-diabetic. I would feel horrible.
I got into a car accident and that started everything. I just couldn’t keep up…I couldn’t pay my car note. You know how everything starts tumbling down. I never knew what anxiety was. You start shaking all over the place. You think you’re having a heart attack. It’s not a good thing.
I ended up being in my first shelter in Dallas. I stayed with UGM for about 6 months. Then I stayed with Austin Street for 8 months.
I went to go give plasma and I got this phone call. I wasn’t going to answer the phone because I get a lot of spam calls. I picked up the phone and said, ‘Hello.’
She said, “Is this Mr. Hughey?”
“Yes, this is Edward Hughey.”
She said, “Hi. This is Ms. King. I’m calling from the Stewpot. You’ve been referred.”
And I said, “Huh.”
“Basically, that means you can start looking for housing now. You’ve been referred…”
Remember what I said at the beginning, “One phone call can change your life.” And that is what The Stewpot did. One phone call. Had it not been for the tireless efforts…I’m not even kidding.
Look around me! I didn’t do this on my own. I didn’t. The Stewpot is like a scaffolding. Like when a building is being erected. So, when you fall, you fall on The Stewpot. Oh, I fell again on The Stewpot. It’s to help you stand up.
And then once you’re up, you don’t need the scaffolding anymore. But they’re still there to help you along the way…
Excerpt from an interview with Edward Hughey, a client of The Stewpot
See Edward Hughey’s story here
encore park
In 2024, a lot was going on behind the scenes to prepare for the renovation of the interior of 508 Park Avenue. In anticipation of the start of work, we gathered to celebrate: Breaking Ground brought together supporters, the teams working to bring the project to fruition, even curious passersby. It also saw the launch of Friends of Encore Park to foster support, engagement, and advocacy for the campus and its programming accommodations.
We unveiled a selection of renderings showcasing some of the spaces to be created within the reimagined building. On the ground floor, a new entrance, expansive windows onto the Garden and Amphitheater, a café, and large gathering space for concerts, lectures, worship, and more.
On the third floor, where Robert Johnson and others made some of their most renowned recordings, there will be another space for rehearsals and gatherings, displays for historical artifacts, areas for display and sale of Stewpot art, and a recording studio.
In 2024, we also saw the continuation of 508 Sessions with Roscoe Johnny, heralding the return of music to this storied place once renovations are complete.
the foundation
The FPC Dallas Foundation continues to live into its purpose of supporting the benevolent, charitable, educational, and missionary work of the church.
Providing a substantial annual grant in support of the church’s ministry, the Foundation—in large part through estate gifts from those who have come before us—underwrites one-third of the church’s annual budget, helping to ensure our buildings are maintained, programs are funded, and the word of God is proclaimed.
In 2024, grants were also made in support of Austin College, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Camp Gilmont, FPC Day School, Presbyterian Children’s Homes and Services, Presbyterian Mo-Ranch Assembly, Schreiner University, The
Stewpot, UKirk SMU, Presbyterian Historical Society, and Forefront Living Foundation.
This past spring, as part of Legacy Sunday, Marty and Russ Coleman, Sara Craig, and Beth and Jeff Jones each shared their deeply personal reasons for supporting the Foundation by donating in honor of loved ones or including the Foundation in their estate plans. The Foundation also sponsored a luncheon at which a representative of the Texas Presbyterian Foundation shared information on ways to include the Foundation in estate plans. Individuals who have included FPC Dallas or the Foundation in their estate plans—or have the intention to do so—are invited to join the Legacy Society. You, too, can share your intention or request more information on your pledge form.
Dear FPC Family,
This is a busy time for the church. Truly, though, when is it not? Each week, thousands of people are served by our programs and ministries. Your faithful financial support enables our generous welcome and sustains our commitment to continued growth. Thank you.
If you haven’t noticed already, we’ve been intently focused on capacity building for children’s ministries. After refreshing the children’s wing in 2023 with new paint, furniture, and flooring, this year the Session approved additional investments of a new indoor playground, outdoor playground, and sprinkler system for the children’s wing. We expect to see even more growth in our Sunday programming and at the Day School in the coming years.
Last year’s stewardship campaign was level with 2023, resulting in just over $1.6 million in pledges. While our goal was higher, this was an encouraging result in line with our prior year. Still, costs to secure, clean, power, and maintain the campus increased in 2024 by 39% compared to 2023, including a 40% jump in premiums for general liability insurance. 2023 marked our first general fund operating deficit since 2019, most of it attributable to rising operational expenses. This year’s budget addressed that concern.
The encouraging news is that we are on track to finish this year with a balanced budget. Through July 2024, our general operating expenses are below budget by 7.1%.
We are currently finalizing our 2025 campus-wide budget, which anticipates a 3% increase in our pledged support. You heard it here first, our pledge goal is $1.65 million, or $48,000 more pledged than last year. Thank you for your generous support. Together, I’m confident we’ll have more than enough to keep doing the things.
make your commitment today
Using the enclosed card or online at fpcdallas.org/2025, make your pledge to keep doing the things.
