“Behold! I am doing a new thing!” – Isaiah 43:19
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
It is not an easy task to navigate the twists and the turns of the modern religious landscape. The church no longer occupies its traditional role as the social center of the community. Today, the church finds itself in competition with a variety of other social outlets. While religious attitudes continue to evolve in our nation, numerous Christian beliefs and theological perspectives clamor for attention. As such, the church finds itself on a renewed quest for identity in the 21st century, asking, “Who are we? What do we believe? How does God call us to serve the Lord in our day and age?”
Uncertainty can often lead to anxiety and confusion, which underscores the need for a strong foundation of faith. Presbyterians belong to a proud Christian tradition which traces our roots through the Protestant Reformation, a movement which continues to this day! It is a tradition which is wholly unafraid to use God’s gifts of knowledge and critical thinking to ask difficult and demanding questions about faith and the church’s role in the world. We affirm the freedom of individual conscience in the life of the believer, recognizing our mutual calling to be found in community, not conformity. As a body of faith, we rely upon the guidance of Word and Spirit as we constantly search for new opportunities to glorify God through service to others.
First Presbyterian Church of Waynesboro is a congregation that has known what it means to struggle. Due to a variety of recent controversies within our Presbyterian Church (USA) denomination, our congregation has experienced turbulence which has taken a heavy toll on our membership. In many ways, we are starting over from scratch. Yet with the past now firmly behind us, we understand how we have emerged from this experience as a stronger, more confident, more hopeful body of faith, and it is reflected in the kindness and generosity of our people.
If you enjoy thoughtful and engaging worship, wonderful music, as well as a warm and supportive community, then First Presbyterian Church of Waynesboro may just be for you. Of course, there are many wonderful churches in the Waynesboro area where you can easily make a contribution, yet if you want to make a difference, you should really consider giving our congregation a try. We have a simple rule: If you come to First Presbyterian Church of Waynesboro, YOU WILL BE WELCOME! And so we invite you to come put us to the test.
You don’t have to have all the answers.
You don’t have to have everything figured out.
Simply feel free to accompany us as we walk this road together.
“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.” – II Corinthians 5:17-19