FPC Conversations

It’s not every day that you meet an Olympic athlete at church. In 1958, a Roosevelt High School junior girl hit the national headlines when she won the National Junior Women’s Three Meter Diving Championship in an AAU meet held in Fresno. Barbara McAllister, now Andrews, went on from this promising beginning to a notable world-class career in diving, spring board, and platform. Barb won a gold medal in springboard diving at the 1963 Pan American Games and competed at the 1964 Summer Olympics and the 1968 Summer Olympics.

Get ready to listen in to the conversation Barb had with Jamie Franklin and Dan Kimball. She shares how reaching the highs of success still left an emptiness in her heart that only a deep faith in the Lord could fill.

In this week's episode, you are going to meet and get to know Terry Jaurena. Terry has held many titles in her 31 years on staff at First Presbyterian Church Fresno. Each title has had a mission focus, but currently, she is the Mission and Connections Minister. Her ministry focus is on missions, communication and how we welcome new people to our church family. Please enjoy this deeply personal conversation while understanding how the Lord has guided Terry’s life.

This September, we sent a team of 7 from Fresno to Korea where they partnered with REAH International. During this experience, the team was exposed to what God is currently doing in the Korean peninsula and had an opportunity to pray and worship with hundreds of others in the international community engaging the people of North Korea. In today's episode, Dan Kimball and Jamie Franklin lead an insightful conversation with some of the people who were a part of that team. They share what they saw and learned as well as how that trip impacted their faith. I trust you’re going to enjoy hearing from this team.

In this conversation, you’ll meet Brady Crow. Brady's story includes the people who influenced and helped pull him grow closer to God, his love for playing baseball, and his calling to work with students. Dan Kimball and Jamie Franklin chat with Brady about how he ended up at First Pres., what he has learned from working with students in youth ministry, and how God is currently working in his life. Please enjoy today's conversation with Brady Crow!

Today we get to listen into a conversation with George and Michelle Smith as they sat down with Dan Kimball and talked about their call to adoption and the ups and downs along the way. The Smiths have a deep faith, and share about their passions, kids, and following God's call in their relationship and careers. I’m pretty sure you’re going to enjoy this conversation with George and Michelle.

In this conversation, we get to hear from Dennis DuPertuis, who started coming to First Pres in the early 1970’s and has served the church in a variety of capacities. Dennis shares about his faith, his long career in education, his reluctant call to serve on a mission trip which helped shape his world view, and more recently how he has found a new calling to service following the loss of his wife Carole. Enjoy this fun and honest conversation Dennis had with Jamie Franklin and Dan Kimball.

In today's conversation, you are going to hear from Steve and Shiela Skibbie, a couple who have been a part of the FPC Community in numerous capacities for many years. The Skiibbie’s have a huge heart for ministry, downtown Fresno, loving their neighbors, and together they celebrate the possibilities that happen when people from different backgrounds come together for a common cause. 

The Skibbie’s sat down with Dan Kimball in their new living space, overlooking downtown Fresno for a fun and insightful conversation about their faith backgrounds, what they love about Fresno, how God used adoption in their story and lessons they are learning together about God and each other. We trust you’ll enjoy today's conversation with this couple. 

John and Suzi Martin met at First Pres through some mutual friends. They married, started a family, and were active, long-time members of the church community. Not long after their children were born, Suzi was diagnosed with MS. The progression of the disease changed the course of their lives, and yet they did not waver in their love for Jesus. In this conversation, John shares personally & honestly how he navigated being Suzi’s caretaker for many years. He also talks about a more recent rediscovery of the Lord's call on his life and what this new season of being a retired widower is like. John welcomed Jamie Franklin and Dan Kimball into his home for this conversation. We trust you’ll enjoy it.

In today's conversation, you are going to hear the story and faith background of Wil Murray. Will sits down with Dan Kimball and shares his story of growing up in a small rural town in Northern California, how he met his wife Melissa, his career path in mechanical engineering, and how a neighbor's invitation to church led Melissa and eventually Wil to faith as adults. I am confident you will enjoy today's conversation getting to know Wil Murray.

In today's conversation, you are going to meet JP and Chrisie Pereira who sit down with Jamie Franklin and Dan Kimball and share their story. The Pereiras talk about the unique circumstances in how they met, their diverse faith backgrounds, career aspirations and the reasons why they returned to Fresno and specifically to First Pres. You will be encouraged and challenged by today's conversation with JP and Chrisie.