What We Believe

Grounded in Gratitude

“In life and in death we belong to God. Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel, whom alone we worship and serve.”

– from a Brief Statement of Faith

At the core of Presbyterian identity is a secure hope in the grace of God in Jesus Christ, a hope that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, empowers us to live lives of gratitude: “In affirming with the earliest Christians that Jesus is Lord, the Church confesses that he is its hope, and that the Church, as Christ’s body, is bound to his authority and thus free to live in the lively, joyous reality of the grace of God.” (Book of Order F-1.0204)

While Presbyterians are part of the holy catholic (universal) church, affirming the Nicene and Apostles’ creeds, Presbyterians are distinct in two ways. First, we are rooted in the Reformed tradition and second, our form of government encourages an active, representational leadership consisting of both minister and church members.

First Presbyterian Church is a member of the Presbyterian Church USA. We are connected with thousands of churches who work together in order to make this world better. You can find out more about the PCUSA by clicking on the denominational seal below.

“In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity” ~ Peter Meuderlinus