|
First Presbyterian Church welcomes you.
We are a church thankful for our long history, committed to serving Christ today,
and open to the leading of God's Spirit.
Come and be a part of the future that God is creating here.
Welcome
Welcome to First Presbyterian Church, a caring and creative community of
faith, committed to serving Christ today, and open to the leading of God's Spirit. We consider ourselves to
be a "church without walls", open to all people who want to be friends of Jesus Christ without labels
or limits. We are a diverse community of faith composed of young and old, individuals and families, people
with many different gifts. In our coming together, we share our faith and offer each other support as we
reach out in concern to our neighbors and the world in mission.
See how we respond to Service and Mission.
Worship and Music
The center of our life is the weekly gathering around Word and Sacraments.
We come together each Sunday to celebrate the joy of God's love and to refocus our lives for faithful discipleship
and service. Worship service on Sunday begins at 10:30am. The sanctuary is handicapped accessible. Large
print order of service are available from the ushers for visually impaired, as are sound headsets for those with
hearing impairment. Supervised nursery care is also provided for our youngest visitors.
We are happy to have a fine Chancel Choir and a talented, well know Minister of Music/Choir
Director/Organist in the person of Stephen Best. The Casavant Freres pipe organ is well-suited to the acoustic
properties of the spacious sanctuary. The Annual Candlelight Carol Service presents a choir of 50 voices leading
in a celebration of Christmas.
Education
Developing and growing in faith is an important part of life at First Presbyterian
for all ages. Children attend Church School classes, which provide an introduction to the Bible, our Reformed
heritage and God's work in the world around up. For adults, educational opportunities are varied and include
Bible studies, and topical discussions.
Commitment (Mission)
Inspired by all that God has given us and motivated by our faith, we respond in service
to others. Relying on volunteer time and skills and youth service projects, First Presbyterian Church reaches out
to individuals and community by providing:
- a food pantry
- a clothes closet
- preparing and serving a nutritious dinner meal monthly at Hope House
- an annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner
- a broad array of ministries to persons who need food, medical care, clothing
and housing, and to persons with specialized problems, such as the homeless, and persons who need
counseling services, all through our financial contributions and support to our partner agencies such
as Abraham House, Emmaus House, Health Friends and Utica Rescue Mission.
Activities
As with any family, First Presbyterian means good times together:
- a brunch on the first Sunday of each month
- a Food for Thought discussion at Symeon's on the third Sunday of the month
- small group gatherings at members homes
- support group gatherings
- Teen group activities
Who Are We
First Presbyterian Church (First Church) functions under the Presbyterian, or
representative form of church government. The officers of the church are elders, elected by the congregation.
The Ministers, and ruling elders comprise the Session, and are responsible for the governance and spiritual
oversight of the church. Our congregation is a member of the
Presbyterian Church (USA).
What We Believe
In life and in death we belong to God.
Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God
and the communion of the Holy Spirit,
we trust in the one triune god, the Holy One of Israel,
who alone we worship and serve.
With believers in every time and place,
we rejoice that nothing in life or in death
can separate us from the love of God
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(from the Brief Statement of Faith of the PC(USA)
|
