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Children’s

Easter Egg Hunt


page 9

Vol 48, #3 March, 2008


ON THE WAY
with Dr. David D. Swanson
Dear FPCO Family and Friends,

“…Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her Brennan Manning wrote in The Ragamuffin Gospel
to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water “The church must constantly be aware that its faith is
through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant weak, its knowledge dim, its profession of faith halting,
church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish.” that there is not a single sin or failing which it has not in
Ephesians 5:25-27 one way or another been guilty of. But if it is constantly
The Church. What an amazing, maddening, flawed, beau- aware of its guilt and sin, it can live in the joyous aware-
tiful creation she is! In some moments, the church functions ness of forgiveness. The promise has been given to it that
just as God intended, wrapping her arms around those in need anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.”
or revealing truth in a confused culture. Yet at other times, she That’s us. That’s the church in all her glory. And even filled
lives in the midst of the sin possessed by those who inhabit with the likes of you and me, God uses us. For good. For trans-
her – namely, you and me. Sometimes we get it right, some- formation. For restoration. For healing. The bride of Christ,
times we get it wrong, but always, always, we desire the very His Church, has been entrusted to us in this place so that she
thing which Paul described: to present her to the Lord as pure can make a difference in the world, be the hope of the world.
– without wrinkle or stain or blemish. That is our calling, and To be sure, there are challenges before us. We’ve had to
sometimes I think we forget just what a holy privilege that is. adjust and adapt to the increasing cost of doing ministry down-
Together with our pastors and elders, we have set a vision town. Uncertain economic times create strain for all of us. Even
for this church. We want to move in the ways that God is lead- so, our vision for worship, prayer, and community is clear and
ing us, and we strongly believe those to be in worship, prayer our resolve to move towards that vision is firm.
and community – every member in discipleship and every I pray that you will take our call in this seriously. I pray
member actively serving. What makes the church strong, and that the church – our church – will be more to you than a place
what makes us strong in the church, is when we worship, when to sit on Sundays, or a comfortable place for social relation-
we pray, when we study God’s word in community with others, ships, but that she would be the radiant bride of Christ, gently
and when we use our gifts to give and serve. Without each of placed in your hands, to be the light of the world. Join us. In-
those elements, we founder under the weight of our humanity vest in what God is doing here. Take part. Give. Study. Serve.
– under the burden of wanting to be our own Lord. One of our Pray. Worship. Draw together with us that we might be the
members, cognizant of the struggle to be the church, wrote me church – His church – as He truly
these words: desires us to be.
“We are a sometimes-living, sometimes-dying, breath-
taking, messy example of an undertaking so great it is With expectant hope and joy,
doomed to fail without divine intervention, right? But if I remain
it’s true, and I believe it is: I believe it with every sancti- Your pastor and friend,
fied, immoral, burning, fearful, furious, beautiful fiber of
my being... if there is more, then we have already won the
day. And we won’t deserve it, and we can’t even properly
explain it, but we will have been met by the greatest and
most soul-rattling Love in all of history and eternity. And David
He will make up for the rest.”

2 | www.fpco.org
Significant Progress Made on
Immeasurably More Campaign
by Dr. Keith Wright, Administrative Pastor

