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Welcome to FIRST PRESBYTERIAN OUR MISSION It’s pretty simple for us. Our mission is to serve Jesus Christ. It’s hardly earth- shattering for a church to say this, but the truth is that throughout history, when churches have actually served Jesus, the results have been, well, earth-shattering. Churches have done amazing things in this world by serving Jesus first and foremost, and we like to believe that from time to time our dedication to Jesus leads to amazing things. As you explore this website and get to know our congregation, you should find that serving Jesus has led to real transformation in our community and congregation. About "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:7 give BE inspired SUBSCRIBE Thanks for submitting!

Prayer List Current Prayer Concerns: Katie, who is fighting breast cancer Lynne Newman Family and Friends of Mary Yarbrough Tom Wilson Gary Peters Charles Adams Lenora Bullington Gwen Dickson , mother of Gayla Newman Marta Jones, friend of Pamela and Marshall Yantis Sister of Pamela Yantis A daughter facing breast cancer Continuing Pr ayer Concerns: Randy Harper Family of Richard Winstead The family of Ron Evans Chip Cole, brother-in-law of Laura Cate Hugh McKay Long Term Prayer Concerns: Davis Ziegler, grandson of Brenda Davis Brayden Bates, great-great nephew of Vivian White Manivan Chanthorn

King Speaker Series Finding Inspiration in Every Turn We, as Presbyterians, believe continuous Christian education is of paramount importance. Through our King Speaker Series, we gather authors, ministers, and other interesting people to speak about their lives, experiences, and faith journeys. Most speaker events are free to the public. Keep an eye on our various social media pages for upcoming King Speakers. Hope to see you there! Most recent: The Enneagram with Suzanne Stabile June 6, 2025 6pm-9pm and June 7, 2025 9am-5pm We are hosting the "Enneagram Godmother" for a 2-day workshop weekend event! Find your personality number--describing you based on your core motivations and desires! Tickets cost $50 with an optional $10 lunch add-on. Tickets go on sale NOW! Click the link below to sign up and see more details. Sign up here! Previous King Speakers Jonathan Martin March 2025 Author, Chaplain, Podcaster Daniel Taylor March 2020 Writer, Speaker, Traveler Mike McHargue January 2020, December 2017 "Science Mike" Dominique Gilliard March 2019 Author, activist, racial justice consultant Kaitlin Curtice September 2018 Author, Poet-Storyteller, Public Speaker Casey Tygrett April 2018 Pastor, blogger, adjunct seminary professor Diana Butler Bass February 2018 Author, historian, public theologian Sarah Bessey September 2017 USA Today bestseller Chris Hoke April 2017 Organizer, author, speaker Peter Enns September 2016 Writer, teacher, speaker Becca Stevens April 2016 Priest, author, entrepreneur Sarah Thebarge March 2016 Author, blogger, journalist Lillian Daniel October 2015 Preacher, author

DayOne Band Our DayOne Band contain multitudes! From modern worship songs to bluegrass, you're guaranteed to leave feeling easy like Sunday morning after this contemporary service at 9am. Chancel Choir Our Chancel Choir fills the sanctuary with traditional music during our 11 o'clock service. This talented group will whisk you away toward a feeling unique to your daily life. Handbells Don't shy away from the chimes of these bells! We offer beginner-friendly practices for anyone who wants to learn a new skill (and make some friends along the way). Pates Mcdonald Music series Life, as they say, is worth living in Fort Smith, due in no small part to the vibrant arts programs that flourish here. The Pates/McDonald Music Series has long contributed to this thriving musical culture with a rich variety of chamber music programs. All concerts in the series are free and open to the public, thanks to the generous support of our sponsors. Through the vision of Charlie and Annie Pates, and named in honor of organist Mary McDonald, the Pates/McDonald Series began as a lasting tribute to the woman who devoted her life to bringing the joy of music to the lives of others. A member of First Presbyterian Church since child-hood, Mary began her tenure as church organist in the 1955. She ministered through music quietly and selflessly. Though Mary retired in 1996, she graciously returned on several occasions to serve as Interim Organist. Throughout much of her tenure at First Presbyterian Church, Mary also directed the Children’s Choirs, Handbell Choirs, and the Chancel Choir. First Presbyterian Church is proud to host the Pates/McDonald Music Series in their memory.

