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
11/01/26
The Danger of Sacred Cows
Every church has them. Some are a pew someone has sat in for forty years, a hymn we must sing every Easter, a program that hasn't changed since 1985, or the way "we've always done it." They're called sacred cows, things we treat as untouchable, though God never made them holy.
Scripture gives us a striking example. In the wilderness, God told Moses to make a bronze serpent so that anyone bitten could look at it and live (Numbers 21). It was a genuine instrument of grace. But seven centuries later, Israel was burning incense to it. King Hezekiah broke it into pieces and called it Nehushtan, "a piece of bronze" (2 Kings 18:4). Something God once used had become something people worshiped.
That is how sacred cows work. They rarely begin as bad things. They begin as blessings. Over time, though, our affection moves from the God who gave the blessing to the blessing itself. Jesus warned the Pharisees that they had abandoned God's commandment to hold on to human tradition (Mark 7:8).
Sacred cows are dangerous because they divide congregations, shut out newcomers, and drain energy that belongs to the mission of the gospel. Worst of all, they quietly take the place that belongs to Christ alone.
Our Reformed heritage calls the church semper reformanda, always being reformed by the Word of God. That means we hold our traditions with open hands. The question is never "Is this how we've always done it?" but "Does this still point people to Jesus?"