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
05/29/26
T
[the knotted tassels with a blue cord — hanging from the corner of a prayer shawl or tallit.]
In the Torah, God commands His people to wear tassels on the corners of their garments, with a special cord of blue woven in, "so that, when you see it, you will remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them" (Numbers 15:38–40). The blue thread, called tekhelet, was a costly dye used in the Tabernacle fabrics and the high priest's robes—a color that pointed to the sky above and to the heavenly throne of God. Each glance at that flash of blue was a reminder: "You belong to the King of heaven. Walk in His ways."
The Gospels tell of a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years (Mark 5; Luke 8). Shut out from worship and community, she had spent everything and only gotten worse. When she heard that Jesus was passing by, she said, "If I only touch the fringe of His garment, I will be made well." She doesn't grab His hand or His sleeve; she reaches for the tassels—those blue-threaded reminders that this rabbi lives under the authority of Israel's God.
In that desperate moment, her fingers find the fringe, and power goes out from Jesus. We may not wear blue tassels today, but we are still invited to "reach for the fringe"—to bring our weariness to the One whose holiness is also mercy, and whose slightest touch makes us whole.