At the end of 2007, several significant developments al- That brings the church’s outstanding long term debt to
lowed us to make some very positive progress on our Immea- $6,814,649 ($6,100,899 on the bank mortgage, and $713,750
surably More Campaign. on a loan from 2000 from the Heart of the City Foundation).
The Heart of the City Foundation made a grant to We anticipate distributing another $250,000 in grants to
First Presbyterian Church in the amount of $780,000 to be our IM Mission Partners in March, 2008.
applied to the Immeasurably More Campaign. This grant is Although we were able to reduce the amount of the line
based on the current value of a piece of property received as a item earmarked for interest payments, that amount is still
part of the campaign. Due to the recent downturn in the real $375,000 for the 2008 budget. That’s still a lot of ministry
estate market, we had been unsuccessful in monetizing this do- that could be done! That’s still a lot of money that could be
nation of land. By taking a long term position in the property leveraged toward the 10 Vision Points that Dr. Swanson has
as a part of its investment portfolio, the Heart of the City Foun- presented to our congregation.
dation was able to make this grant—providing liquid funds that
advance the campaign’s goals. Here are a few thoughts to ponder regarding the
Year-end gifts to the Immeasurably More Campaign Immeasurably More Campaign:
were also very strong. All told, $1,378,964 was received during
2007 toward Immeasurably More! We praise God for the faith- • We are half-way there! The 4-year campaign started
ful and ongoing giving demonstrated by our congregation! on Palm Sunday 2006, and will conclude on Easter
Sunday 2010.
As a reminder, the Immeasurably More Campaign • Remember that the campaign’s goals were larger then
has three major goals: only paying off the church’s long-term debt! The
campaign was not called the “Let’s Just Get Enough
1) To eliminate the church’s long-term debt to Pay-Off the Debt Campaign.” Let’s keep the “more”
(90% of the funds received) in “Immeasurably More,” and trust God to exceed
2) To make several large mission grants to further the our human expectations.
Kingdom work of selected mission organizations • Consider accelerating your Immeasurably More
(10% of the funds received) contributions. As stated above, our annual operating
3) To fund 10 long-term strategic vision points for budget still contains a large budget earmark for
FPCO (by redirecting monies currently being use to interest payments. If you have the ability to get ahead
pay interest to the bank, toward these initiatives). on your IM pledge, that would help the church
tremendously.
• If you haven’t yet participated in the Immeasurably
The combined impact of the Heart of the City Foundation More campaign, you still can do so! Perhaps you
Grant, as well as the strong giving in 2007 by our congregation, didn’t make a pledge during the campaign…you can
was $2,158,964! In accordance with the campaign goals, still give! Perhaps you were not yet a member of
we have allocated these gifts as follows: FPCOat the time we had the campaign… you can still
join with your fellow church members to help us
1) $1,787,000 has been forwarded to SunTrust Bank finish the campaign strong.
for debt repayment (90% of funds on-hand).
• We have a limited number of DVDs of the Immeasu-
2) $234,088 has been set aside for the next round of ably More Celebrations. This DVD contains the full
mission grants (10% of funds on-hand). presentation made on Immeasurably More. Viewing
3) The interest line item in the 2008 Operating the DVD is a great way to learn all about the
Budget has been reduced by $275,ooo ($650,ooo campaign goals, the 10 Vision Points, and the IM
in 2007reduced to $375,000 in 2008), freeing up Mission Grants. Please contact Dr. Keith Wright if
those funds to be redistributed for other ministry you would like a copy of the DVD.
priorities. • You can view information on the Immeasurably
More, on the campaign website: www.fpco.org/more

