Join us for our Young Families Zoo Trip on Sunday, June 9. FPC Families will meet at the Philadelphia Zoo around 10:30 am and spend a few hours visiting our favorite animals. FPC will cover the cost of entrance tickets. Please email Laura if you are interested and let her know how many tickets you will need.
Please join us at fellowship hour in Old Buttonwood Hall following the 11:00 AM worship service on Sunday, May 12 to celebrate with gratitude the dedication and leadership of our interim musicians Maestro Donald Nally and organist Paul Fleckenstein. Through their dedication to musical excellence and intensive work with FPC’s Choir over the past eight months, Donald and Paul have enhanced the music ministry of First Church immeasurably with inspired programming, and musicianship of the highest order.
Join the fpcQ group for an evening of GayBINGO on Saturday, May 11, for loads of fun that also supports a good cause. The event is held at Congregation Rodeph Shalom (615 N Broad St). Doors open at 6 pm and GayBINGO begins at 7 pm. Tickets are $40 each and can be purchased via this link. When you buy your ticket please write in “First Presbyterian Church-fpcQ” as the table name and we will be grouped together. Contact Larry Slagle for more information.
GayBINGO is a fundraising event for AIDS Fund. AIDS Fund conducts a variety of programs throughout the year to increase public awareness about the impact of HIV on our communities. AIDS Fund's mission is to educate about, and increase public awareness of, HIV/AIDS and to provide emergency financial assistance to people living with HIV disease and organizations providing HIV services in our communities.
FPC folks are joining the Christian Association at UPenn (118 S. 37th Street) for dinner on Wednesday, April 24 at 6:30 PM. We’ll be having Thai food take out and spending time in conversation with UPenn students and with the wonderful Rev. Megan LeCluyse. Everyone is welcome!! Please RSVP to Laura so we know how much food to order.
Join the Band of Boomers on Sunday, April 14 after church for a visit to Penn Museum, including a highlight tour. Home to over one million extraordinary artifacts and archaeological finds, the Penn Museum has been uncovering our shared humanity across continents and millennia since 1887. In bridging archaeology (the study of objects made by humans), with anthropology, (the science of humanity), it charts a course for finding one’s own place in the arc of human history.
The highlight tour features several of the signature galleries, and is led by one of the Museum’s Graduate Guides. Discover highlights of the Museum’s collection and how archaeologists use them to understand the past.
Meet at 1:30 at the Museum (3260 South Street), which is a 30 minute walk, a short bus ride (42 bus)or a quick drive (parking is available next door) for the highlight tour. The cost for admission and the tour for seniors (65+) is $20.00, and $22.00 for younger Boomers. Lunch is available at the café beforehand. Please RSVP to Shellie Unger.
Meet up with some other T&Ts at the Center City Barcade (1326 Chestnut Street). We’ll be hanging out there from 5-8 pm so come by when you can. Bring some cash so we can play some classic video arcade games and enjoy a beverage together. If you’d like to join us, please RSVP to Laura!
Let’s get our T&T trivia on! Join us for Quizzo night at Loco Pez in the Graduate Hospital neighborhood (on the corner of 20th & Bainbridge). Please RSVP to Laura so we can reserve a team table!
The Women of Wit and Wisdom will visit the art gallery at the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church to view the original paintings of First Church Deacon João Magalhães, on display through February 25. We’ll start at 10:30 am at the art gallery and gather for lunch afterwards. There will be rides available from Center City, as needed. Please RSVP to Diane Rogers by February 6 so that we can make a lunch reservation.
Visio Divina at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
As we prepare to the enter into the Lenten season this month, the T&Ts will be taking a trip to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to engage in the spiritual practice known as visio divina, which translates as “divine seeing.” Similar to the ancient practice of lectio divina, our visio divina practice will invite us to encounter the divine through select images within the museum. We will cover the cost of admission into the museum, spend some time looking at certain pieces together, and then you will be free to explore the museum at your own pace. If you’d like to join us, please RSPV to Laura Colee!
All Gen Xers (born between 1965-1980 give or take) are invited to join us for our first ever FPC Gen X Brunch after worship on Sunday, January 28! If you’re interested in joining the Gen X brunch, please RSVP to Laura Colee.
