If you've been to more than a few Presbyterian worship services in your lifetime, you'll find the service at First Presbyterian to be pretty familiar. But if you haven't, you might be wondering what to expect. Hopefully we can answer a few of your questions.
Where should I go?
First Presbyterian is located at 201 East D. Ave.
When should I get there?
Worship is at 10:30. The website should have up-to-date listings of when things are happening.
What should I wear?
Be comfortable. We try not to stand too much on ceremony. Most folks will show up in something resembling semi-formal or business casual. But the door is open to you regardless of your attire.
What about my kids?
People of all ages are always welcome in our Sunday morning worship, especially children. Nothing adds to the worship of God like the sound of young voices. That being said, we know how hard it can be to manage a toddler and follow a sermon at the same time. We have several loving volunteers to engage small children in their own time of worship and play at a parent's request.
What do Presbyterians believe?
Well, that's a short question with a long answer.
Here's a short (and therefore incomplete) take. We believe in God. We believe that God created all things and loves all things, including you and me. We believe that God wants to be in relationship with all things, including you and me. We also believe that you and me (well, everybody), when left to our own devices, tend to be selfish, violent, greedy, and all-around unloving people, but that God loves us anyway. In fact we believe that God's son Jesus Christ came into the world as a sign of God's unrelenting faithfulness and unsurpassed love. And we believe in the Holy Spirit, God's continuing work in the world in and through each of us, a sign that God is not yet done with creation.
We believe in God and we believe that God loves us just as we are, but we also believe that God sends us into the world to work for peace, mercy, and reconciliation. We believe that we are called to feed the hungry, comfort the sick, welcome the outcast, and resist the power and powers of injustice. The Old Testament prophet Amos, living in a time of extreme social and economic inequality, dreamed of a day when justice would roll down like water. We share the same dream. We believe it to be God's dream. And while we wait for the promise of God's dream made into reality, we also go into the world working to make it happen.
Lots of other folks here have given longer answers to that question. If you're really curious, start here.