www.fpco.org | 3
A Recipe for
Restoration

4 | www.fpco.org
The most striking characteristic of Keith Oldenberg is his hon- temporary housing, but opted instead to live on the streets.
esty. He tells his tale of a personal odyssey from being a homeless Then one Sunday morning Keith went to the Good News
and Godless drug-addicted wanderer to becoming a God-fearing breakfast at FPCO, a partnership between FPCO’s homeless
member of the Church in a very matter of fact tone. ministry and Central Care Mission. The worship service had an
Keith took his first drink at the age of 12 or 13, and by his impact on Keith. Although he did not immediately seek place-
18th birthday was a daily drinker. It was not long into his drink- ment at Central Care Mission, the wheels in his head began to
ing lifestyle that Keith quit school. He was in the ninth grade. spin and he slowly but surely began to realize that the root cause
He went to work in the career path of many residents of New of his drinking was a spiritual problem; that he had cut himself
Orleans, working in the restaurant industry, and became a off from God and that the only possible path to survival would be
short-order cook. This new career continued to develop in New an unconditional surrender to God’s outstretched arms.
Orleans and at last Keith landed a job with the Del Frisco chain This knowledge was the turning point in Keith’s life.
of restaurants and became a manager. At the zenith of his career Late one night, alone and on the streets of Orlando, he
with this company Keith relates that he had charge of a staff of 15 prayed for the Lord to come into his life. His prayer was an-
people and control of a multi-million dollar enterprise. swered. The message of Good News had reached his heart
Unfortunately, Keith’s addiction to alcohol kept pace with and would change him forever. He went to Compassion Cor-
his growing paycheck. If he earned $2,000 in a week, then he ner, which connected him with Central Care Mission where
spent $2,000 that week, mostly on he became a resident. After eighteen months and comple-
alcohol, parties and good times. He tion of the Central Care program, Keith stayed on as a driver
would spend only the bare minimum taking residents to job sites in the greater Orlando area. He
on basic needs. As can be imagined, enrolled in culinary classes at Florida Technical College. Af-
management increased stress and ter graduation he became a line cook at the Hyatt Hotel near
late hours, and further fueled Keith’s Disney and continued his training to become a Head Chef.
downward spiral. Keith at last became Head Chef when he was hired by Center
By the year 2000 Keith had cy- Pointe Community Church. He is currently there and serves
cled to the bottom of a pit of despair with distinction.
and hopelessness. He now constantly Keith takes no credit for his resurrection. In his opinion
needed to drink lest he go into with- the Lord did all the heavy lifting, so that getting his life back
drawal. Keith washed up in Central together was no great feat; in fact his life, which had before
Florida and, as usual in his cycle of been so difficult, lonely, defeatist and filled with terror and
personal destruction, lost everything shadows of demons has become bright, positive, and filled
material. But this time, he also lost with hope, glory and companionship. “As I grow in Christ, I’ll
his will and ability to keep full-time always need to keep my personal relationship with God strong
employment and was reduced to working the day labor pools in through service to others at Central Care Mission and Center
Orlando. Even with such a low income he could have obtained Point Church. They are my life-lines,” concludes Keith. n
GRANDPARENT SUNDAY
Connecting the Generations of Our Church
Our communities are often age segregated. How could the In December the Adult Sunday School class, Servants in the
senior generation of our church know the joy of the children Son, hosted the 5-year-old Kindergarten class. The children and
and how could our children be blessed by our seniors’ wealth adults were paired off and worked on a craft project together.
of knowledge and history? They ate snacks and talked. Then they
Grandparent Sunday has become a had a Bible question game – “Are You
welcomed highlight during the Sunday Smarter than a Kindergartener”. The chil-
School year. The adult Sunday School dren competed against the adults … and
classes sat in quiet conversations in their the children won! (not sure if the adults
rooms as usual. Then the quiet was dim- “threw” the competition or not!). The Ser-
ly interrupted by the sound of hundreds vants in the Son class invited the children
of little feet coming up the stairs. As the to return in January for a party. This time
sound drew nearer it obviously grew the adults and children made a foam cross
much louder and suddenly it seemed the imprinted with the saying “God is Love”.
world had been invaded. And it had, in- The second Bible question game was also
vaded with the enthusiasm and joy that won by the children!
only a child can bring. Some of our very This is family, and even better, this
youngest and oldest sitting together is God’s family. Building community in-
talking and often laughing! cludes mixing the generations, as we all
have so much to give to one another. n

I John 3:1 says, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that
we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
6 | www.fpco.org
Edgewood Children’s Ranch
Loving Care, Hard Work and Daily Prayer

Our LIFE Groups are encouraged to find op-


portunities where the members go and serve to-
gether. The idea is to take the study of the Word
and make it relevant and tangible today - to be
like Jesus, to be fully engaged disciples.
Recently, one of our LIFE Groups served
dinner at Edgewood Children’s Ranch. Edge-
wood is a Christian-oriented residential program
serving children and families of Central Florida.
Children are accepted regardless of race, religion,
color, ethnic origin, or ability to pay.
No boy or girl is ever “sent” to the Edge-
wood Children’s Ranch. It is essential that the
children themselves make the decision to come.
They agree to accept the rules, participate in
chores around the Ranch and become involved
in athletic activities. The average stay is one to
two years.
Edgewood’s mission
is to rehabilitate youth-
at-risk and their fami-
lies, returning children to
their homes and society
as healthy, functioning
young people and getting
them back to the appropri-
ate academic level in school.
On Sundays the families at-
tend non-denominational
chapel services with their
children, and after services
go off grounds for a family
get- together.
This FPCO LIFE Group
received many thank you let-
ters from the children. What
they learned was that chil-
dren have a whole lot of ways
to spell “spaghetti”, but there is
only one way to show the love of
Christ—get out there and experi-
ence LIFE! n

www.fpco.org | 7
FPCO Mission
Impacting Nairobi
Scarlett Stewart served as an FPCO Missionary Partner for
one year in Nairobi, Kenya, at Amani ya Juu, an organization
helping teach work skills and grow healing relationships be-
tween refugee women. Scarlett completed her mission in De-
cember, 2007.
Serving the Lord brings blessings to both the giver and
receiver. Just read these notes of appreciation.