Dan Seekins and Rob Piper are hosting an FpcQ/T&T/GenX Christmas gathering in the Community Room at their Symphony House Condo (440 S. Broad Street) on Sunday, December 10 from 5-8 PM!
Main dishes will be provided (Turkey and Ham); please bring a side dish or dessert. (There is a no red sauce rule for this space so please plan your dish accordingly!) It’s BYOB so don’t forget your libations!
Please RSVP to Larry Slagle by December 3! (RSVP required to provide a list for the door person.)
We hope you can join us for the merriment!
Join the Band of Boomers to celebrate the season! Diane & Jon Rogers have graciously agreed to host the Band of Boomers Christmas Party. We’ll serve Deer Valley turkey chili with all the fixings. Please bring your favorite appetizer or dessert and your beverage of choice. Please RSVP.
Come enjoy a beverage and talk theology with our T&T crew. We’ll be meeting at Human Robot Brewery Schuylkill Banks (2401 Walnut St) from 6-8 PM.
Come and enjoy a morning brew and tasty treats with us and chat with our new Associate Pastor Laura Colee in the MacColl Room. Find out about Laura’s background and interests and share something about yourself with her. This informal setting provides an opportunity to learn more about each other in a relaxing space. RSVP to Diane Rogers or if you decide at the last minute, just come on over!
The fpcQ group will go to lunch following the 11 am worship service on Sunday, October 1. We will meet in Old Buttonwood Hall and walk together to an as of yet undetermined location.
We hope that you will be able to join us for lunch on Wednesday, September 27 at noon in the MacColl Room for an opportunity to gather together to share news and reconnect with one another. Although we are primarily a retired women’s group, all women are welcome. RSVP to womenwitwisdom@fpcphila.org by Tuesday, September 26!
On Thursday, September 21 at the Presbyterian Historical Society (PHS), the Commemoration Committee is sponsoring a garden reception followed by a lecture by Heath W. Carter. Ph.D., Associate Professor of American Christianity, Princeton Theological Seminary.
The Reception: 5:30 to 7:00 PM outdoors in the garden in front of PHS, weather permitting. In the event of inclement weather it will be in the PHS Reading Room.
The Lecture: 7 PM in the PHS Reading Room. Dr Carter’s lecture is titled “Steadfast through the Storms: A Lecture on the 325th Anniversary of Philadelphia’s First Presbyterian Church.”
Space is limited for this event; RSVP is required! Please register here, or call the church office (215-567-0532) no later than September 19 if you plan to attend.
The Presbyterian Historical Society is at 425 Lombard Street. There is a limited amount of parking behind the PHS building; entry to the parking lot is on 5th Street, between Pine and Lombard Streets. There is a public parking garage on Lombard Street between 3rd and 4th Streets, just two blocks from PHS.
Join the Band of Boomers after the Welcome Back Lunch for an exploration of the our city’s own Rail Park and the dynamic neighborhoods around it. You will learn about the history of the area, the ecology of our city, and much more. This is a 3 mile walking tour, which takes approximately 2 - 2 1/2 hours. We will meet at 2 PM at the starting point, which is at 2700 Pennsylvania Avenue. Those you don’t want to walk to the starting point can share a Uber. The tour ends at 12th and Callowhill Streets. The cost is $15 per person. Contact Rick Unger with any questions.
On September 10, come and celebrate the end of summer, meeting new people, renewing friendships and especially welcoming our new Associate Pastor, Laura Colee.
Those attending the Celebration! service will be welcomed back with a special brunch, and the Welcome Back Lunch will follow the traditional service at 11 AM. Your favorites are on the menu: Fried Chicken, Potato Salad, Coleslaw, and Cookies!
The Deacons look forward to seeing you there.
All First Church Families with young children are invited to a gathering following the Celebration! service, hosted by the Melley family, to meet and get to know our new Associate Pastor, Rev. Laura Colee. The Melleys live a 10-15 minute walk from the church; street parking is available. For the address, please email Rebecca. We hope you can join us!
Summer is in full swing, and Dave Huting is hosting a First Church LGBTQIA+ evening of fun, fellowship and food. The fpcQ group has not met in a while, so this will be a great opportunity to connect with each other! BYOB or bring a side. Dave will supply burgers, hot dogs, buns and some sides. Spouses welcome! Please RSVP to Dave Huting.
