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At the heart of the First Presbyterian Church is our worshiping congregation affirming the inclusive love of God, which is made known through Jesus Christ. That love makes a difference in our lives and challenges us to make a difference in the world. We lift our voices in prayer and praise, and music moves and inspires us at a level deeper than mere words alone. Please click the button below to read the PCUSA Book Order introduction to Worship.
We welcome one and all to come join us for corporate worship each Sunday in our sanctuary at 10:00 a.m. You will experience a traditional Reformed liturgy of worship with contemporary relevance. Each Sunday’s service is ordered around the lessons chosen from the Revised Common Lectionary. The order of service and liturgy and music helps to focus us on the Good News of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and offers spiritual refreshment and social reorientation for the week ahead. All are welcome, saints and sinners, believers and doubters alike!
Using the Revised Common Lectionary, we move through the liturgical calendar and celebrate the various seasons and holidays with the larger church. The church year begins with the season of Advent, and moves through the holiday seasons of Christmas, Epiphany, Lent (beginning with Ash Wednesday), Holy Week (with Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services), Easter, Pentecost, Trinity and Ascension Day, then moves into “Ordinary Time,” a long period that moves through the summer until the end of the liturgical calendar with Christ the King Sunday. The cycle begins again with Advent. The FPCNC normally joins with the larger Church to observe these seasons and holidays, and also acknowledges throughout the year other special days like communion on the first Sunday of the month, World Communion Sunday in October, Stewardship Dedication (Walk Forward Sunday), and Sundays when we celebrate the sacrament of Baptism for both infants/children and/or adults who have come
to faith, and Confirmation Sunday.
We also offer the ministry of celebrating wedding services as well as memorial services for our loved ones.
Christian worship gives all glory and honor, praise and thanksgiving to the holy, tri- une God. We are gathered in worship to glorify the God who is present and active among us—particularly through the gifts of Word and Sacrament. We are sent out in service to glorify the same God who is present and active in the world.
God acts with grace; we respond with gratitude. God claims us as beloved children; we proclaim God’s saving love. God redeems us from sin and death; we rejoice in the gift of new life. This rhythm of divine action and human response—found throughout Scripture, human history, and everyday events—shapes all of Christian faith, life, and worship.
The Old Testament tells the story of God’s steadfast love from generation to genera- tion. To Adam and Eve, to Noah and his family, to Abraham and Sarah, to Moses and Aaron, and to the house of David, God made everlasting promises of faithfulness, calling the people to respond in faith. In the fullness of time, God made a new and everlasting covenant with us through Jesus Christ.
“Fully human, fully God”, Jesus Christ came into the world to show God’s love, to save us from sin, and to offer eternal, abundant life to all. Jesus is God’s Word: spoken at creation, promised and revealed in Scripture, made flesh to dwell among us, crucified and raised in power, interceding for the redemption of the world, returning in glory to judge and reign forever. Scripture is God’s Word: the Old and New Testaments together testify to Jesus Christ. Proclamation is God’s Word: we bear witness in word and deed to the good news of Christ our Savior.
The Holy Spirit is “the giver and renewer of life”, who instills our faith and enables us to follow Jesus Christ. The Scriptures describe how the Spirit moved at the dawn of creation, anointed Christ in baptism, raised Jesus from the dead, and was poured out on the Church at Pentecost. The same Spirit is still at work in the life of the Church and the life of the world.
In Christian worship Jesus Christ is truly present and active among us, by the power of the Holy Spirit, through the gifts of Word and Sacrament. Wherever the Scriptures are read and proclaimed and the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are celebrat- ed, the Church bears witness to Jesus Christ, the living Word, and proclaims the mystery of faith. Through these means of grace, God imparts and sustains our faith, orders our common life, and transforms the world. Through these same acts of worship, we share in the life of the Spirit, are united to Jesus Christ, and give glory to God.
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Thursdays from 3:30 – 5:00 pm
Bliss House Common Room
Special Church was founded in 1987 to provide a religious experience that is meaningful to Special Needs teens and adults. We gather in the Common Room for faith, fellowship and fun! Each gathering begins with Words of the Week followed by a craft or art project or an act of kindness. We conclude with 30 minutes of music and singing because every soul responds to music. All are welcome in this place of joy!
At First Presbyterian Church, weddings are occasions of both joy and reverence—joy because of the gifts of love and happiness that two people have found in each other, and reverence because of the deep commitment they have made to live out their vows under the grace of God. First Presbyterian Church is eager to help make your wedding a lovely and meaningful event and asks your careful attention to the following guidelines:
The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA) includes the following principles regarding marriage and weddings in the church:
Christian Marriage
In Baptism, each Christian is claimed in the covenant of God’s faithful love. Marriage is a gift God has given to all humankind for the well-being of the entire human family. Marriage involves a unique commitment between two people, to love and support each other for the rest of their lives. The sacrificial love that unites the couple sustains them as faithful and responsible members of the church and the wider community. In civil law, marriage is a contract that recognizes the rights and obligations of the married couple in society. In the Reformed tradition, marriage is also a covenant in which God has an active part, and which the community of faith publicly witnesses and acknowledges.
Preparing for Marriage
If they meet the requirements of the civil jurisdiction in which they intend to marry, a couple may request that a service of Christian marriage be conducted by a minister of the Word and Sacrament† in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), who is authorized, though not required, to act as an agent of the civil jurisdiction in recording the marriage contract. A couple requesting a service of Christian marriage shall receive instruction from the minister of the Word and Sacrament, who may agree to the couple’s request only if, in the judgment of the minister of the Word and Sacrament, the couple demonstrate sufficient understanding of the nature of the marriage covenant and commitment to living their lives together according to its values. In making this decision, the minister of the Word and Sacrament may seek the counsel of the session, which has authority to permit or deny the use of church property for a marriage service.
The Service
A wedding at First Presbyterian Church is an act of worship. Thus, the wedding service will be conducted according to the liturgy found in the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship. It is appropriate for the service to include special music, hymns, Scripture readings, and a brief homily by the minister. The presiding minister will review the order of service and appropriate options with the couple.
Presiding Minister & Organist
Ordinarily, a minister on the staff of First Presbyterian Church will be the presiding minister at all weddings. The presiding minister from First Presbyterian Church has primary responsibility for the order and conduct of the wedding service. Other clergy may participate at the invitation of the presiding minister. If you wish to include an assisting minister who is not on the staff of First Presbyterian Church, please make your request to the presiding minister.
The presiding minister designated to officiate at the service will contact the couple and set up an appointment to meet with them to counsel and to plan the service. Please know that his or her schedule may limit the minister’s participation to the rehearsal and the service, and therefore he or she may not be able to attend the rehearsal dinner or reception.
Ordinarily, our Director of Music and Fine Arts, Terence J. Flanagan, will be the organist at all weddings. He will work with you on all musical selections. If you wish to have an organist other than First Presbyterian’s, please make your request to Terry Flanagan at 203-408-2861 or via email at terry@fpcnc.org.
Readings
There is ordinarily one to two readings from the Bible in each wedding ceremony. A list of suggested appropriate passages will be provided to you by the presiding minister. Readings from outside of the Bible will need to be approved by the presiding minister from First Presbyterian Church.
Music
Because the wedding service is an act of worship, music should be sacred and appropriate for formal liturgical worship. Our Director of Music and Fine Arts, Terence J. Flanagan, will assist you in choosing appropriate music for your service. An additional fee will be charged for soloists and/or instrumentalists. Guest instrumentalists and soloists must be approved by our Director of Music and Fine Arts.
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