8 | www.fpco.org
Early Childhood Ministry
Annual Easter Egg Hunt/
Butterfly Release
By Endsley Hewitt

A tiskit, a tasket, grab your Easter basket! The cool crisp air
and blue-bird skies of spring are now upon us, reminding us
that Easter will be here shortly. Come celebrate the joyous oc-
casion and create wonderful memories with your family at the
Early Childhood Ministry Annual Easter Egg Hunt and Butter-
fly Release on March 21, 2008.
The annual hunt for the alabaster Egg (the most coveted
and special egg in the hunt) is one of my husband’s most trea-
sured childhood memories. The excitement of searching for
those colorful hidden treasures and of course later finding out
what yummy treat is inside can bring out the giddy child in all
of us. If your little one has never attended an Easer Egg hunt
let this year start your family tradition.
The festivities will be held at Cypress Grove Park and will
begin at 9:15am, with an opening prayer by Dr. Swanson. At for those two years and under and the other for ages 3 -4 years.
9:30am, we will hold our second annual butterfly release. The After the hunt please stay for more play and don’t forget your
butterflies can be purchased before hand for $5 by check made blanket and picnic basket to enjoy the day even more. We can’t
payable to FPCO placed in the drop box next to Kathy Mangas- wait to see you there!!
cle’s office in the Clayton Life Center. Please put butterfly in the Questions about the Butterfly Release: Cari Earle at cari-
memo. There will be a limited number of butterflies available rocker@yahoo.com
for purchase the day of the event. Questions about Easter Egg Hunt: Endsley Hewitt at End-
The Easter Egg Hunt will begin shortly after the release at sleyhewitt@hotmail.com and Jodi Thorp at jthorp@alumni.
10:00am. The group will be divided into two separate hunts, lsu.edu n

www.fpco.org | 9
10 | www.fpco.org
LIVING THE

PARABLE
Donations to “Good Sam” help those with Urgent need
In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus tells us the parable of the Good Samar- ommend financial counseling, Crown Ministry course work or
itan. “A man is walking to Jericho and is attacked by robbers. They individual/family counseling.
beat him, took his clothes, leaving him for dead. After others Examples of requests made in 2007:
passed him by, a Samaritan saw the man, took pity on him, 1. A former member, who had fallen and wanted to turn
bandaged his wounds and took him to an Inn. After paying the his life around, requested three weeks rent for Bill’s
Innkeeper to take care of the injured man, the Samaritan says Place in Orlando. Bill’s Place is a structured living
to the Innkeeper that he would return and reimburse him for community wherer men dealing with alcoholism and
other expenses. Then the Samaritan leaves.” Jesus tells us, like drug abuse can have a safe, comfortable and alcohol
the Samaritan, we are to have mercy on others. and drug-free environment in which to pursue their
In the 1990s, First Presbyterian Church established the recovery.
Good Samaritan Fund; the objective was to assist families and 2. A member of the church’s staff received assistance
individuals, members and non-members who had fallen on with health related expenses that they would not have
hard times. The fund receives contributions from the congre- been able to afford.
gation each communion Sunday (special blue envelopes are
in the pews), when we rededicate ourselves to Christ and His 3. Harbor House requested a grant for a woman, who
teachings for our lives. In addition, tithing envelopes are pro- recently moved to Orlando from out of state to escape
vided throughout the year. Individuals and families also make domestic violence, for one month’s rent. Harbor
specific bequeaths. The mission of the fund is to minister to House empowers survivors to take control of their
members and to partner with members who are ministering lives – rediscovering safety and self-esteem.
to others. 4. A church member requested a grant for an
A committee of Deacons manages the Fund, review- unemployed, single mother and her daughter (non
ing and approving requests for grants. Money is not given members) to pay back rent and prevent eviction.
directly to individuals, but to agencies providing service to After receiving the grant, she wrote a delightful thank
the requestor, e.g. utility companies, rental agencies, mort- you note, part of which states “I would not give my
gage lenders, healthcare providers, etc. In order to receive problems to God even though I always had a strong
a grant, the requestor must make application that provides faith…I just felt like I could do it alone…When I
background information and explains how the applicant realized how foolish that was…I did in fact give it all
was directed to Congregational Care at the church. On aver- to him…in a matter of weeks, I received the Good
age, the church receives two to three dozen applications per Samaritan Fund (grant), got an amazing job beginning
year. Some of these requests come through Stephen Ministry, on December 26th…Thanks to your church and your
Compassion Corner, Church staff, Elders, Deacons, or indi- love I have a head start.”
vidual members. Other requests come from area agencies like
Harbor House, OUC and Christian Service Center. Still others The Church is looking, not only for your financial
come directly from individuals. contributions but asking the congregation to reach out and
Although the request is for payment of specific bills, Con- see those in need—those who have fallen on hard times—and
gregational Care often goes further in talking with applicant take action like the Samaritan. The Good Samaritan Fund can
about their broader situation. How did they get into debt? provide assistance but we need members of the congregation
What are their plans for changing their lives? They can rec- to make the connection. n

