The Presbyterian Book
of Church Order describes worship and its role in a believer's life
as one of reciprocity.
Christians respond to God both in communal worship and service and in personal
acts of worship and discipleship. The lives of Christian disciples flow
from worship, which confirms our identity as believers and calls people
to a life of discipleship and personal response to God.
Through worship, people become aware of and responsive to the presence of
God in their life. The Word of God proclaimed and received in worship calls
each believer to faithful discipleship and service in the world. From such
service, the disciple turns to give thanks, to confess, to intercede, and
to hear Christ’s call anew. The rhythm of the life of the believer
moves from worship to ministry, from ministry to worship.
We welcome you to join us at
any of our three weekly worship services. All of our services are traditional.
We offer two worship services each Sunday, and a shorter, midweek service
most Wednedays. (Midweek services are not held around major holidays, such
as Thanksgiving.) The liturgy includes traditional Presbyterian creeds;
prayers of confession, intercession, and thanksgiving; anthems; and well-known
hymns of the church.
A sermon for young children is presented halfway through each service, after
which children ages 5 and older are escorted to Children‘s Church.
Church members usually present the children‘s sermon.
The weekly sermon at First Presbyterian Church is accompanied by relevant
scripture readings to help increase our understanding of the pastor‘s
message. Church members are invited to serve as scripture readers for either
the 8:30 or 11:00 a.m. service.
Music at the 11:00 a.m. service includes a full choir, accompanied by organ.
Performances by soloists, by our handbell choir, or by orchestral instruments
are regularly featured. See the Music pages for
more information.
Communion is offered once each quarter at the 8:30 and 11 a.m. worship services,
as well as at the Maundy Thursday evening service and the 11 p.m. Christmas
Eve service. Communion is offered to all professing Christians in attendance,
regardless of denomination.
Free childcare is provided during
the Church School hour (9:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.) and during the 11:00 a.m. worship
service each Sunday.
Sunday worship services are at 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Mid-week worship services are
held most Wednesdays at noon. Lunch follows at 12:30. Mid-week services
may be canceled around major holidays, such as Easter, Thanksgiving, and
Christmas.
Instructions
The sermons in our online archives are available to you in either .pdf or
.mp3 format. To access sermons in .pdf format, you must have either
Adobe® Acrobat® or the Adobe Acrobat Reader® installed on your computer. The reader is available
for free download at the Adobe Web site.
To access sermons in .mp3 format, you must have a sound card, speakers or a headset,
and an MP3 reader program, such as RealPlayer® or Windows Media Player®, installed on your computer.
To find out whether you have the necessary player installed, click one of the links to an
.mp3 file below, and follow the instructions provided. If you already have the required
software, your player will open and play the sermon. Otherwise, you'll see a link you can click to
download a free version of the player software.
Sermons by Dr. Ed McLeod
Letting The Garden Grow
July 17, 2005, by Ed McLeod; Scripture Lesson -- Matthew 7: 1-5; Matthew 13: 24-30
Who Invited John?
December 4, 2005, by Ed McLeod; Scripture Lesson -- Mark 1: 1-15
Blessed from Above
January 8, 2006, by Ed McLeod; Scripture Lesson -- Mark 1: 4-11
Lighten Up
February 18, 2007, by Ed McLeod; Scripture Lesson -- Matthew 5: 13-16
Hungering For More
February 25, 2007, by Ed McLeod; Scripture Lesson -- Luke 4: 1-13
The Greatest Story Ever Told
March 18, 2007, by Ed McLeod; Scripture Lesson -- Luke 15: 11-32
Losing Our Minds
April 1, 2007, by Ed McLeod; Scripture Lesson -- Philippians 2: 1-11
Reflecting the Resurrection
April 8, 2007, by Ed McLeod; Scripture Lesson -- John 20: 1-18
When Easter Sinks In
April 15, 2007, by Ed McLeod; Scripture Lesson -- Acts 2: 37-47
A Simple Question
May 13, 2007, by Ed McLeod; Scripture Lesson -- John 5:1-18
Never Alone
May 20, 2007, by Ed McLeod; Scripture Lesson -- John 14:8-31
The Challenge of Freedom
June 3, 2007, by Ed McLeod; Scripture Lesson -- Galatians 5:1
Hope Restored
June 10, 2007, by Ed McLeod; Scripture Lesson -- Luke 7:11-17
When Religion Gets Too Small
June 17, 2007, by Ed McLeod; Scripture Lesson -- Luke 7:36-50
Finding Our True Voice
June 24, 2007, by Ed McLeod; Scripture Lesson -- Galatians 3:23-29
Sermons by Sheila Barrick
What Matters Most
March 25, 2007, by Sheila Barrick; Scripture Lesson -- John 12: 1-8
God's Inclusive Love
May 6, 2007, by Sheila Barrick; Scripture Lesson -- Acts 11:1-18
Gathered By The Spirit
May 27, 2007, by Sheila Barrick; Scripture Lesson -- Acts 2: 1-21
Sermons by Bob Inskeep
But Wait, There's More!
February 11, 2007, by Bob Inskeep; Scripture Lesson -- 1 Corinthians 15: 1-5, 12-20
Sermons from 2006 FPC All-Church Retreat
God Has an Eye for Junk
March 2006, by Dr. Todd B. Jones; Scripture Lesson -- Isaiah 43:14-21; Luke 5:27-32
Live Like You Were Dying
March 2006, by Dr. Todd B. Jones; Scripture Lesson -- Deuteronomy 30:15-20; 1 Peter 4:7-11
On Not Losing Heart
March 2006, by Dr. Todd B. Jones; Scripture Lesson -- Jeremiah 31:27-34; Luke 18:1-8
The Race that Is Set before Us
March 2006, by Dr. Todd B. Jones; Scripture Lesson -- Isaiah 46:1-4; Hebrews 12:1-6