Our Blog

Dear friends: July 29

Robyn Michalove — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0000

August brings the familiar rhythm of a new school year. Hallways fill with energy, backpacks are packed with fresh supplies, and teachers prepare classrooms for another year of learning. For many students, parents, educators, and school staff, this season is filled with excitement and anticipation. It can also bring uncertainty and anxiety. This year, many in Fort Worth ISD are navigating additional questions surrounding the TEA transition, making our prayers and encouragement all the more important.

As people of faith, we believe that education is holy work. Every classroom is a place where gifts are discovered, confidence is nurtured, and lives are shaped. Whether or not the school calendar directly affects your household, each of us has a role in supporting children, teachers, administrators, and staff as they create places where young people can learn, grow, and flourish. As a congregation, we have many avenues to offer our support.

A meaningful way our congregation lives out that calling is through Academy 4. After four years partnering with Briscoe Elementary, we are beginning an exciting new chapter with Morningside Elementary. Because of this transition, our ministry is expanding dramatically—we hope to provide nearly 80 mentors so that every fourth grader has a caring adult walking alongside them throughout the school year. Mentoring requires just 90 minutes one Friday each month, and Academy 4 provides all the training and materials you need. We are also looking for volunteers to serve as Spark Club leaders. If you would like to learn more about either opportunity, please contact me or Sidney Goodfriend, our Site Coordinator.

Our commitment to children begins long before elementary school. We are grateful for the ministry of our Early Education Center, where young children are welcomed into a safe, loving, and faith-filled environment each day. There are many opportunities to support this ministry, including volunteering during Teacher In-Service Days from Wednesday, August 19, through Friday, August 21, as teachers prepare their classrooms and hearts for a new group of students. We are also looking for friendly faces to serve as greeters on our First Day of School, August 24, and we always welcome volunteers who would like to be classroom readers throughout the year. Your prayers, encouragement, and willingness to serve help create a nurturing environment where children, families, and educators can flourish together.

As another school year begins, we surround every student, teacher, and school employee with our prayers, our encouragement, and our presence. We will celebrate our annual Blessing of the Backpacks during worship on Sunday, August 16. Students of every age, along with teachers, administrators, school staff, and anyone beginning a new season of learning, are invited to bring their backpacks, briefcases, or work bags to receive a blessing as we pray for the year ahead. As a family of faith, we offer our presence and prayers as this new school year begins.

Peace,
Robyn Michalove
Associate Pastor of Mission & Family Ministries

PS. This year we are offering 9 Spark Clubs for Academy 4 and we are looking for leaders to facilitate these electives one Friday a month. We provide the curriculum, and you do not need to be an expert! They are: (1) money, a partnership with a local bank, (2) drum, (3) engineering, (4) gardening, (5) mindfulness (yoga), (6) pickleball, (7) soccer, (8) cooking, (9) and art. To learn more, visit academy4.org/mentor or contact Robyn.

Dear friends: July 22

Michael Waschevski — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0000

How is it possible that we are already nearing the end of July? The summer is flying by!

As you have read in recent editions of the Penn Street Online, the mission and ministry of First Pres remains vibrant all summer long. Seasonal ministries like Mission on the Move, Senior High Mission Trip, Vacation Bible School, Music and Arts Camps, children and youth camps and conferences, and more are woven into the rhythm of the ongoing ministries of Community Crossroads, Christian Nurture, Congregational Care, Fellowship, Evangelism, Mission, and of course, weekly worship. Mission and ministry occur on our Penn Street and Hemphill campuses, through our expanding digital campus, and in locations throughout our city, region, nation, and world. It has been an exciting and faithful summer.

As a new school year quickly approaches, your staff is hard at work finalizing plans for the fall season of ministry. Back to school gatherings, new educational and fellowship opportunities for all ages, expanded digital campus offerings, the annual stewardship emphasis, and so much more will continue to engage and equip us all to live out our calling as disciples of Jesus Christ. Look to the August and September editions of the Penn Street Letter in addition to the weekly Penn Street Online for more information about mission and ministry in the weeks and months ahead and consider how you will be engaged and grow in your own discipleship. I am grateful God has called us all together in the community of faith we know and love as First Pres!

