Worship has been described as "the primary work of the congregation." It is certainly critical in the life and ministry of the church. Worship is the one activity that involves the entire congregation. It is our primary contact with our community. When people are looking for a church they start by attending worship. And often it is worship that becomes the deciding factor in determining whether or not a person will continue a relationship with a church. Most people consider worship to be the primary motivation and encouragement for the life of faith.
At First Presbyterian worship is a vibrant blend of worship styles, music, the dramatic and visual arts, and participatory engagement of the congregation. Our aim is to capture the energy and spiritual quality of contemporary worship while embracing the richness of traditional worship.
Worship design and content are highly regarded at First Presbyterian. Staff resources are devoted to the careful planning of each service. We began 2025 with the annual worship theme: “Rooted in Faith, Growing in Grace”. A monthly theme is selected to support that theme. Recent themes include:
A Message From Pastor RJ Leek
11/28/25
In every life, storms come—illness, loss, betrayal, or simply the slow grind of hardship. Yet Scripture calls us to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Not for the pain itself, but for the God who never leaves us in it. Consider the Pilgrims. In 1620, 102 passengers sailed on the Mayflower seeking religious freedom. Winter was brutal. By spring, half were dead buried on a hill they tried to hide from native tribes. Hunger, scurvy, and freezing nights took mothers, fathers, and children. Still, when the first corn harvest came in 1621, Governor William Bradford proclaimed a feast of thanksgiving. With ninety Wampanoag guests, they ate wildfowl, venison, and corn for three days—not because sorrow had ended, but because God had preserved them. Two centuries later, another leader understood gratitude amid suffering. In 1863, America was tearing itself apart in Civil War. Over 600,000 would die. President Abraham Lincoln, grieving his own son and carrying a nation’s wounds, issued a proclamation making Thanksgiving a national holiday. On October 3, he called Americans to thank God for “fruitful fields and healthful skies,” even while “the awful calamity of civil war” raged. Lincoln knew gratitude is not denial of pain; it is defiance against despair. Today, your trial may feel like Plymouth’s winter or Gettysburg’s blood. Yet the same God who kept a remnant alive and moved a weary president to give thanks walks with you. Thank Him—not because everything is good, but because He is. “Though the fig tree does not bud… yet I will rejoice in the Lord” (Habakkuk 3:17-18). Choose gratitude. It is the song of the redeemed in every storm.