In a complex and ever changing world, our mission outreach efforts focus on sharing our gifts and spreading God’s love to our neighbors and to the world God made and loves. These efforts are one way in which we fulfill the “Transform Lives” responsibilities of our mission statement.

 

Come BE Mission at First Pres

What is mission? How would you describe mission to a friend who doesn’t go to church?

When we describe mission only as “doing” we reduce and limit mission to a transaction – we have more and you have less, so we’ll give you more, so you have more. However, when we describe mission as “being” we add relationship and joy and spiritual growth. Mission is not just doing good for the sake of doing good. Because we are all children of God, mission is being Christ in the world AND receiving Christ from the world, from those whom we serve.

Our Mission Partners are a vital part of the First Pres community. Their partnership allows us to share our gifts of time, talent, and resources to create positive change as we work to become a more faithful community.

 

Hunger and Poverty

We follow Christ’s lead as disciples and feed those who come to the table. To relieve hunger and help break the cycle of homelessness, we work with a number of nonprofit community agencies that help put families back on their feet with counseling, job-hunting assistance, safe shelter, food, and transitional housing.

 

Mental Health

Through our Mission Partners and special events we provide year-round support to a variety of organizations that help build self-sufficiency, strengthen low-income families, build important skills, and promote physical and emotional health and wellness.

 

Education

Encouraging literacy, helping at-risk high school students graduate with employable skills, and helping students stay in touch with their Christian heritage are the three primary goals of our support to education.

 

Christian Ministry

Through our Mission Partners, we seek to sustain and advance Christianity around the world. We support the work of Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) and its Presbytery, Synod, and General Assembly, which support clergy, churches, service and witness, ecumenical partnerships, and mission recruitment.

 

Global Neighbors

We also support our local and global Christian neighbors in many ways as well.  Of note is our joy-filled, fruitful relationship with our friends in Central Church of Africa Presbyterian (CCAP), Katawa congregation in Malawi.  We are grateful for the ongoing exchange of gifts and prayers between our churches.