Home / About / Our People / Staff STAFF Home / About / Our People / Staff / Doyle Askew Operations Manager Doyle Askew has been the Operations Manager at First Pres for over 31 years. He and his wife enjoy spending time with their five grandkids. Doyle loves the members and staff at First Pres. He feels like this is where God wants him to serve. Doyle’s favorite verse is Psalm 23, and he loves Mexican food! doylea@firstpres.com (806) 350-5206

FIRST PRES KIDS Home / Ministries / First Pres Kids a fun, safe, and loving place for KIDS to learn about their place in God's story FIRST PRES KIDS Nursery/Early Childhood Elementary Events OTHER INTERESTS Studies and Groups Worship Grow Connect Serve First Pres VBS 2024 Mark your calendar! June 3-7 9:00am-12:00pm for all children 4 years - kids just fini shing 5th grade (they'll have a special A&O VBS) VBS Registration will be right here starting May 1st. Sunday School Curriculum Our desire, when our 5th graders graduate out of Ki ds Ministry, is that they would have a good foundation of Biblical knowledge. Here is what each age is learning. January 17- April 17 by Mikal Keefer @ David C. Cook Pub. Critter Land had Easter Stations too 3rd/4th/5th Grades met together this week to learn about the Last Supper, Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, and Jesus on the Cross, just like all of the Kids Sunday School classes. . Easter is a great time to celebrate with friends! 1st/2nd grade in the Garden Meet the First Pres Kids Ministry Staff: Director of Early Childhood, DEBBIE LAUR , on the left. And Director of Kids Ministry, KASEY SIMS on the right. Click here to learn about: Our SUNDAY SCHOOL Click here to learn about: Parenting in the Pew Free downloads for Discipling your kids find great resources here from Theol oby Recommended Podcast: Intentional Parents Podcast Article on Childhood Anxiety from Group Pub. Sunday Morning Worship Resources: Parenting in the Pew: Guiding Your Children into the Joy of Worship by Robbie Castleman Sunday School Resources: TruCurriculum by Tru Ministry for PreSchool/PreK&Kinder/1st&2nd Grade The Gospel of John for 3rd Grade The Story , by Randy Frazee for 4th&5th Grade ​

STUDIES AND GROUPS Home / Ministries / Studies and Groups Find Your Place... Worshipping together in a large group is powerful. However, we've found that real spiritual growth and lasting relationships are made in smaller studies and group settings. We have lots of groups to choose from. Wherever you are in life, there is a group or a study that will fit. We do better in community. As iron sharpens iron, the key relationships in our lives are meant to challenge, support, and strengthen us. While worship services are powerful, we know that spiritual development happens within smaller community. Find a Sunday school Find a Wednesday Night Group Interested in joining a Triad? STUDIES AND GROUPS Wednesday Nights Sunday School Bible Studies & Small Groups Triads OTHER INTERESTS Studies and Groups Worship Grow Connect Serve At First Pres, our goal is to discover and live the way of Christ int eh expansive grace of God. The way of Christ is the way of community. He ministered to people in community. He ministered to a group of 5,000 (Worship), feeding them with only five loaves of bread and two fish. He chose a group of 70, teaching them and then sending them out to spread the Gospel (Sunday school). We know that he chose His 12 disciples (Small Groups) and He even had a more intimate group of disciples: Peter, James, and John (Triad). ​ We believe that following Christ's model of more intimate and in-depth Christ-centered community is how people mature in their walks with Him. This Path of Discipleship is very similar to how Jesus ministered when He was on the earth.

CURRENT SERMON SERIES Home / Worship Services / Current Sermon Series WORSHIP SERVICES Reformed Traditional Contemporary Gospel OTHER INTERESTS Studies and Groups Worship Grow Connect Serve

CONTACT & NEWS Home / About / Contact & News Still not finding what you were looking for? Feel free to contact us. We'll be happy to help you find what you need. Email: info@firstpres.com Phone: 806.373.4242 ​ Fax Number: 806.373.2407 Staff Listing eChimes Newsletter - Our monthly newsletter can keep you up to date with the latest news and events! ABOUT Becoming a Member ECO Employment FAQs Mission Statement & Beliefs Our History Our People Our Pipe Organ What We're About First Pres Amarillo App WORSHIP | GROW | CONNECT | SERVE