On Sunday, July 9, at 11 AM we will combine Celebration! and Traditional worship in a single service in the sanctuary to sing God’s praises together. Hymn requests from the blue hymnal will be taken at the service. If you would like to request a hymn that is not in the blue hymnal, please send your request to Andrew Senn so we can include it in a hymn booklet. (We can’t promise that we’ll be able to sing every requested hymn during the service!)
After the service the Deacons will host an ice cream sundae social in Old Buttonwood Hall. Please join us!
The Women of Wit and Wisdom will meet for lunch at the church at noon on Tuesday, May 23. Diane Rogers will share pictures and stories from her recent trip to Australia and New Zealand.
Women of Wit and Wisdom gatherings are open to all women (and occasionally men!), although we may be more available to retired women as we often plan programs during the day. And you’re always welcome to bring a friend!
Please let us know if you would like to attend by emailing womenwitwisdom@fpcphila.org, and we will be so glad to hear from you. We hope you can join us!
Join us for the 2023 Earth Walk on Saturday, May 6 at the Morris Arboretum & Gardens. This event is jointly sponsored by the Children’s and Adult Christian Education committees. The arboretum is a 92-acre public garden located in Chestnut Hill. Originally a private estate, the arboretum maintains forested paths and gardens and supports environmental conservation and education. FPC member Jeannie Boehner will lead a nature walk geared to children, but open to everyone. Or you may walk and explore at your own pace. If you have not been to the Morris Arboretum, this will be a great opportunity to enjoy a unique open space in Philadelphia.
Please register, selecting the appropriate registration type for yourself and those in your party; the Christian Education Committee will purchase tickets for the arboretum in advance.
The T&Ts will gather for our T&T Christmas Party at Chris Tibbs' house. Please RSVP to Annie LeCluyse to get the address. The party is BYOB, and you’re invited to bring an appetizer to share if you’d like.
After 7 and 6 years of service respectively, Megan LeCluyse and Annie LeCluyse are leaving us at the end of this year. Both have enriched our common life together, Megan as our team leader for the Celebration! service and Annie as coordinator for our Twenties & Thirties fellowship group, work that they’ve done while simultaneously holding full-time demanding jobs. Their ministry has been a gift to First Church.
On December 11 we’ll have a farewell brunch between the Celebration! and Traditional services to honor Megan and Annie and to share our thanks for their work among us.
Please join us in offering a robust expression of our gratitude to them both!
Please join us for the Band of Boomers Christmas Party at Diane and Jon Rogers’ Home. Deer Valley Turkey Chili with all the fixins will be served. Please bring your favorite appetizer or dessert, and your beverage of choice. RSVP to Shellie Unger.
As part of the Christmas season, our families with young children will have the opportunity to participate in some fun Advent activities. Join us between the Celebration! (9 AM) and Traditional (11 AM) services for activities each Sunday in Advent.
We will start in Old Buttonwood Hall after the Celebration service at 9:45 AM and wrap things up in time for the Traditional service. Members and non-members alike are welcome to come participate! Here is the schedule of activities:
11/27 - Christmas card making
12/4 - Ornament making and decorating the Christmas tree
12/11 - A brunch celebrating Megan and Annie LeCluyse!
12/18 - Baking and decorating Christmas cookies
We hope to see you there!
The T&Ts and fpcQ will get together on the roof deck at Larry and Mete’s place in Fairmount. BYOB and if you wish bring a snack to share. RSVP if you plan to attend by Wednesday, October 12th to Annie LeCluyse or Larry Slagle.
The Twenties & Thirties Group will go hiking in the Wissahickon area of Fairmount Park. We’ll meet at the Valley Green Inn. Bring water, sunscreen, and snacks. Please RSVP to Annie by Thursday, September 22 if you plan to join so we can arrange rides. Note: This is weather depending. Those attending will be notified if we have to cancel.
Please join the Women of Wit and Wisdom on Wednesday, September 21 at 3 pm in the MacColl Room for artistic and culinary treats! Jean Witmer will be sharing a slide presentation of “Women in Art” from works on exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art where she serves as a docent. If you like art, tea, and goodies, you'll want to sign up! Bring a friend!
As an added bonus, Jean will make scones! If we have any other bakers who might add to our goodies, please let us know!
Please RSVP to Diane Rogers!
