Who are we?
Since 1869, the First Presbyterian Church at Dayton has been a gathering place for the Christian community – drawing people in to experience the Word and sending people out as the bearers of God's light.
The people that make up this family of faith represent a multitude of things. Some can trace their family history to the church's earliest days, with third generations now coming into leadership. Some have been here for a time, raising their children up through Sunday school and into young adulthood. Some have been here for years because this is where they have found friends. Some are brand new to the community.
Some are here because being a Presbyterian is part of their self-definition. Some come from other faith traditions, having no idea what a Presbyterian is. Some have never been to church before, walking through the doors out of a longing to live into the belief that God knows and cares for them. All who come through these doors become part of this community, shaping it through their presence, prayer and praise. It is Scripture that explains how this is possible:
You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts – limbs, organs, cells – but no matter how many parts you can name, you're still one body. It's exactly the same with Christ……A body isn't just a single part blown up into something huge. It's all the different-but similar parts arranged and functioning together…..no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of….What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place…. The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don't, the parts we see and the parts we don't. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If you part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance. (1 Corinthians 12, select verses)*
We are children of God, of different ages, abilities, races and orientations. We are seekers and sojourners who share and serve. We are the First Presbyterian Church at Dayton, where friends congregate. There is a place for you here.
*Scripture is taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright @ 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
The people that make up this family of faith represent a multitude of things. Some can trace their family history to the church's earliest days, with third generations now coming into leadership. Some have been here for a time, raising their children up through Sunday school and into young adulthood. Some have been here for years because this is where they have found friends. Some are brand new to the community.
Some are here because being a Presbyterian is part of their self-definition. Some come from other faith traditions, having no idea what a Presbyterian is. Some have never been to church before, walking through the doors out of a longing to live into the belief that God knows and cares for them. All who come through these doors become part of this community, shaping it through their presence, prayer and praise. It is Scripture that explains how this is possible:
You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts – limbs, organs, cells – but no matter how many parts you can name, you're still one body. It's exactly the same with Christ……A body isn't just a single part blown up into something huge. It's all the different-but similar parts arranged and functioning together…..no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of….What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place…. The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don't, the parts we see and the parts we don't. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If you part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance. (1 Corinthians 12, select verses)*
We are children of God, of different ages, abilities, races and orientations. We are seekers and sojourners who share and serve. We are the First Presbyterian Church at Dayton, where friends congregate. There is a place for you here.
*Scripture is taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright @ 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.