WORSHIP SERVICES Home / Worship Services We have the same message preached at all three services, but three unique styles of worship music to choose from... 8:30 a.m. Gospel Service in our Sanctuary 10:55 a.m. Traditional Service in our Sanctuary 11:05 a.m. Contemporary Service in our Fellowship Center WORSHIP SERVICES Reformed Traditional Contemporary Gospel OTHER INTERESTS Studies and Groups Worship Grow Connect Serve

BECOMING A MEMBER Home / About / Becoming a Member If you are interested in joining First Pres through membership, we would be excited to have you join us! We believe that First Pres is a wonderful place to worship and serve the Lord, as well as to build relationships with others. Here are the steps to making First Pres your church home: We offer an Inquirer’s Class three or four times a year that meets from 9:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings. Ask a staff member when the next class meets. In the class, we will briefly discuss the history of the Presbyterian Church, how this local church is organized, as well as our Biblical convictions. If you are ready to begin the process, start by contacting us at the church. God has great things in store for you! We would be so happy to have you join us! Contact Murray at 806-373-4242. ABOUT Contact & News ECO Employment FAQs Mission Statement & Beliefs Our History Our People Our Pipe Organ What We're About First Pres Amarillo App WORSHIP | GROW | CONNECT | SERVE

Join us and bring your friends. Bring lawn chairs. No personal pets allowed. Donate

September 2020 Exciting progress continues on our construction projects for the GROW Across Generations Capital Campaign. The slab was poured at the new A&O house this week. Framing the walls of the new house is next on the agenda! The steps and ramp at north entry have been poured—handrails and cast stone signage will be installed the 2nd and 3rd weeks of October. We plan to open the north doors to the Great Hall for use this weekend, September 27, but only the steps. Those requiring an accessible entrance will still need to use the south entry. The Lift outside of the Sanctuary is installed and operational, but we have to wait on a state inspection for congregational use. We would ask you to pray for that process so that we can get the Lift going and fully-functional for our members. The Children’s Wing first floor demolition is complete and the mechanical trades are beginning work on plumbing, electrical, and HVAC rough-ins. There is a lot going on, but we can definitely see significant progress. Please join us in prayer for the continued progress and how the Lord will use all of these improvements for His glory! August 2020 Here is a quick update on our GROW Across Generations Capital Campaign improvements. The concrete pour for the AO house began this past week. Something about the concrete going in makes this feel like it's REALLY happening! The Lift outside of the Sanctuary should be received in about 3 weeks. It will take a few weeks to install, but we're getting closer here, too. If you've been by the church, you know that the 1st floor of the Children's Education building is completely sealed off as abatement and demo happen. All personnel, Opportunity School, and Critter Land activities have been moved to the 2nd floor temporarily. While the North entrance is still not usable, it's coming together as well. We appreciate your continued prayer and your patience as we all deal with the construction in our building. It's exciting to anticipate how the Lord will use all of this for years to come. July 2020 Construction for our "GROW Across Generations” capital campaign is in full swing and a big mound of dirt certainly isn’t all we have to show for it. The foundation prep for the new building is underway and the new personal lift system for the Great Hall has been ordered. The staff of Opportunity School and our own Children’s Ministry are preparing to shift their operations to make way for abatement and demolition in the the first floor of the Children’s Education building. Parking will be limited as work continues in the west parking lot on the new youth facilities. As many members who have undergone renovations to their homes and businesses can attest, this is going to get messy. And though it seems the inertia of getting a multimillion dollar job off the ground is great, we serve a God who is greater! Now, as much as ever, is the time to lift this project to the Lord in prayer and supplication, asking for His wisdom and guidance for our general contractor, Casey Wood; our architects, Bill Merriman and John Montag; our friends at Opportunity School like Jill Goodrich and her staff; and our own staff here at First Presbyterian. We praise Him for the overwhelming support of you, the congregation, and your faithful insight, prayer, and monetary commitments to see this inspired vision come to reality. ​ We also want to thank all of you who are partnering with us on this project financially. These exciting changes will serve our community for years to come and grow the Kingdom of Christ! North Entrance Under Construction ​ You may have noticed that our North Entrance is under construction at the moment. We're sorry for any inconvenience to those of you who normally park on the north side of the building, but we're looking forward to an updated North Entrance including an accessible ramp, a larger upper landing, and beautiful signage portraying our name along 11th Street. Once inside the Great Hall, a new single-person lift for ease of mobility will be featured on the north side of the Narthex entrance. Here is what's included in Phase I of our GROW Across Generations Capital Campaign 1) A new 5,500 square foot A&O House that accomplishes the stated goals of the Youth Ministry and is energy-efficient, easily accessed, and beautifully designed. It will be both completely modern in function and classically reminiscent of the architecture of the original structure. 2) A wonderful update to our North Entrance including an accessible ramp, a larger upper landing, and beautiful signage portraying our name along 11th Street. Once inside the Great Hall, a new single-person lift for ease of mobility will be featured on the north side of the Narthex entrance. 3) A renovated and updated Children’s Education wing complete with modern access control and security features, a fire suppression system, a more visitor-friendly and inviting aesthetic, and new interior and exterior play spaces for a wider range of ages. Much inquiry, thought, and planning has gone into the design of this remodeled first-floor, and it will be highly functional for our children, staff and parents. 4) New site work including: removal of the existing A&O house, replacement and expansion of the south parking lot to include more senior parking, removal of the storage facility along 10th Street to allow better viewing of the campus, and a new storage facility on the west block. ​ Murray's House on 6th Street As a church, we made the important decision to give to missions a tithe of what money we raised. Part of that money will go to world missions, and part of it will stay here in Amarillo. We're all excited about Murray's House, the storefront on 6th street we purchased for an outreach center, that's being worked on and renovated so that it is ready to launch this fall. There has been significant progress made by adding two bathrooms, making it handicap accessible, LOTS of cosmetic upgrades, as well as new windows and doors. Our own members have done all the interior painting over the course of a few evenings and Saturday mornings. We’ve added a wonderful basketball and volleyball court in the lot behind the building as well as new fencing to keep it nice and secure. As the building starts to take shape, we are excited to see how God uses it to allow our church, as well as our missions partners Young Life, Speiro Legacies, and Square Mile Community Development, to meet the needs of the San Jacinto neighborhood. Ways Murray's house will be used include, but are not limited to health and nutrition classes and application, education support like tutoring, Bible studies, and after school programs… this building will truly represent the practical application of God’s love in a hurting and broken world.

