First Church is a laid back church. We try not to take ourselves too seriously or to be too judgmental. We are a mid-sized church with a heavy emphasis on Christian Education, Children’s Ministry, Music and the Arts, Outreach and Christian Service, and Youth Ministry. Our worship services are generally traditional.

There are many elements that your great-grandmother would recognize – from the use of our magnificent pipe organ to the unison recitation of Prayers and Creeds.  We also are not afraid of singing some traditional hymns from the 18th and 19th Centuries.

However, our church community has not been completely cut-off from modernity. We project most
elements of our service using high definition projectors and large flat screen monitors. We occasionally supplement our sermons with a short video clip. We blend some of our worship with newer musical elements and use a variety of instruments in our worship services, such as cello, harp, violin, brass, guitar, upright bass, bells, piano, and drums. We also welcome full participation from our church.  It is not uncommon to see a young child read Scripture or sing a song or enjoy a young adult or teenager
preaching the sermon.

Our church members are diverse theologically.  We have both Progressive and Conservative members in attendance on Sunday mornings, who may disagree with one another, but have learned to forge bonds of Christian affection for one another.

Finally, all of our ministries are open to non-members of the church.  We have members of other churches who attend First Church regularly, sing in the choir, ring the bells in the bell choir, and receive the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion.  There is no pressure to join if you feel more  comfortable maintaining your formal membership elsewhere or if you don’t want to join any church community.

If you are looking for a church that doesn’t easily fit into one mode and dares to be a little different, than First Church may be the right choice for you.  We enjoy you to come and visit.

– In Christ, Jim Hardy, Pastor