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
The Weight of Truth
We tend to think of truth as something we hold — a proposition to assert, a position to defend. But Scripture suggests something heavier. Truth is something that lands on you. It has weight. You don't simply state it; you carry it.
The Greek word aletheia means unconcealment — bringing into the open what was hidden. That tells us something uncomfortable: speaking truth is an act of exposure. Something gets uncovered that someone, somewhere, had an interest in keeping covered. And the one who does the uncovering becomes the problem.
This is why Jesus said "take up your cross" before he said "follow me." The sequence matters. The cross is not the surprise consequence of discipleship — it is the precondition he names from the start. Jesus did not merely speak truth; He was the Truth. His very presence was the uncovering. The cross was not chiefly about what He said, but about what He was.
The temptation the church caves to again and again is finding a way to speak truth that costs nothing — softening it, timing it, framing it so carefully the cross is avoided. Technically the words were said. But something essential was withheld.
Here is the hard mercy of it: the truth spoken toward the cross is usually the only truth with enough weight to do anything at all. Pilate's question still echoes — "What is truth?" The answer was standing in front of him, silent, already sentenced.