Deacons

I grew up in Elkhart, Indiana and moved to Arlington, Texas in 1980. I started coming to First Presbyterian in August of 1987 and was baptized and became a member in 1990. I married the preacher’s daughter, and I have three children, Amber (40), Andrea (30), Ben (26). I worked in the aircraft industry for 36 years, 11 years at LTV and 25 at Bell Helicopter and retired from Bell in 2020. My hobbies are doing as little as possible.

I have been the team leader of the Fellowship committee for the last 6 years, and a member of the Genesis Sunday School class since 1987.

I have lived in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area since 1979, first in Lancaster, then from July 2000 to 2018 in Cedar Hill. In July 2018, I moved to Mansfield, TX, downsizing the living space. I am living at Ladera Mansfield now. I enjoy a little travel, eating out with friends, and have taken a number of enjoyable ocean and river cruises. I also very much enjoy knitting, and, at Ladera, am in the needles club, and reading club. I enjoy walking the paths at Ladera.

I was a member of First Presbyterian Church, Lancaster, TX, since 1979, and transferred to First Presbyterian Church of Dallas in 1998. I am active in Bible study groups.

I love our Church and have always felt at home here. My family and I joined FPCA in 1981, and it has meant so much to me to take part in Worship Services and other activities. I am a member of the Friendship Sunday School Class, loved attending the Saint’s Alive meetings, attended Women’s activities and retreats, assisted with all of the Bazaarnival, and enjoyed answering phones in the Church office. I also felt called to reach out to members of our community to invite them to come to Worship Services, and I enjoyed welcoming them and sitting with them to make them feel at home.

I was born into and raised in the Presbyterian Church. Some of my fondest memories growing up were playing the organ and the piano in the Worship Services. I met my husband, Bob, at church, and we were married in the Church in 1962. We both graduated from Austin College in Sherman. We were blessed with three children, Lisa, Laura, and Rob. Although I worked as an elementary school teacher, in Diabetes medical research, and as a Financial Aid Counselor at Texas Wesleyan and UNTHSC, my main priority has always been my family and putting Christ first in our home. Now retired, I have enjoyed spending more time with Church, with my family, reading, listening to music, and most recently, watching our Rangers win the World Series. It is a great honor to be nominated to be a Deacon, and I am looking forward to serving the church.

I love coming to church to sing in the choir and help with youth music! I love connecting to generations of singers by singing traditional music. I am studying music education at UTA with plans to graduate in the Fall of 2025. I am so happy to use my talents to love God and my neighbors and I am very excited to be a deacon.

I was born and raised in California. I came to Texas 40 years ago. I had a wonderful conversion; I actually felt the warm embrace of the Holy Spirit. After that I wanted to know Jesus, Son of the living God. I couldn’t get enough of the Bible. I found this church on the internet. When I walked in and saw the beautiful stained glass windows and the Gothic atmosphere, I was overwhelmed. I absolutely love the people and enjoy hearing about their life’s journey. I am proud to be a member of this wonderful church.

I have been a member of First Presbyterian Church, Arlington all of my life. My parents were members of the old church downtown and helped build the present church. I have gone through Sunday School as a small child through adulthood. I have taught children’s Sunday School and Bible School, played the piano for them since I was 12 years old, been a deacon, and have sung in church choirs since I was 3 years old. I have also played handbells for many years and currently play in the Ring of Praise handbell choir, sing in the Chancel Choir and play piano solos and piano /organ duets with our organist Shina Heo.

I am a member of the Genesis Sunday School class and have served on the Fellowship Committee and been on the nominating committee for officers at the church. Of course, I consider one of my many blessings being a member of this church. I have many friends here, and I feel blessed to serve as a musician, playing and singing music to the glory of God and now, once again, serving as a Deacon of the fellowship team. Since I catered weddings for around 30 years, I feel that I have some special talents that can help the team to serve our members in fellowship. I want everyone in our church and outside our church to know that I am willing to help with whatever I can. All you have to do is ask. If I can’t do it, I may know someone who can help. My service to others and God is my pleasure and why I have spend my life as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and a nurse. I will be praying that I do a great job as a deacon and ask that you pray for all the officers as well.

I was born in Ross County, California in 1943 to Kenneth and Beatrice Floyd. After the war my family moved to Borger, Texas. My father and his two brothers were in the grocery business.  We attended the First Baptist Church in Borger.  My sister Lana and I were baptized by minister Winfred Moore when I was 8 years old.

My family then moved to Dumas, Texas when I was in the fourth grade.  My father, with brother J.B., owned the Pizzly Wiggle grocery store.  We attended the First Baptist Church in Dumas.  Cecil Geoff was the minister.  The church was a wonderful place for the kids to have friends.  I attended Sunday School, Sunday morning church, Sunday night church, Wednesday prayer meeting and Royal Ambassadors.

