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
07/24/26
Feelings rise and fall like weather. One morning you wake up confident in God's promises; by afternoon, doubt or discouragement has quietly taken over. If we build our walk with God on emotion, we'll be as unstable as the emotions themselves. Galatians 5:16 says, "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." Notice the command isn't "feel the Spirit" but "walk" — a steady, deliberate, obedient action, regardless of what our emotions are telling us in the moment.
Feelings are reactive. They respond to circumstances, chemistry, sleep, and stress. The Spirit's leading is rooted in truth, unaffected by what happened five minutes ago. When Peter stepped out of the boat, his feelings screamed danger the moment he looked at the waves. Faith isn't the absence of feeling; it's choosing obedience even when feelings disagree.
This doesn't mean emotions are unimportant or sinful. God gave them to us, and Scripture is full of raw feeling — grief, joy, anger, longing. The danger comes when feelings become our compass instead of our passenger. Walking in the Spirit means checking our direction against God's Word and character, not our mood.
Practically, this looks like praying when you don't feel like praying, forgiving when you don't feel forgiving, and trusting when peace hasn't shown up yet. Obedience often precedes feeling, not the other way around.
Ask yourself today: am I following what the pace and let your feelings catch up.