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
04/17/26
2025 Old Testament Archaeology
Illuminating the World of the Hebrew Bible
Archaeologists in 2025 made several remarkable discoveries that illuminate the historical and cultural world of the Old Testament — especially Judah's dealings with neighboring empires, Jerusalem's ancient water systems, and the age of the biblical text itself. Here are five highlights worth knowing.
1 Assyrian Cuneiform Near the Temple Mount
A tiny pottery sherd (about 1 inch) bearing Akkadian cuneiform was found near Jerusalem's Temple Mount — the first known First Temple–period Assyrian text discovered in the city. The inscription appears to be a royal demand for overdue tribute from the king of Judah, with a deadline tied to the month of Av. The clay itself traces back to the Tigris region, confirming Assyrian origin. It's a vivid, physical echo of the pressure described in Kings and Isaiah.
2 Monumental Iron Age Dam at the Pool of Siloam
A massive dam structure near the Pool of Siloam — roughly 40 feet high, 26 feet wide, and at least 69 feet long — managed water from the Gihon Spring into the Siloam reservoir. Radiocarbon dating places its construction around 805–795 BCE, during the reigns of Joash or Amaziah of Judah. The scale of the engineering reflects the kind of royal investment in Jerusalem's infrastructure that the biblical text describes but rarely gets this kind of direct confirmation.
3 AI and the Age of the Dead Sea Scrolls
A PLOS One study combined radiocarbon dating with an AI model called "Enoch" — trained on ancient handwriting styles — and applied it to 135 scroll fragments. The results suggest many scrolls, including biblical fragments like Daniel, may be 50–100 years older than previously estimated, with some dating to the late 4th or 3rd century BCE. This pushes back our picture of when parts of the Old Testament were being copied and circulated.
4 Egyptian Forces at Megiddo (Pharaoh Necho & King Josiah)
Excavations at Tel Megiddo uncovered the largest concentration of Egyptian pottery at any non-coastal site in the southern Levant, along with eastern Greek wares — likely evidence of an Egyptian garrison with Greek mercenaries. The layer dates to the late 7th century BCE, perfectly matching the account in 2 Kings 23 and 2 Chronicles 35, where Pharaoh Necho II passes through Megiddo and Josiah is killed. Archaeology and text align here with remarkable precision.
5 Moabite Inscription at Ancient Jericho
A potsherd bearing early Moabite script was found at Tell es-Sultan (biblical Jericho). Its style and dialect link it to the Mesha Stele, suggesting a 9th-century BCE date. Found near destruction layers, it points to Moabite presence in the lower Jordan Valley — consistent with Judges 3 and the account of Moabite King Eglon's domination over the region.
Dig after dig, the world of Scripture keeps coming up out of the ground. The Bible doesn't need archaeology to be true — but it's a wonderful gift when the shovel agrees with the text.
— Pastor RJ