Mission, History & More

Who we are

We are a community of faith “In Service to All God’s Children and Their Families.”  Whoever you are you’re a child of God. We welcome you to join us as we gather in Christ to encounter and worship God, seek spiritual growth through Christian education, join in mutual fellowship and support, and reach out in mission to our community and beyond.  Words that describe us include hospitality, caring, centrality of the Triune God and the Bible, missions, service, giving, teaching, accepting, inclusive, faithful, church as family, can-do attitude, respectful of the past. 

What we believe

Our Mission: in service to all God's children and their families

The people of First Presbyterian Church are called by God through Jesus Christ to renewal, spiritual growth and service. All are accepted, loved, and cared for in a Christ-like manner.
Our core beliefs are in agreement with those of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), as stated below:
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.

​God comes to us in free and undeserved favor in the person of Jesus Christ who lived, died, and rose for us that we might belong to God and serve Christ in the world. Following Jesus, Presbyterians are engaged in the world and in seeking thoughtful solutions to the challenges of our time.

​Presbyterians affirm that God comes to us with grace and love in the person of Jesus Christ, who lived, died, and rose for us so that we might have eternal and abundant life in him. As Christ’s disciples, called to ministry in his name, we seek to continue his mission of teaching the truth, feeding the hungry, healing the broken, and welcoming strangers. God sends the Holy Spirit to dwell within us, giving us the energy, intelligence, imagination, and love to be Christ’s faithful disciples in the world.
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For more about the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), click here.

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Where we come from

First Church has been engaged in ministry for more than two centuries through regular worship, Christian formation, and mission outreach.  In 1913, Liberty Street Cumberland Presbyterian Church (established in 1826) merged with First Presbyterian Church (established in 1841).
The present building was erected in 1888.  First Presbyterian is the only church included in the Harry S. Truman Historical District.  The church is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places and is site No. 19 in the American Presbyterian/Reformed Historic Sites Registry. Harry Truman attended Sunday school and met Bess Wallace at here.

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Learn about the discipleship pathway