While we have strong convictions and beliefs, here at First Pres. we are a people who gather around what we value and how those values lead us into action. These values originate in who Jesus is, which is why we recognize Christ as our center from whom all our values flow.

 

Community

The Gospels do not paint a picture of Jesus setting about his on his own, but rather surrounding himself with friends and colleagues. We also value joining together for our worship, service, and fellowship. As a community, we seek to encourage one another towards good works of loving to our neighbors by practicing Jesus’ radical hospitality.

 

Faith

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Jesus describes God as a good and generous parent, who actively works for our flourishing. This is the God in whom we place our faith, and consequently, the God whom we faithfully serve. The values we share about offering forgiveness, working towards reconciliation, and fostering love all grow out of our commitment to the God revealed in Jesus Christ.

 

Inclusive

 

Through the Great Commission, Jesus charged his disciples to go and speak good news for all people, resulting in the Holy Spirit blessing unexpected people in exciting new ways. The freedom of God to welcome whomever God chooses to welcome compels us to believe that God’s doors are open to everyone. So we want to share God’s welcome for all people –– and we do mean ALL people. So regardless of your gender, sexuality, race, nationality, ideology, doubts, or anything else: you are welcome here.

 

Justice

 

In both Hebrew and Greek the concepts of “righteousness” and “justice” are intimately linked, which is why it’s a holy mission to partner with Jesus in turning our upside-down world right-side-up. The forgiveness of debts, protecting Sabbath rest, and lifting up the vulnerable are all essential to establishing God’s shalom –– a peaceful and whole world that allows for the flourishing of all. 

 

Worship

 

One cannot overstate how much Jesus loved to worship God. He read Scripture, sang hymns, and innovated new practices of grace that we’ve come to call sacraments. Like Jesus, we too love to gather in worship as a means praising God and equipping ourselves to do what God loves. We value music, gathering around the reading of Scripture, and practicing the sacraments with one another. And since we also value the inclusive work of the Holy Spirit, the Communion table is open to everyone who hungers to have an encounter with love and life; with the resurrected Lord. We jointly gather to worship, and then joyously accept the call to go back into the world as disciples of Christ.

 

What is a Presbyterian?

 

The word “Presbyterian” is a strange one to contemporary ears, but we still choose to use it to highlight our relationship with the Bible and history. Our name comes from the New Testament Greek word for elder, which our tradition adopted during the Protestant Reformation to describe a form of church government led by elders elected from amongst people. Rather than having a pope, bishop, or even pastor in charge of the church, we share authority through our representational governance. The hope is to provide all of God’s people with a voice in the worship and ministry of our church, so we can jointly partner in the work of sharing good news.