Elders

Originally from Dallas, I have been an Arlington resident since 1988. While living in Dallas I attended Oak Cliff Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and was an active participant in the youth programs. During that time, I was baptized and made my profession of faith.
First Presbyterian Church has been my church home since 2008. I am a member of the Bible Study Sunday School class where we study his word by reading and focusing on one chapter a week. I have previously served as an Elder and participated on the Administration, Finance, and Bequest & Planned Giving teams.
I am thankful the Lord led me to First Presbyterian Church, a community of thoughtful, caring individuals that continually put their faith in to action. I am excited to grow in my relationship with the Lord and I look forward to seeing where He is leading FPCA in the future.

   My name is James Gifford and I am excited to serve God as an elder of First Presbyterian Church of Arlington. God has made a commitment for all who come to Him and accept Jesus as his only son and only way to heaven. I just recently greeted my 2nd son into this world. Being a father is a huge commitment to guide your children on the narrow path, and show them how to love our God with all our heart, mind, and soul. Everything we do should be an example of our commitment to God, and bring glory to Him! Katina and I have been attending FPCA since 2016 and it was God guiding Katina and I to a church where we could be more involved. We have led Financial Peace University several times here, and we have served as deacons. We have been committed to attending every week that we are in town because God loves to see us learning about Him and Worshipping Him! As I mentioned earlier Katina and I just had our second son Ramsey and have our 2 year old son Emmitt. Emmitt loves joining us for Sunday school and worship, and later we pray that he does not depart from these ways. Thank you for seeing what God has been preparing for me, and for trusting me with this important role as an elder of His church!

I am committed to serving our Lord, Jesus Christ and am honored to be nominated again for Elder. I grew up at FPCA and greatly enjoyed my time in youth group and Agapes (youth choir). As a long-time member of FPCA, I regularly attend worship and Sunday School. I have previously served as an elder on Session from 2017-2019. For the past four years, I have served as moderator and co-moderator of the Mission and Evangelism team. During my time with FPCA, I have served as a member of the Belize Mission Leadership team, Congregational Nominating Team member, a children and youth Sunday School teacher, youth group adult leader, a member of a past associate pastor nominating committee, and a facilitator for my adult Sunday School class. Finally, I was also blessed to have led several of our spring mission trips to Belize – traveling as a participant or leader for 11 years to Belize.
I am passionate about how we can serve Christ here at FPCA, locally in the community, and internationally. I believe it is important to take our decisions, trials, and blessings to the Lord in prayer, to ask for guidance and support as we strive to live as God would have us live our lives. I am the daughter of Kathy McCoy and have a very cute 4-year-old dog named Bailey.

In this last third of my life (so far), I have come back to a closeness with God that makes my heart happy most every day.  I won’t say I always make the right choices, but I certainly have come to understand why outcomes occur as they do.  I have gone back to the life rules established in the Bible, and I start out each morning thanking God for loving me and for sending Jesus Christ to die for my sins.”  About five years ago, I wrote my faith statement which has been pretty evenly divided into thirds, with the prior sentences being where I was then.  I’m happy to say they are still representative of my walk with God today, and I feel blessed.  I have been a member of FPCA since I was old enough to join and began worshipping here when the church building was located downtown.  I went to Sunday School as a child and taught pre-school Sunday School for many years.

I sang in the choir as a youth and teen and rang bells as an adult. I helped with many events at the church over the years. I have been moderator for two Pastor Nominating Committees.   I have served as a Deacon, Elder, member of the Congregational Nominating Team and Trustee. Not only was I raised in the church, I raised my daughters, Laura and Lesley in the church. Both girls were active in the church.  Laura taught in the Preschool, and both girls children attended FPPS preschool. When I married again in 1989, Mike and I were married in the Chapel.  It has been several years since I served as Elder, and I feel blessed to be called to serve God again in this role for FPCA.  I’m excited about where God is leading us and prayerful about how we will best be able to accomplish His works as we transform life in and through our church family.

