What’s worship like here at First Presbyterian Church?
When you first visit, you’ll notice we are a fairly small church. Since we have about forty to fifty people who worship on an average Sunday, it’s not a place where you’ll fall through the cracks or be overwhelmed by a crowd.
Our worship style would be considered traditional due to our use of piano, hymn book and a somewhat formal order of worship, but we also enjoy the use of guitars and some praise and worship or contemporary music most Sundays. The word “traditional” may put words like “stuck,” “rigid,” or “stuffy” in your mind, but that’s not us! Despite a traditional form of worship our atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming. We are quite comfortable clapping and laughing.
Our pastor’s sermons are biblically based and encouraging. You will find yourself both challenged and comforted by his messages. His first hope is to express the truth that Jesus came to “love the ‘heaven’ into people,” rather than “scare the ‘hell’ out of them.” His second hope is to help those who recognize the amazing love of Jesus know how to respond.
Other opportunities you’ll find at First Presbyterian Church:
- Child care is available for young children during worship.
- The women of the church form “PW” (“Presbyterian Women”). They fellowship and study together, as well as raise money for various mission projects.
- A youth group is available for middle and high school students.
- Opportunities to hang out together are created by an active Fellowship Committee.
- We host a “GriefShare” program for those who have lost a loved one. (Thursdays at 10 a.m.)
- If a month has a fifth Sunday, we use that Sunday to worship God through service. This is called “Helping Hands Sunday.” We break into unique small groups who go out to serve. Groups have done things such as visit those in nursing homes, write letters to prisoners, create gifts to offer to those who serve our community, pick up trash along Mena roads, and repair homes of less fortunate Mena residents. You would be welcome to join whichever group best fits your skills and temperament.
Other fellowship and mission opportunities that arise during the year may be found on our events page.
What are you seeking?
If you are looking for a small dedicated family of faith who are trying to live life well together, then we may be just the place for you! We may not have tons of programs as many larger churches do, but we do have a lot of love and care for those who join us, as well as for our Mena community. We also have an earnest desire to honor God and to grow in our faith.
Sometimes people are hesitant to attend a church because they feel they need to “clean up their act” before coming. That’s not something you need to worry about here! Just come as you are. None of us are perfect, so we don’t expect you to be either. We know there is a good chance you are seeking a church with hopes of either 1) self-improvement, or 2) finding loving Christian people to whom you can relate. If so, come on and visit us! Incidentally, there is no dress code. Most of us dress fairly casual.
What denomination are we?
First Presbyterian Church is part of The Presbyterian Church (USA). Our denominational roots go back to the Protestant Reformation; specifically to John Calvin. We are considered part of the “reformed” tradition. Reformed churches place a strong emphasis on God’s grace through Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.
To learn more about the PC(USA) denomination, click here.
To learn about our denomination’s historic roots, click here.
QUESTIONS?
If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to email us or call our church office at (479) 394-3583. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Hope you’ll join us soon!
