OUR MISSION
Our mission is to grow in the knowledge and love of our Lord Jesus Christ and to make Him known in our community and the world.
OUR THREE CORE COMMITMENTS
- Serving the will and purposes of the Living God.
- Being and making mature disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Living and serving in the fullness and power of the Holy Spirit.
OUR PLACE IN THE WORLD WIDE FAMILY OF CHURCHES
First Presbyterian Church is a CHRISTIAN church.
We look to God’s Word. We seek to know Jesus – His teaching, His example, His power, His compassion. We desire to be faithful to Him.
First Presbyterian Church is a PROTESTANT church.
We are a branch of the Christian Faith that draws its heritage from the time of the Protestant Reformation in the early 1500’s. Our branch of the Reformation stems from the theology of John Calvin, a French Protestant theologian, whose writings helped to define the young Protestant movement.
First Presbyterian Church is a PRESBYTERIAN church.
This means that our form of worship and government comes from the Church of Scotland. Presbyterians from Scotland brought their faith to the new colonies in America in the 1600’s and 1700’s.
The word “Presbyterian” means “elder.” A Presbyterian church is a church guided by praying elders, rather than governed by just one person.
First Presbyterian Church is a member congregation of the PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (USA).
THE FIVE BEDROCK BELIEFS OF THE REFORMED FAITH
Grace Alone
We do not come to God on our own. God comes to us because He loves us. We are not in good standing with God on the basis of our good works, the strength of our character, or even by our good intentions. We are forgiven of our sins and put in right standing with God only by grace, which He has demonstrated to us by sending Jesus, His only Son, to die for sin in our place.
Faith Alone
Faith is our connection to God and to God’s grace. The Bible says that we are saved by grace through faith. This means: God holds out to us the gift of eternal life granted to us by the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross when he paid the soul-price for our eternity, but we need to reach out and take that gift! We do that by believing – by faith, not by our works (Ephesians 2.8-9). Believing means that we consider that what God has done for us by sending us Jesus is sufficient to rescue from God’s negative judgment (eternal banishment in hell) and to qualify us for God’s acceptance of us for all eternity in His loving Presence.
Christ Alone
The Bible tells us that there is only one way to God – Jesus Christ. According to Jesus’ own teaching, He is the way, the truth, and the life. “No one,” he said, “comes to the Father but by Him.” The Bible also makes it clear that there is no other name given to the human race by which we are rescued for all eternity (Acts 4.12).
Scripture Alone
The Bible is our only source for our knowledge of the will and way of God, the life and teaching of Jesus, and the power and reality of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says that all scripture is “God-breathed” and is profitable to us (2 Timothy 3.16-17 and 2 Peter 1.20-21). Scripture is our only authority for what we know and believe about God, the way of salvation, and the truth of the spiritual life.
The Glory of God Alone
The sum total of human life is to bring glory to God. Our faith tell us that the chief end of man is to know God and to enjoy Him forever (Westminster Larger Catechism, Question and Answer #1). The Bible tells us that we can bring glory to God in the most everyday of actions: “So, whether you eat or drink – or whatever you do – do all to the glory of God.” A basic principle that helps make that happen comes from John, the prophet that introduced the world to Jesus: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” We seek to make much of Christ!