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My faith walk began in my eighth grade Confirmation Class, when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.  Over my lifetime, as I have continued to grow in my faith, God has guided me into areas of service that I would have never chosen for myself.  Though unsure of myself in certain situations, yet fully trusting in Him; He has always been faithful to provide me with the resources, tools and people to accomplish His mission.  When we accept a call to serve, we may never know how God will use us to fulfill His purpose through our lives.  Therefore, we accept the call and respond, “Here I am Lord.”  I am humbled to be asked to serve again.

I was born and raised in Odessa, Texas.  I attended the First Methodist Church until I enrolled at Texas Tech, where I met my husband, Larry Stephenson.  We moved to Arlington where I went to work for American Airlines in the Flight Service Recruitment department.  I continued to work in Reservations, Fly AAway Vacations, where I visited all the properties we were using on our vacation packages and meeting wholesalers, then  finally moved on the the startup of AA.com.  I retired after 28 years and worked for Stephenson Consulting Group until 2018.  After Larry and I were married I began to attend FPCA.  I am active in the Family Living Sunday School class and have previously served as a Deacon/moderator of the Fellowship Team.  I am humbled and excited to see how God uses me in service in this church family and to further his kingdom.

My wife, Diana, and I have been members of FPCA since the 1980’s.  Our boys, Christopher and Jeffrey, were baptized at FPCA and active members at that time.  I believe everything in the Bible as it was written.  I have been retired for a number of years and look forward to serving FPCA and helping with the building process.

Jamie Mickelson was born in Wiesbaden, Germany, while her father served in the military. After retiring from the military, her parents, Mick and Aidelia, moved the family from El Paso to the Metroplex, where they have lived since. She is the youngest of her sisters, Yvonne and Yvette, who are twins. Her nephew and niece, Landon and Lauren Fielder, give her much joy.
Jamie has been a member at FPCA for many years, first with her family, then joining as an adult in 1998. She has made her career at Canon USA’s regional headquarters in Las Colinas since graduating from college. When she’s not working, she enjoys attending BSF, spending time with family and friends, traveling, cooking and watching movies (sleep makes her very happy, as well!).
Jamie has previously served as an elder at FPCA, and currently serves on the Women’s Ministry Team. She hopes to honor the Lord in this next call of service.

I spent many, many hours in University Heights Baptist Church in Springfield, Missouri, my hometown. My grandparents and my parents were active members and strong Baptists. When I got married, we moved to Arlington where my sister and her husband were living while he was assigned to the Naval base in Grand Prairie. They were members of First Presbyterian Church in Arlington and we visited and immediately felt at home. I was impressed by the worship, which was more formal than what I knew from my former church experience. And I thought the sanctuary was lovely and it was easy to feel the spirit of worship there. We were interested in joining this church and were pleased when the associate pastor, Leon Wilder, came to visit us in our small, furnished apartment near the university. Poor Leon sat down in one of the rickety chairs and it broke, and he landed on the floor. So, of course we decided to join this church. Janie Wesler taught us what we needed to know about being a Presbyterian.
I have served as Elder before and also as Deacon. I have worked with the Fellowship team for several years and in the past was involved with communication and discipleship. I love this church and look forward to serving as an Elder, class of 2025.

Raised in a small-town Methodist church close to our family farm, I had the most wonderful Sunday School teacher, Mrs. Loraine Kirkpatrick who taught me so much about God and the desire to follow Christ. (We continued our friendship until her death in the mid 90’s). In the early 1980’s I joined Central Presbyterian Church in Waxahachie and served as an elder. During my thirty years of teaching school many students were from the Presbyterian Home, and I hoped to guide them as Mrs. Kirkpatrick had me. My husband Dave and I are members of the Friendship Class and are honored to call FPCA our church home.

I am one of eight children raised in a Christian home. I am born and raised a Presbyterian. I joined fpca with my family in 2008.
As a family we have been nurtured and have grown both physically and spiritually through the teaching here at FPCA.
It’s a delight to see our children participate in worship through children and youth ministry. I am honored to be given this opportunity to continue my journey with the lord through service to our church family.
My hobbies include fishing and watching podcasts.