Since it’ s beginning in 1950, Hobson Preschool has been committed to providing the best in preschool education to Fort Smith and the surrounding communities. We believe that each child develops according to God’s plan and has a pattern of growth that is unique to themselves. Because of this, we are committed to developing in children critical, independent thinking skills through engaging hands on activities and positive teacher interaction. At Hobson, teachers and administrators believe in caring for the whole child. Equal attention is given to social, emotional, physical and spiritual development on levels that are age appropriate and fun! We would love for you to visit our nationally accredited program, meet our well-qualified staff, and tour our facility. For more information please contact: Kesha McCain, Director at 479-783-4552 . For more information visit Hobson’s Facebook Page . To apply, print and complete the Hobson Application and return to the school office.

SERVE At First Presbyterian, the word “mission” means the ways we serve others. First Sunday Supper, Changing Lanes, the Christmas Store and many other programs and projects are how we do mission. We have a couple of guiding principles in our mission work. First, we seek to empower people to change their circumstances. We want our work to help people take control of their lives. Changing Lanes is a reflection of this value. Second, we want to treat all whom we serve with dignity. We recognize the full humanity of those whom we serve and seek to see them as more than their needs. To this end our monthly meal, First Sunday Supper, is designed to give all our guests a restaurant-style experience. It is supposed to be the finest free meal in town, and one that anyone would be glad to enjoy. CHANGING LANES Fort Smith is a challenging community for people with unreliable transportation. Recognizing that poor access to transportation is a keystone cause of economic distress, First Presbyterian is developing a host of transportation mission initiatives under the heading of “Changing Lanes.” The central program is our fair car loan program. Through a partnership with First National Bank, as well as local car dealers, we are able to offer low-income clients access to fair car loans. These loans enable them to buy cars from reputable dealers at a fair interest rate. This is a small program at the moment but we believe that over the coming years it will only grow in Fort Smith. If you have forgotten what Changing Lanes is, or wondered what impact it actually makes, or just want to feel good today, watch the video linked here featuring Keley Simpson and one of our clients. This video was produced for the March 6 meeting of the Presbytery of Arkansas (all the PC(USA) congregations in the northern 2/3 of the state). UPLIFT UpLift is a small personal loan program intended to help people resolve unexpected expenses that occur in life, administered through First Presbyterian and managed through First National Bank. We offer fair low-interest rates on our loans which are to be repaid by the customer within a year. Our customers receive free budget counseling with a certified counselor through Credit Counseling of Arkansas (CCOA) as part of their loan agreement. Our goal through the UpLift program is to help our customers resolve small debts and seek financial counseling to prevent their debts from increasing or becoming chronic. We do not believe in lending money to people to remain in debt. If financial mismanagement is a problem, our customers will benefit from making a budget plan with the CCOA counselor and if necessary, receiving a credit report review. FIRST SUNDAY SUPPER Hands down the best free meal in Fort Smith, the people of First Presbyterian cook for our neighbors on the first Sunday of each month. In addition to a free meal, there is an activity for children as well as information about community services. It happens at 5:00 on the first Sunday of each month in the Family Center. CHRISTMAS STORE Each Christmas we set up a store full of brand new toys provided from the church. Rather than giving these toys away, they are sold at a drastically reduced cost. Participants come to the store, shop for their children, wrap the presents and then give them to their children on Christmas morning. We strive to empower those in need to provide for their families and get ourselves out of the way. FINANCIAL SUPPORT IN FORT SMITH Through our budget and stewardship of various trusts, First Presbyterian provides over $300,000 of support annually to local partner agencies. We believe strongly in the work these agencies do, and we understand they can do it better than we could ever hope to. Some agencies include the Crisis Intervention Center, Next Step Homeless Services, Lincoln Childcare, Interfaith Daycare, Habitat for Humanity, Community Dental Clinic, Good Samaritan Clinic and many more. FINANCIAL SUPPORT INTERNATIONALLY Haiti: Through the work of the Haiti Education Foundation, First Presbyterian sponsors the Epiphanie School outside of the town of Cherident in southern Haiti. 113 kids and 9 teachers gather there daily during the school year. We pay 80% of the costs with the students absorbing the other 20%. In addition, we provide lunch for all students and faculty 5 days/week. El Salvador: Over the past several years we have developed a strong relationship with Project Red in El Salvador. Project Red serves orphans and foster children in El Salvador by providing, housing, life skill training and education. Many of these children would end up in the rampant El Salvadoran gangs, and Project Red’s success rate in keeping kids out of gangs is outstanding.