God’s peace,
Michael Waschevski
Senior Associate Pastor

Dear friends: July 15

Ann Nielsen — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0000

This summer I have been encouraging parents, grandparents, and anyone with children in their lives to read Meredith Miller's book, Woven. (shameless plug: Meredith Miller will be here on August 23 from 4:30-6 p.m. Click here to learn more and register.) Throughout the book, Meredith describes faith as a web that is woven over time through relationships, experiences, and moments that help us know God's love. The hope is that if one strand of that web is stretched or even broken at some point in life, the rest of the web remains strong enough to hold us. We don't place the weight of faith on a single experience, person, or moment. Instead, we help our children build a lifelong web of connections that continually remind them that they belong to God and to a community of faith.

That image has stayed with me as I think about the way we shape children's ministry at First Pres. Our goal isn't simply to create one unforgettable event. Rather, we seek to weave together countless opportunities for children to encounter God through meaningful relationships, time in creation, serving others, making music, going on hikes, acting out Bible stories, worshiping together, and discovering that church is a place where they are known and loved. Every experience becomes another strand in the web of faith that is being formed.

As summer continues, I give thanks for every person who helps weave those strands. Whether you volunteer in Church School, serve at VBS or as a Grandfriend at Mission on the Move, sponsor a retreat, pray for our children, greet kids on Sunday mornings, or simply take the time to listen to a child, you are helping build a web of faith. Thank you for being part of the beautiful web God is weaving through the children of First Pres.

Ann Nielsen
Director of Children & Family Ministries

A Gift of Belonging at Jr. High Jubilee

Josh Stewart — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0000

What a gift to spend the week at Mo-Ranch’s Jr. High Jubilee! The theme was all about belonging, and I loved watching our students discover what it means to be welcomed, known, and connected in the body of Christ. I am so proud of this group and grateful for inspiring worship, thoughtful speakers, joyful music, playful energizers, peaceful evening vespers, time on the river, the ropes course, incredible adult sponsors, and all the laughter we shared in God’s beautiful creation. Thank you, Mo-Ranch, for another unforgettable week.

Dear friends: July 8

Robyn Michalove — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0000

Summer in Texas reminds us just how important shade, cool air, and a place to rest can be. While many of us move from one air-conditioned space to another without much thought, our unhoused neighbors often spend long days in dangerous heat.

As disciples of Jesus, our church community provides shade and shelter in our summer ministries as an expression of God’s care. Throughout July and August, we open our gym every Monday evening for Room in the Inn, welcoming men who can enjoy a meal, fellowship, and a safe night's sleep in air-conditioned comfort. Through the middle of September, in addition to our regular service hours at Community Crossroads on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, we partner with the City of Fort Worth to provide Cooling Station hours from 3–6 p.m. on those days, providing a place to rest, enjoy snacks, recharge, and find relief from the afternoon heat.

These ministries are simple but real reminders that hospitality is holy work. A cool room, a welcoming smile, a conversation over a meal, or a game of dominoes can become a tangible sign of God's love. We welcome volunteers to offer activities during the cooling station (especially Mondays and Thursdays) and to provide hospitality on Monday evenings at Room in the Inn. Whether you can serve regularly or just once, your presence can make a meaningful difference. I am grateful for the countless ways you as the church show up with generosity, hospitality, and love every week.

Peace,
Robyn Michalove
Associate Pastor of Mission & Family Ministries

Discovering God’s Love at Summit46

Ann Nielsen — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 06:00:00 +0000

What a gift last week at Summit46! Our 4th–6th graders spent a few days at Mo-Ranch exploring God's beautiful creation and having a whole lot of fun. Between worship, games, and time in the river, we practiced noticing God's love all around us. We came home tired, and grateful for the ways God showed up throughout the week.