www.fpco.org | 11
WALKING IN THE
PEACE & FAVOR
OF GOD
By Beth Robertson

My career keeps me so busy, I often feel caught in a wind the more you know He will help you through each day.
tunnel. With so much to do, it’s hard to keep up. That’s why I’m I’ve always believed that spending time in the Word
constantly looking for ways to find balance by getting closer to helps me see things more clearly. Life makes a little bit more
God. That’s why I attended the women’s retreat in 2007. sense and I feel I’m walking in the peace and favor of God.
The camaraderie with other Christian women was in- He never moves, but I do, and I always find myself walking
credible. Just knowing they were taking time for themselves, back to Him.
meeting new friends, and exploring their faith was inspira- This retreat was a great way to feel His presence, and
tional. Hearing other women’s testimonies increased my to surround myself with an amazing group of women, many
faith and taught me to lean on God more often. of whom I have kept in touch with throughout the year. I
Together we shared, laughed, and learned all kinds of was constantly reminded of all the things God has done for
new things. While the seminars about nutrition, health and me. I know the blessings I have received are not by my own
etiquette were extremely helpful, nothing compared to what doing, but by the grace of God. I had many obligations that
I learned about my relationship with God. One of the speak- weekend, but I truly felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit to
ers reminded me that I’m always trying to figure things out do this.
on my own. She said simply, “You can worry…or you can Looking back, nothing compared to the importance
trust God”. She helped me see that I can enjoy life more if of the time I spent at the retreat. I hope you will make it
I give up some control, and trust that God is really the one a priority to join FPCO women in spiritual retreat this
directing my steps. The more experiences you have with God, June 6-8 n

12 | www.fpco.org
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www.fpco.org | 13
| Category 4 Holy Week |
By Dr. Rebecca Bedell, Minister of Worship & Culture

Hurricanes – we know them well. We see one begin in the distant ocean as we watch the nightly weather report. The Dop-
pler radar begins to show turning and growth – and now, what earlier appeared as a speck in the ocean, is now a living storm.
It is on a collision course with our lives. We prepare. We stock up on food, batteries and candles. We begin to wait – and pray.
We know what is coming. The sky grows dark. Silence. The winds begin to blow. We smell the rain in the air. Then the rain
comes. The wind howls and bends the trees. It can last for hours. As the storm looses speed, the diminuendo begins – and we
are brought back to silence – and sometimes loss and damage.
Thus it is with Holy Week. On Palm Sunday the crowds welcome Jesus with shouts of Hosanna, but not long after the
hurricane begins to be visible. The crowds soon turn away and finally call for crucifixion. This is a part of our history as be-
lievers. We should not ignore it. Holy Week is our time to prepare and to remember the storm that was necessary to fuel the
resurrection.
Holy Week is a progression. Each day of Holy Week, Chapel services will be held at noon for prayer, contemplation and
waiting. A Maundy Thursday worship service will be offered in which we remember the last supper Jesus had with his dis-
ciples in the upper room. On Maundy Thursday, we celebrate the sacrament of communion as a body of believers. On Friday,
we observe Tenebrae. Tenebrae is the Latin word for shadows. During Tenebrae the story of the crucifixion is retold. Our
Tenebrae service this year will retell the story in scripture reading, solo, choral, and instrumental music, dance, artwork and
congregational participation. At the conclusion of Tenebrae, the final Lenten candle is extinguished representing the death of
Christ and the darkness and desolation of the world. Saturday, sometimes called Holy Saturday, is a day of silence – the storm
is past and the resurrection is still to come. Holy Week approaches – Join with us and prepare.

| Holy Week | Tenebrae:


Chapel Services | A Service of Darkness |
Each day of Holy Week Friday March 21, 2008
Noon – Chapel Sanctuary 7:00

| Maundy Thursday | | Easter Sunday |


Thursday March 20, 2008 Traditional Services:
Sanctuary 6:30 8:30, 9:45 & 11:00am,
Sanctuary
Genesis Service:
11:00am, LFH

