FPC Music and Fine Arts

09/28/2021

Blessing of the Animals
FPC Marietta
Polk Street Picnic Benches
Sunday, October 3rd at 5 pm

07/06/2021

Pastors Joe Evans and Cassie Waits bless Gordon's new violin at Montreat.

03/26/2021

Congratulations to Gordon Meeks who has accepted a full-tuition scholarship to study violin at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music! Listen to Gordon play Saint-Saens Concerto No. 3 in FPC's historic Sanctuary. https://youtu.be/Ee8OqA9Walg

03/12/2021

Dr. Meeks teaching some of the advanced students of the University of the Americas in the City of Puebla, Mexico. Puebla was one of the cities that our Bell Choir visited during our tour in Mexico.

02/16/2021

ASH WEDNESDAY LEADS US TO LENT ~ Join us tomorrow evening, 7 pm at http://fpcmarietta.org/live-stream/ for our virtual Ash Wednesday service.

Just as we’ve been invited to gather our own communion elements for home communion, please prepare to mark your forehead with ashes from home. Here are some ideas:
1. Take some ashes from your fireplace or your charcoal grill, mix them with just a little olive oil in a small bowl.
2. Take some soil from your yard and mix it with a little bit of water in a small bowl.
3. Be prepared during the worship service to write down a personal confession on a sheet of paper. Burn the paper in a metal bowl and use those ashes, mixed with a little oil.

And as your worship leaders have been giving instructions during the worship service every time communion is celebrated, on Ash Wednesday, be prepared, not just to watch worship happen, but to participate in it. Following the pastors’ instructions, while it will be an Ash Wednesday unlike any other, it will still be a powerful moment for worshiping God.

01/12/2021

Happy birthday Dr. Meeks!

01/07/2021

Meet Cindy Buchanan! You may know Cindy as a member of a Bible Study Group, the New Seasons Sunday School class, or as a member of a Dinner and Wine group. But this December, we enjoyed the artistic gifts she possesses!

“I have always been interested in generating artwork and design. I graduated with a degree in fine arts and worked as a graphic designer in corporate communications off and on for years. (But my best productions are the three “soft sculptures,” Matthew, Mike, and Lizzie!)

“I began creating and producing my own Christmas cards in the late 1980s to eliminate an abundance of left over art supplies from art school. The first 10 years of cards were silkscreen, woodblock print, watercolor, or ink – which explains the simplicity of design since I produced around 100 cards each year! As my proficiency with computer graphics improved, the cards became a blend of scanned hand drawn images or digital designs. My artworks used for FPC’s Advent devotionals and Christmas cards are from my previously created Christmas cards.

“Besides Christmas cards, I enjoy pen and ink architectural rendering, oil paintings, and graphite drawings.”

12/24/2020

Merry Christmas from our Music Ministry at FPC.

12/09/2020

Meet FPC Artist, Jeff Surace

Jeff and his family have been members of FPC since 2012. He has served as a deacon and currently serves on the History Committee.

Jeff explains, “Within the last several years of ‘arting,' I have shifted my work from creating with a realistic approach to an intuitive method of expression. I attribute this shift to my wife, Laura, and I raising our daughter, Merabelle. After having a child it became difficult to focus on any prior subjects I’d painted; there was now one subject that was crying, sleeping, and showing me the essence of the unexplainable when it came to the human experience! I feel I have developed a natural, progressive way to capture these moments in my life without having to be representational to color or structure.”
Jeff summarizes, “What we love most about FirstPres are the friends we’ve made as extensions of our family. I appreciate the opportunity to serve God through my art at FPC!”

You can see more of Jeff’s art on Instagram @suraceart.

11/02/2020

MEET LAURA SURACE

In case you’ve been thinking that all of the artists in our Visual Artists Group are retired, we also have some professionals! Members Laura and Jeff Surace are a couple who are professionals; today we introduce Laura!

Laura Dewberry Surace, who holds an MFA from Memphis College of Arts, has had an interest in creating art as long as she can remember.

Laura enjoys teaching both adult and children classes and workshops and is always inspired by the enthusiasm her students have when discovering their talents in art. She encourages her students to develop their own style through showing them different techniques in oil, acrylic, and mixed media.

