WELCOME
If you are looking for a church home, we believe it is God's interest and yours that you find the best place to grow and serve whether or not it be with us. Our hope is to see you discover and grow deeper in your understanding of God’s grace. Grace is not something God adds as a reward for our self-efforts (moralism), nor dow we see grace as merely God overlooking our faults and accepting us as we are (liberalism), rather, we have found God's grace to be his love and acceptance of us in spite of who we are... it is the very power of the gospel to change our daily lives as we totally depend upon him in faith. It gives us hope to know that while God forgives sin, he doesn't just overlook it... thus the cross of Christ is our hope. His acceptance and love for us by grace, energizes us to be honest and realistic about where our hearts are, and also to be committed to change. God loves us too much to leave us where we are!
We are finding confidence in Christ to face the sometimes-dark truth about ourselves, yet we have the incredible hope of knowing that we are not left alone to deal with it. We have a God whose love is unconditional, whose power is unlimited, and whose vision for what we are becoming is unimaginable!
This has given us an entirely new perspective on what “church” is, what “leadership” and “service” can be about, and what it means to follow Christ. It has changed how we hope to motivate and encourage each other. Instead of being a ministry built primarily around the motivations of guilt, fear, or personal reward, we see God's grace as the core motive for the Christian life. Love and thanksgiving to God for what he is and has done should inspire us - and spur us on to become deeper people of faith.
What we hope you'll find here:
Changed hearts - We are constantly looking to Jesus for changed attitudes, and changed hearts, as we grow in the likeness of Christ through the continual application of the gospel into our lives. The gospel frees us from false worship of ourselves or pretense in order to worship God in sincerity.
Joy - as we are being set free by the gospel from self-righteousness and or condemnation, we are able to enjoy God fully.
Hearts that point outward - The gospel frees us from approval seeking and pride, while it encourages authenticity and the quality of love that leads others toward Jesus. A desire to lovingly engage the questions and concerns of our surrounding culture, instead of angrily shouting and pompously condemning. The gospel gives us hope and hearts for our neighbors and surrounding community.
The recognition of fellow wounded hearts - Out of brokenness, we each reach toward others who are different in genuine reconciliation, healing, and hope.
What we hope you won't find here:
We are constantly looking to Jesus to help us not be the typical Christian subculture that is plaguing many evangelical churches where the emphasis is on “ought to's” and “better not’s” while ignoring the heart and our utter dependency upon Christ's grace. In a region where churches have sometimes been characterized as uncaring, insincere, or fake, First Presbyterian Church intentionally seeks to be honest, relational, hopeful, and Biblical. Our messages address the relevant longings of the heart and everyday life. However, they are also based clearly on the scriptures, normally from one particular passage which is taken in its proper context, explained and applied in an understandable way. Many times, these messages are part of a broader series as we work through particular books of the Bible.
Worship
Worship is our response to the grace and glory of God. Therefore, we believe worship is to be doxological, meaning focusing on the glory of God. Our desire is to worship God with excellence. Our hope is that our worship is gospel centered, focused away from us, and upon God. Worship that seeks the glory of God is also evangelistic, calling people to explore and examine our Heavenly Father. Our Pastor’s winsome personality and style will help you see that God centered worship is most genuine when people are honest, void of pretense, and without pious platitudes or pious attitudes.