Welcome to the First Presbyterian Church Website
It's been wisely stated that spirituality wrongly understood or pursued is a major source of human misery and rebellion.
Getting our spirituality healthy, therefore, is an important pursuit. Jesus offered the fresh perspective that our relationship to God wasn't simply a matter of obeying a prescribed list of rules. Rather, true spirituality was a matter of the heart. We might say that the heart of the matter is a matter of the heart.
Left to ourselves, we're incurably sick spiritually. But Jesus announced the Good News that we're not left to ourselves! God has drawn near to us in His Son and offered us the "heart transplant" that we need.
Summer Worship Hours
One Service 9:00am
We return to regular worship hours
August 22nd: 8:15am and 11:00am.
It's now possible to know God in a way that our hearts beat with His! We invite you to join us on the journey of a lifetime -- the journey into God's heart. We're not perfect; we're still in process and continually in need of grace. But we would love to have you join us on the journey.
-- Doug Brown, Sr. Pastor
Behind every face here is a personal story of the Lord’s grace and power – calling us to Jesus, rescuing and forgiving us, restoring His image in us, and sending us in His Name back into a needy world. We are increasingly awed by this great privilege and responsibility.
We are an intergenerational community of imperfect people on the journey of following Jesus. We are Jesus’ disciples (apprentices) learning from him how to live our new life in God’s Kingdom. We believe that Jesus knows the best way to live, and we are seeking to order our lives according to the wisdom of God’s Word in the power of the Holy Spirit. As we learn to yield our lives to His influence, we are slowly being changed into a people who increasingly reflect His character and priorities. We know that we are not smart enough or strong enough to change ourselves. We need the presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst.
We are a community of Presbyterian Christians rooted in the Reformed theological tradition. We desire to embrace and celebrate the best of the Presbyterian Church’s rich, historical heritage while remaining humble and open to the new and creative ways the Holy Spirit is moving today. We are a part of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. For more information on the above topics, you may click on the headings below.
To be a Presbyterian is to follow in the Reformed tradition of Protestant Christianity. The Reformation, which began with Martin Luther in 1519, was an effort by the Reformers to “re-form” their faith on the basis of biblical principles rather than church traditions. The three great affirmations of the Protestant Reformation were the watchwords – grace alone, faith alone, Scripture alone.
Presbyterians trace their roots back to the life and work of John Calvin (1509-1564). Forced to flee France under Catholic persecution, Calvin lived mostly in Geneva, Switzerland. Calvin mentored John Knox, a Scot, who eventually carried Calvin’s “Reformed” theology back to Scotland and England. The Reformed faith came to America through many different denominational groups. The Rev. Francis Makemie, a Scot immigrant, is often called the “father of American Presbyterians.” He was instrumental in forming the first Presbytery in Philadelphia in 1706 for the purpose of advancing the gospel in the American wilderness.
Generally, the Reformed tradition is distinguished by two characteristics:
- a particular form of church government (“polity”), and
- a particular system of Scriptural doctrine (“Reformed” theology).
The word “Presbyterian” is derived from the Greek word presbuteros– “presbyter” or “elder.” Scripture gives clear precedent for the office of presbyter or elder (Acts14:23; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; 5:17-22; James 5:14; 1 Peter 5:1-10). There is also precedent for the office of deacon as one of service to those in need (Acts 6:1-6). We believe that the New Testament uses the words “bishop” and “elder” to refer to the same office (Acts 20:17, 28; Titus 1:5-7). From the church’s beginning, congregations have been led by those who demonstrated spiritual maturity.
Presbyterian churches are elder – led churches. In the Presbyterian form of government, the power does not reside in a single person or in the congregation. Instead, the power resides in the elders (called the “Session”), who are elected by the congregation to lead the church in the humility and wisdom of Christ. Thus, this representative leadership is recognized as a sacred trust from the Lord for which leaders will ultimately give an account to the Lord.
The Presbyterian form of government is also called “connectional.” Each local Presbyterian congregation is connected to a group of Presbyterian churches within a particular geographical region called a “Presbytery.” Each local congregation has certain inalienable rights, privileges, and duties, yet at the same time the unity of the church is maintained through a commitment to certain theological tenets, which are considered essential for all pastors, elders and deacons.