Currently, she teaches Fine Art Friday at FPC’s preschool and adult classes at the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art. Her work has been featured in galleries and commercial installations across the US. Laura currently serves our congregation as a deacon.

10/23/2020

Don't miss our Youth castanet ensemble this Sunday.

10/12/2020

This Week's Featured FPC Marietta Artist

MEET JIM GOODLET

A lot of people know Jim Goodlet as a member of our Chancel Choir, an Elder on the Session, and a member of the Senior Pastor Search Committee. But not many of us know him as a painter!

He tells, “Once I retired from medicine, the idea of oil painting was ignited by my wife Martha’s Christmas gift of several tubes of paint, a few brushes, and an opening painting lesson with a local instructor. I was told that if I could drive a car, then I could be taught to paint! At my age, I felt like a new first grader … something totally new to me, yet I discovered that even in being a sub-sub-novice, times in learning and work were most pleasant and fast moving.

Since that beginning in early 2014, I’ve always been working on some project. Covid has led to more painting time alone, absent of others’ critiques, which can be so helpful, but I have been pushing on. Attempts continue and the enjoyment remains. A suggestion for anyone who has some extra time … put away your doubt and give it a go!”

09/22/2020

Ollie the Collie invites you to a special service on Sunday, October 4th at 5 pm. We and our beloved pets will meet across the tracks near the Polk Street Lot around the Boy Scout Pic-nic Tables. Pastor Joe Evans will be there to lead in the liturgy of "The Blessing of the Animals." Please come and join us for this fun and historical service of worship!

09/20/2020

MEET CAROL BOCKMAN

Carol’s interest in painting began when she was in college. Oils were her medium of choice; she declared a double major: physical education and art. After graduation, with few existing career opportunities for women in visual arts related fields, she became a physical education teacher. As years passed, life as a military wife and mother of three daughters took the spare time she once devoted to her art and it was several years before she would pick up painting again.

Currently, she is enjoying painting in acrylics rather than oils, and her latest work-in-progress is of her beloved German Shepherd, Fritz. Other favorite subjects are landscapes, floral arrangements, and still lifes.

Carol joined FPC with her late husband and family in 1969. Carol is a member of the New Seasons Sunday School class and participates in our dinner and wine groups programs. She is an active volunteer for our church and has served on numerous committees, the Diaconate and the Session. Currently, Carol is chair of the Chancel Guild.

09/09/2020

We're getting set!Thanks to Doug Grey and Don Malcolm for their extraordinary help.

09/09/2020

Kirkin' of the Tartan 2020

Join us this Sunday for this wonderful FPC service.

Join us online for our annual Kirkin' of the Tartan service. September 13 at 8:30 and 11:00am

09/07/2020

Can’t wait for this year’s Kirkin Sunday, September 13, 2020.

08/29/2020

MEET MARILYN TUCKER

As a hobbyist painter and a career needlework pattern designer, Marilyn has been a life-long artist! Currently, she enjoys creating in watercolors, acrylics and oil paints. She is inspired by flowers, both in natural settings and as the subjects of still lifes, as you can see in her art posted here.

Marilyn is a lover of community; we are grateful that her ideas were the seeds that started our Visual Artists group! Marilyn also shares her love for flowers and arranging with us; she has been an active member of FPC’s Flower Guild for 35 years!

08/20/2020

MEET BILL NEEDS

Curiosity led FPC member Bill Needs to answer a KSU Continuing Ed advertisement and begin drawing late in life (age 70). Since then he continues to "draw what he sees” as instructed, and occasionally adds a touch of color to mostly graphite or ink renderings. “This was totally unexpected,” he says, “to find this hidden talent that I did not learn from instruction or extensive practice.” Bill currently shares his gift as an instructor, book illustrator and blogger.

This year, Bill was chosen as an exhibitor in both Metro Montage, the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art’s annual juried exhibition (running through September 6) as well as the Marietta Arts Council’s M2R, the Mountain to River Fence Gallery show which was installed along the railroad track behind our church! His submissions are in this post. You can see more of his art on his website billneeds.com

Bill and his wife Sara are long-time members of FPC, lately enjoying our dinner and wine groups gatherings. Bill also drew the sketch of FPC which hangs near the stairs in the Gathering Space.

