Our Vision
Our Building
Worship Life
Pastoral Care
Christian Ed
Opportunities to Serve 

First Presbyterian Church, Chatham has represented Presbyterianism in this area since 1834. The present sanctuary was completed in 1893 with the bell tower and accompanying meeting rooms being added in 1928. It is located at the corner of Fifth and Wellington in downtown Chatham and is one of Chatham’s beautiful historical sites. 

Our Vision
To be a community that wholeheartedly loves, serves and shares Jesus Christ with each other and the world. 

Our Core Values

Relevance

·        We are committed to sharing the unchanging Gospel in fresh and up-to-date ways to an ever-changing culture.

Life Change

·        We are convinced that life-change happens in the heart of an individual as a result of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

·        We will encourage people to experience Christ’s influence in all areas of their lives.

Worship

·          We believe that worship is an integral part of the Christian life and is based on the authority of scripture.

·          We believe effective worship provides an experience of God that leads to personal transformation.

Evangelism

·        We joyfully fulfill Christ’s call to share the Gospel message to a hurting world in need of God.

Prayer

·        We believe that prayer is the essential ingredient in shaping personal relationships with God.

·        We believe that an effective church relies on the power of prayer.

Service

·        Mission (local and international) as commanded by Jesus is an integral part of our purpose as a church. 

·        We believe that “faith without works is dead”

Spiritual Development

·        Our faith is a journey…it starts at birth and continues on after death.

·        We are committed to helping people develop their faith at all stages in life.

·        We will encourage people to lead others in spiritual development.

Community

·        We value an inter-generational community that engages people of all ages and supports their spiritual development through shared faith, love, and fellowship.

·        We strongly believe that our Christian faith is best shared and nurtured in community.

·        We aim to fully understand what Jesus means by “loving others as he loves us.”

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Our Building
Constructed in 1893, First Presbyterian Church is a stately brick structure located in the heart of downtown Chatham.  Its stained glass windows and impressive architecture add to the beauty of the downtown core.  First Presbyterian Church remains on of the oldest buildings in the city.

The large sanctuary, which seats about seven hundred people, is an impressive place of worship. Central is the beautiful  Casavant pipe organ that was installed in 1969. Many stained glass windows, solid oak pews, and three balconies enhance the worshipful quality of the sanctuary.  A new sound system and platform are being considered to meet the needs of a growing congregation and increased musical participation in the worship services by our children, teens, praise band and choir.

Behind the main sanctuary is the Christian Education area, which includes classrooms, recreation/meeting area, office, lounges and choir room. The Christian Education area includes the renovated "Children's Garden" where our grades JK to 5 meet.

The lower hall holds 150-200 people and is used frequently for anniversary dinners, Men's Club breakfasts, pancake suppers as well as a weekly Saturday Breakfast program. The kitchen was completely renovated by the Men's Club. Also included in the lower hall is the nursery and the Toddler's Room. 

In preparation for its 100-Year Anniversary, a major restoration project was undertaken. This project included replacing the original slate roof with new slate, copper eaves, exterior paint window repair and pigeon control. The total cost of this project was $550,000, which was paid off in 1997.

In 1998, the congregation gave its approval for the installation of an elevator, upgrading of washrooms, parking lot, doors, addition of ramps and other work necessary to make the church fully accessible. The total cost of this project was $160,000 , which was paid off in 2000.

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Worship Life
Our worship style is a blend of the traditional and the contemporary.  Ron Reeve, our music director and organist leads a talented team of singers and musicians who are members of the Choir, Praise Team, and 24/Seven band. We praise God with hymns and with the latest contemporary worship music.  

First Presbyterian Church has taken a new direction in how it does church.  First Presbyterian has existed for over 170 years, and Mike, our minister, has stepped into a noble tradition of witnessing for Christ in our community.  Yet... the times, they are a-changing.  These new times provide us with the awesome challenge to do things in new ways to reach people for Jesus Christ.  The message of salvation never changes, but the way we communicate it has to make sense to people in our society today. 

Our atmosphere on Sundays is relaxed.  Dress is casual, and Mike leads the way by example!

Mike preaches in every-day language on topics that relate to God and impact our daily life. At FPC we believe that Jesus Matters, and that he changes lives and the world.

If you come to FPC, you will see that kids are involved in the worship life of our church.  Children and teens serve in our music ministry on a weekly basis.  We welcome children at the communion table, and once a month we have a Family Service in which the music is led by the 24/Seven band, and Mike interacts with and teaches our children, teens and adults alike.  If you have children, please check out our Family Ministry link to see what we have to offer in our Sunday School.

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Pastoral Care

Pastoral Care is one of the important ministries in any church.  Jesus teaches us to love one another, and so we firmly believe that one of the greatest benefits of being part of a Christian community is the love and care we receive from one another.

Our Pastoral Care Team is comprised of members of our congregation whose gifts of mercy enable them to care for people in need of support.  This growing team is responsible for helping our minister with hospital visitation and follow-up, as well as visiting our shut-ins in their homes and nursing homes, and providing more long-term pastoral care to members of our congregation.

Pastoral concerns can be phoned into the office (352-2313) and the pastoral team will be contacted immediately.

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Christian Ed
Spiritual growth and maturity are the goals for young and old at FPC.  Jesus is a transforming force in the lives of his followers, and so when it comes to learning to walk with Jesus and sharing his love with others: we believe we can never get enough!

We thank God for a growing youth ministry at FPC!  Please refer to our Family Ministries link on our home page to see curriculum descriptions for every age group.   We are revamping the way we do Sunday School based on the Family Ministry models developed by churches which recognize that parents are the prime spiritual influence in the lives of their children.  To that end,  we are working toward creating venues in which parents and children can grow in faith together to better maximize the spiritual development of our youth here at FPC

Bible studies run continuously throughout the year.  Our motto in Christian Education for young and old is simple: Re-formation, not just information!, because as author Terry Wardle observes: Too many Christians are over-informed, yet are under-transformed. With that in mind, our aim is to promote the transformation that Jesus brings about in the lives of his followers.

Bible Studies include:

• A traditional Bible study runs on Wednesday mornings 10:00-11:00 p.m.  Everyone is welcome - come and enjoy an in-depth look at specific books in the Bible, and how their message applies to us today.

• Evening Video Series and Discussion   Runs periodically throughout the year, covering a number of topics important to Christian living.  (Usually 6 - 8 weeks.  Wednesday evenings.)

• Women's Bible Study.  Wednesday evenings 7:30-9:00 p.m.  Baby-sitting provided as needed.  Please call the office (352-2313) for information.

• Christianity 101.  A four-week series on what Christianity is all about. Sessions are two hours in length - includes watching a video and discussion times.  This course will run as necessary.