14 | www.fpco.org
NEWS & NOTICES
The Holy Sacrament of Communion Has Christine Elizabeth Cardinell and Craig Edward Garton who
were married January 12, 2008.
Thirty-five New Participants
On February 10, taking their first Communion were Ashley Bell,
Jonathon Bishop, Andrew Brinkley, Duke Bronson, Ellie Calla-
han, Brett Creel, Clay Dixon, Weston Dowdell, Zoanna Elmer,
Bella Fatigati, Spencer Fetter, Daniel Gonzalez, Jackson Haley, December ‘07 Giving Snapshot
Sutton Hardy, Morgan Hyltin, Parker Junod, Clayton Kolar, Me- General Operating Contributions Budgeted Variance
gan Magee, Taylor McNeill. Gabriel Mincey, Maggie Moran, So- December 2001 $1,280,987 $1,552,686 $(272,699)
phia Nivison, Morgan Leigh Oldham, Danielle O’Mahony, Sarah Year-to-date $6,883,824 $7,156,904 $(273,080)
O’Mahony, Jackson Partlow, Michael Patillo, Megan Reed, Re-
Expenses Budgeted Variance
becca Scheck, Megan Stowers, Mac Tews, Sophia Watson, Cam- December 2007 $1,777,487 $1,136,118 $41,370
eron Webb, Carter Webb, and Jayme Wright. Year-to-date $9,514,486 $10,185,648 $67,162
Net Operating Results Actual Budgeted Variance
B-I-N-G-O! Family Night March 26 December 2007 $239,315 $761,135 $(521,820)
Join your church family for a fun night of BINGO on March 26 Year-to-date $(117,143) $7,471 $(124,614)
in the Lee Fellowship Hall. Dinner, which starts at 5:30, is $5 Cash In Bank $1,579,878 Line of Credit $0
per person and will be a pasta buffet. BINGO will begin around
6:15 and last until around 6:45. Come join the fun! Immeasurably More Outstanding Balance $6,814,649
December 2007 Collections $1,146,118
Annual Meeting To be Held April 9 Year-to-date Collections $1,961,842

The Annual Meeting of the Congregation will be held Wednesday, NOTE: The amounts above are preliminary and subject to change with the
April 9, 2008, at 6:30pm in the Sanctuary. Please plan to attend. annual audit.

Sympathy to:
Claire and Luther Shakarji, on the death of her mother, Mary
Hoijar, on January 1, 2008.
Jon and Susan Walls on the death of his mother, Shirley Walls,
on January 3, 2008
The friends and family of Elizabeth “Libby” Lampp, who died
January 12, 2008
Amy & Bill Talley and Lisa & Paul Ellis on the death of their
father, George Polk, on January 13, 2008.
Cherry and Michael Garasi on the death of her mother, Lois
Long, on January 24, 2008.
Randy and Alice Burden, on the death of his father, Henry Bur-
den, on January 20, 2008.
Priscilla “Patsy” Pittman on the death of her fiancée, Walter
Fischer, on January 20, 2008.
John, Grayson, Jackson and Tristian Merrit on the death of
John’s mother, Bobbie Prout, on January 25, 2008.
Mary Elizabeth Peavy on the death of her brother, William Ty-
ler Fray, on January 28, 2008.
Mary Lou Rutledge on the death of her brother, Bob Moye, on
January 31, 2008.

Congratulations to:
Jessica Gould Penney and William Thomas Dudley who were
married January 26, 2008. Jessica is the daughter of Kim and
Michael Penney.
FPCO
GOES TO JAIL
Count us as those who have been taken prison-
er by Christ and freed to go to those who are often
overlooked…except by Jesus.
On Saturday, January 19, a group of FPCO men
gathered in the parking lot of the Orange County Jail
on 33rd Street for the purpose of building relation-
ships with some of the men who are incarcerated.
For 10 Saturdays, these men will be discussing with
the guys on the 6th floor of the jail critical issues of
life. Sitting down with the prisoners and with open
Bibles they will consider such questions as: Who is
Jesus? Is the Bible trustworthy? Why is there evil
and suffering? Does God answer prayer? Who is the
Holy Spirit?
ALPHA is a course designed for people to ex-
plore issues of life and faith in an atmosphere where
questions can be asked and people can experience
the care of others for them. Freedom in Christ is not
only for those in the Orange County jail but people
just like you and me.
If you are interested in learning more about the
ALPHA ministry, please contact Bill Cain (x1454
bcain@fpco.org) n

First Presbyterian Church of Orlando PERIODICALS RATE


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www.fpco.org

Traditional Services: 8:30am & 11am


Genesis Service: 11am
Sunday School: 9:45am

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