Home / About / Our People / Staff STAFF Home / About / Our People / Staff / Amanda Olson Administrative Assistant for Youth Eric and Amanda married in 2004 and spent the first 15 years of married life serving children and youth at Frontier Camp (Grapeland, TX). They have three lovely children, son Noah (17), daughter Esther (15) and son Titus (13). Amanda’s favorite verses are John 1:1-5, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Amanda is excited to help share this same Light with others through the ministry here at First Pres. amandao@firstpres.com (806) 350-5209

CONNECT Home / About / What We're About / Connect Just like a strong strand of rope, as we connect with each other within these walls and then, with others in our community and beyond, we form solid bonds, able to weather the storms. Together, we can accomplish much more than alone. Together, we can make a much greater impact. CORE 4 STRATEGIES Worship Grow Connect Serve

Home / About / Our People / Staff STAFF Home / About / Our People / Staff / Jeff Smoot Technical Director Jeff began serving as the Technical Director at First Presbyterian in 2022. He has been serving in audio/visual and worship ministries with various churches since his early teen years. He graduated from WTAMU with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Business in 2004. Between 2009 and 2015, he worked in full-time ministry performing numerous tasks in the areas of audio, video, and lighting. In 2015, he was blessed with an invitation to serve at Insight for Living, the Chuck Swindoll radio ministry as Recording Engineer and Editor. After living in McKinney, Texas for six years, he and his wife, Melanie, moved back to Amarillo to be near family. He continues editing the radio programs remotely for Insight for Living. After attending First Presbyterian for a short while, he was excited and honored to be asked to join this wonderful staff. His favorite verse is Jeremiah 29:11. jeffs@firstpres.com ​