I graduated from West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas.  I married Bunny in 1965.  She was a woman of great faith. We had 58 blessed years of marriage.

I worked for 40 years for Ryder System, Inc., a logistics company.

My late wife Bunny and I have two daughters, Leslie Livingston and Jennifer Floyd and a son, David Floyd.  We have four gifted grandchildren, Conner, Kendall, Sidney and Abraham.  Leslie is married to Jim Paylor and David is married to Gina Floyd.  What a wonderful family God has given us.

God led us to FPCA about 8 years ago.  I have served as an Elder, a discussion leader in Sunday School and Bible Study.

Judy and I moved to Arlington in 1972.  We raised 2 daughters and have 3 grandchildren.  Judy joined this church in about 2017 partially through knowing Ann Turney. I joined in about 2019.  I look forward to serving as a Deacon, class 2027.

I was born and raised in Dallas and it means a lot to not only raise our children, Colton and Hudson in this area, but grow our faiths here as well. After moving to FPCA, I earned my real estate license and have begun pursuing that as a full-time career. Receiving a call to serve as a deacon was a bit of a surprise, but I’m excited to see how God wishes to use me here.

My husband, Kerry, and I first visited FPCA on Easter 2023 and fell in love with the church.  We loved the friendliness and warmth of the people and from that day on we continued to attend.  We joined the Friendship Sunday school class and joined the church in 2024.

We have two grown children, Ashley and Tyler and four grandchildren, Wade, Kaitlyn, Charlie and Maggie.  We spend as much time as possible attending all their sports events.

I am honored to serve as deacon and see how I can serve more.

First Presbyterian has always been my church home.  I was baptized here, married here, and baptized my children here.  My children, Nicki and Ryan, are both married. Nicki lives in Cleveland with her husband, Nick.  Ryan, his wife Leigh Ann, and our granddaughter Everly, live in Point of Rocks, Maryland.  My mother, Shirley Counts, was a very active member of the church and sang in the choir.  I joined the choir two years ago because I love to sing, and I feel close to her in the choir loft.  I was ordained as a deacon 20 years ago, and it is nice to be able to serve again.

I grew up in New Haven, Indiana in the United Methodist Church.  I have a B.A. degree in economics from Indiana University and an M.A. degree in Christian Ministries from Wheaton College, but struggled to find a good career fit.  I finally got an M.L.S. degree in library science from the University of North Texas and served as a professional librarian in public libraries for about 18 years.  Meanwhile, I met my wife Pat in Sunday School in a Southern Baptist Church in Denton, and we were married in 1994.  We raised her three children in the Southern Baptist Church, but then we “saw the light” and came to FPCA  in 2008, where Pat already knew several persons involved in the music ministry.  I taught the Loose Ends Sunday School class for about two years, then we moved to Roswell, New Mexico, then on to San Angelo, Texas, then back here during the pandemic in 2020.  I am retired, but enjoy doing food deliveries for Uber Eats and GrubHub.  You may have seen me serve as lay leader on occasion in our worship services, but now I am ready to contribute more service as a deacon.

Sonia and her family joined FPCA in 2021 after discovering and watching the live stream during the
pandemic. She was born and raised in Brazil, the daughter of Baptist missionaries, and eventually married another missionary kid, her husband Ian. Together they have three children, two of whom have been baptized at FPCA.

Sonia is a professional actress and director, and one of her favorite ways to serve the church has been to direct the annual children and youth summer musical.  She also enjoys lay leading and being a part of the Prayer Ministry team, Foundations Sunday School class, and the monthly Women’s Bible Study.

I was born and raised in Mexico City in a Christian family with nine siblings. I completed high school in Kingsville, Texas, and later pursued my university studies at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

After graduation, I worked with a Christian organization dedicated to Bible translation in Mexico City. I married and eventually moved to Dallas, Texas, where I taught English as a Second Language at Mountain View College. Our family later returned to Mexico before relocating to Miami, Florida, where we lived for nearly 30 years. We then spent ten years in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and moved back to Dallas six years ago.

Throughout my life I have been part of the Presbyterian Church, participating in Sunday School, choir, church planting efforts in rural Mexico, and Women’s Bible Study Fellowship.

I enjoy traveling, spending time outdoors, cheering for Texas sports teams, and visiting our three daughters and seven grandchildren who live in North Carolina, San Francisco, and Guatemala. I look forward to serving God as a Deaconess at FPCA.

Mason Kirbie, 40 years old, resident of Arlington, TX. Chosen of God (Eph 1:4), adopted as His son through Jesus Christ (Eph 1:5).

The weak and foolish used of God to confound the strong and the wise (1 Cor 1:27).