We gather for worship each Sunday morning at 10:45 a.m. Holy Communion is offered the first Sunday of each month as well as on other special occasions. Child care for infants through preschoolers is provided during the service for those who desire it. Additional special services occur throughout the year, particularly during Advent and Lent, often in the evenings.

“Worship is at the very heart of the church's life.”

“All that the church is and does is rooted in its worship. The community of faith, gathered in response to God's call, is formed in its worship. Worship is the principal influence that shapes our faith, and is the most visible way we express the faith. In worship, through Word and Sacrament, the church is sustained by the presence of Christ. Joined in worship to the One who is the source of its life, the church is empowered to serve God in the world. Because of the centrality of worship in the church's life, the continuing reform of worship is of primary importance in maintaining the integrity of the people of God. In an age dominated by individualism and secularism, it is particularly important to embrace forms of worship that are firmly rooted in the faith and foster a strong communal sense of being united with God, with the community of faith in every time and place, and with a broken world in need of God's healing touch. In other words, the concern for the reform of worship is, above everything else, a concern for the renewal of the church.”

--from Book of Common Worship (1993)

In consonance with these principles, worship at First Presbyterian Church is both deeply rooted in tradition and widely open to the forms and expressions of our contemporary cultural experience, including those forms that come to us from the larger global context. We practice a “blended” style of worship, a style that seeks to incorporate both old and new, comfortable and unfamiliar, formal and intimate. A typical worship service might include a “traditional” hymn from the 17th century by Isaac Watts, a congregational hymn in a more “folk” motif written in the last 10 years and accompanied by guitar and drum, a choir anthem by Bach, a choral piece from contemporary South Africa, or a classical “big organ” prelude or postlude.

Our worship incorporates music by a Handbell Choir, a Children’s Choir, an Adult Choir, and a Youth Hand-chime Choir, as well as many violinists, guitarists, drummers, and other instrumentalists.

The sermon might occasionally take the form of a drama, or a visual meditation using images and our projection system uses similar approaches to engage the children with the message.

Visual arts are a central element of the worship experience, from fabric arts and furnishings to the use of projected images.

Underneath all these seemingly diverse elements of worship, however, is the underlying structure of liturgy: We gather. We praise. We open ourselves to God in honesty and vulnerability. We accept the assurance that we are loved and accepted. We prepare to hear the Word. We listen for God’s Word in the words of Scripture and the sermon. We respond – in prayer, in offering, in committing ourselves to serve God in the world. We are blessed, and commissioned for our life in the world. We go forth in joy.

The Quiet Center
Every Wednesday in the middle of the day, folks come into the church sanctuary and find the “quiet center” in a time of stillness, resting in God in quietness. The time begins with a brief reading from scripture and a few minutes of quiet music to draw us into stillness. Following 20 minutes of silence, recorded music gently draws us out for another short scripture passage, followed by recitation of the Lord’s Prayer.

Quiet time begins at 12:15 p.m. and ends by 12:40 p.m., at which time all are invited to participate in a brown-bag lunch and conversation in the parlor. Everyone is welcome! Come join God in the quiet.

For more information: See the literature rack in the church parlor, or call Mavis Grant-Lilley, 304-599-2352 or Co-Pastor Kris Haig, 304-296-8236.