About us
Who We Are
We are a gathering of diverse, broken people whose lives converge at the Cross of Christ. There we are made whole and become one with each other and with God, through faith in Jesus Christ. While his cross is the focal point of the church, our hearts are always “pointed” outward, toward our local community, where we seek to share God’s love and invite others into our faith family. There is always room for one more beloved, unique, child of God at First Presbyterian Church. As we like to say: all are welcome, always.
So, if you choose to visit our church, you can expect a warm welcome if you are single, married, or divorced. All those who are filthy rich, dirt poor, or yo no hablo ingles, grab a cup of coffee and make yourself at home. We extend a special welcome to those who are crying newborns, skinny as a rail, or could afford to lose a few pounds. We don’t care if you went to Lebanon, Western Boone, IU, Purdue, or none of the above. You are welcome here if you’re “just browsing,” just woke up, or just got out of jail. We don’t care if you’ve been in church every Sunday your whole life, or haven’t been since your niece’s baptism. We welcome those who are in recovery or still addicted. If you are gay, bi, trans, straight, come on in. This is the place for those who work way too hard, don’t work at all, can’t spell, or have a Ph.D. We welcome those who are inked, pierced, both, or neither. We offer a special welcome to those who could use a prayer right now, had religion shoved down your throat as a kid, or intended to visit the Baptist church and ended up here by mistake.
Most of all, we welcome YOU!
Guiding Vision
First Presbyterian Church is a gathering of imperfect people who worship and serve the God of perfect love. We believe God’s love creates and welcomes all, forgives the sin and heals the wounds that separate us, and offers hope for peace in a broken world.
In his life, death and resurrection, Jesus Christ reveals the fullness of God’s love and demonstrates God’s desire for reconciliation among all people. Through Christ, we are called together to be the church – proclaiming God’s love to all and participating in his mission of healing, reconciliation, and transformation for all of creation.
The work of the church is not of human effort, but is a reflection of our obedient response to God’s love at work within us. This perfect love gives us courage to seek God’s justice, to offer God’s mercy, and to be God’s love to others. We believe that Christ leads and sustains the church.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, the church is equipped and empowered to join Christ in his mission. To be a faithful presence of Christ in our community, First Presbyterian Church must be willing to use our God-given spiritual gifts and resources to glorify God, boldly following the Holy Spirit into an ever-changing world.
At the same time, God’s perfect love insists that we not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds, so that we may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
(Romans 12:2)
Therefore, we are compelled to become a faith community who:
Learns Continually
We endeavor to be a faith community where questions are invited and fears are understood as we learn to follow Jesus Christ - individually and as the church. Informed by Scripture and led by the Holy Spirit, our life-long learning journey may include classes, speakers, experiences, artistic expression, dialogue, and reflection. We believe expanded understanding inspires personal devotion and nurtures spiritual growth in our congregation.
Loves Abundantly
We seek to embody Christ’s reconciling love by becoming a faith community of genuine welcome and hospitality. This means we celebrate uniqueness, embrace diverse perspectives, and rejoice in the endless variety of gifts, talents, passions and personalities that God creates. We believe the church is truer to God’s design when all are participating in its life and mission, and our unity is stronger when we respect our diversity. At First Presbyterian Church, our shared life together integrates people of all ages, stages and theological perspectives into worship, prayer, fellowship and service.
Lives Faithfully
We strive to develop authentic relationships with others, especially people whose faith in human efforts has been weakened, in order to share the love and hope of Jesus Christ. Following Jesus' model of compassion and extending his unending grace, the church is called to care for those in need, feeding the physical and spiritual hungers of the world. We believe this happens best when there are no strangers among us - only neighbors humbly serving each other with mutual trust and respect. Therefore, we are committed to actively forming friendships and building bridges that connect people to God and to each other, so that together our living and serving reflects the presence of Christ in us all.