STUDY Learning is a big part of our Christian pilgrimage. At First Presbyterian we offer a variety of educational opportunities to help us as we worship God with our minds. SUNDAY SCHOOL Pastor's Class Led by Phillip or Tasha Blackburn. This class meets in the Church Library at 10:00 a.m. Adult Bible Class (ABC) A small group experience that focuses entirely on the scriptures, studying a book of the Bible at a time, led by Elder Larry Price. This class is in Room 306 at 10:00 a.m. Early childhood Class Team-taught by Heather Barret, Melissa Gay, Tammy Gay, and Taylor Kronberg, this class is for ages 3-6 years old. This class meets on the first floor of the Family Center. elementary class Team-taught by Taylor Kronberg, Bryan and Kat Merry and Greg and Ashley Vann, this class is for ages 7-11 years old. This class is on the second floor of the Family Center. youth class Led by Charlotte Scott for youth ages 12-18 years old. This class is located on the third floor. "Making Room"Series Taught by Rev. Tasha Blackburn, this class has teaching and conversation about how we can make room for good things to run wild. We will focus on celebrating, gratitude, sabbath, worship, and developing a "rule for life". This class will meet again after Christmas. Stay tuned for updates!

Let's Connect Contact Office hours are Monday-Friday 8:30am-3:00pm. If trying to reach Mission Facilitator, Keley Simpson, please contact the church office. Address 116 North 12th Street Fort Smith, Arkansas 72901 Email info@1pres.org Phone (479) 783-8919 Social Media First Name Last Name Email Message Send Thanks for submitting!

WORSHIP TIMES 9:00 a.m. DayOne Worship in-person in the Fellowship Hall and livestreamed 10:00 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Sanctuary Worship in-person in the Sanctuary and livestreamed SANCTUARY WORSHIP The traditional service at First Presbyterian takes place in our beautiful sanctuary. Organ music reverberates amongst the century-old space, which is bathed in light filtered through magnificent stained glass. The order of worship is traditional but less rigid than you may expect. It is an ideal service to slow down, escape from the hectic nature of modern life, and gather in the presence of God in a space which has hosted such worship since the 1890s. Slip inside this special room and let the presence of God be made manifest in your life. DAYONE WORSHIP Our casual service, held at 9:00 in the church’s fellowship hall, invites you to a unique style of worship. Come in, grab a cup of coffee and prepare yourself for a worship service that meets you where you are. At Day One you will find elements of traditional worship in a coffee house setting, blending a subtle liturgical movement with a modern feel. The contemporary band mixes praise songs, re-imagined traditional hymns and the occasional blue grass tune to bring forth an eclectic feel. NURSERY CARE Childcare is available from 8:45 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Sundays in the Family Center. The entrance to this building is located underneath the breezeway. There you will either be greeted by a nursery care worker or you will have access to a doorbell to receive assistance. Our nursery is ages birth to 6 years old. After that, we encourage children to be in worship. We look forward to meeting you and your little one(s) soon!

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Services ONLINE GIVING PORTAL Giving is an act of discipleship at First Presbyterian Church. We are grateful to each and every person who contributes to our shared work and ministry. If you would like to contribute, you can do so here. If you choose not to contribute financially at this time, that’s ok too. Our goal here is to do the work of Jesus and there are lots of ways you can contribute to that. If you have any questions about our how we use your gifts, please don't hesitate to contact cindy@1pres.org . MAKE A DONATION