08/12/2020

MEET RON WHITTINGHAM

FPC Member Ron Whittingham has been painting since 2003, when he received watercolor lessons as a birthday gift. “I painted for 2 years,” he explains, “then quit painting for 2 years. I started painting again in 2006 and have been painting ever since!” He works primarily in watercolors and is branching out into acrylics and trying more loose and expressive techniques.

This year Ron was chosen as an exhibitor for Metro Montage, the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art’s annual juried exhibition. In his Metro Montage debut, “Ms. Mercy,” was featured on the publicity announcement for the show and took the third place award!
“Ms. Mercy,” painted in 2011, was Ron’s first portrait, depicting a member of the Ghanaian Presbyterian Church in Mableton. In this painting, as well as the others featured here, you can see how he uses the transparent properties of watercolors to layer colors and create textures. Metro Montage will run through September 6. Contact MCMA for hours, or view Ron’s painting through the virtual tour at https://mariettacobbartmuseum.org/metro-montage-xx-virtual-tour/

Ron acts as our FPC Visual Artists point of contact, so if you would like more information about Ron or our FPC Visual Artists group, email him at [email protected]

08/11/2020

We miss seeing our Chancel Choir!

08/08/2020

FPC Music Ministry Update!

Excited to introduce FPC’s next organist

08/04/2020

More artwork from our Lenten Series!

08/04/2020

Introducing FPC’s Visual Arts Group, artists of all ages who seek to share our God-given talents and skills with each other and our congregation. Our purpose is to celebrate the arts in our church community by supporting each other and, where appropriate, enhancing the worship experience of our congregation. We welcome all artists from our faith community!

Please enjoy artworks from our first project, bulletin artwork from Lent 2020.

For more information, watch for us on this page, or contact Ron Whittingham at [email protected]

07/17/2020

Happy Birthday from all of us at FPC Music and Fine Arts to our great Pastor JOE.

06/07/2020

Thank you Lydia Herrera and Gordon Meeks.

05/24/2020

FPC Marietta

MEMORIAL DAY PRAYER ~ From Jill Duffield, Editor of Presbyterian Outlook:

Lord, we did not anticipate remembering those killed in war while grieving so many lost to a pandemic. We did not imagine we would visit the graves of our veterans even when we cannot hold funerals for loved ones who died while we practice social distancing. We did not think we would still be wearing masks, limiting our gatherings and foregoing in-person worship for the sake of everyone’s safety and health.

This last Monday of May, as we give thanks for those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country, we do so soberly and with a deep appreciation for all who choose to limit their personal freedom in order to further the common good. We give thanks for those who exercised duty and courage despite the great cost to themselves and their loved ones. We pray that we who enjoy the benefits of their sacrifice will honor their memory by doing our part to work for a country where God’s abundant life for all is self-evident and sacrosanct. Amen.

05/12/2020

A prayer for the singers

A prayer for the singers

Creator God, Since You formed us in Your image, we humans have been singing. After You led them out of slavery, Moses and Miriam and all Your people sang songs of thanksgiving. After You sent an angel to tell Mary of her son, she sang her praise, her soul magnifying the Lord. How can we keep from si...

04/11/2020

See you tomorrow for our livestream 11:00 am Easter Service at First Presbyterian Church Marietta. There will be a special surprise for our beloved Chancel Choir. Happy Easter!

04/05/2020

Dr. Jeffrey Meeks at the organ for Palm Sunday service.

04/05/2020

Palm Sunday

03/15/2020

Thank you to our Chancel Choir and Handbells for helping us worship this morning.

03/07/2020

Welcome Cerdarville University students to First Presbyterian Church Marietta. They will collaborate with our Chancel choir tomorrow for our 11:00am worship service.

02/28/2020

Gordon Meeks will be performing at First Presbyterian Church Atlanta on March 8 at 5:00 pm.

01/12/2020

Happy Birthday Dr. Meeks