Serving the Church
A caring, involved church family
“Love one another as I have loved you.” We try to put Jesus’ word into action at First Pres by actively loving each other through relationships of caring, kindness, and service.
We serve each other at church by bringing our gifts into worship, teaching Sunday School, providing Fellowship after the worship service, or serving on various Committees and Governing Bodies.
Our Ministries
Deacons
Our deacons are very involved in providing care, friendship and support to all members, as well as friends, of our congregation. They do visits and phone call, provide meals, write cards and provide some financial assistance to members in need.
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Participation in Worship
We invite our adults and children to participate in worship through
– Being a lay liturgist for the day
– Being a greeter or an usher
– Providing special music
– Singing in our choir
Our Music
Music is the beating heart of our church, and we are proud of its long history of excellence.
Chancel Choir
Rehearsals on Wednesday nights at 7 pm The Chancel Choir is composed of adults ranging in age from their 20s to their 80s! The choir regularly performs music from the traditional, to new and contemporary, and speaks to the hearts of many in our worship services. We welcome new voices at any time to join this fun-loving and committed group.
Opportunities for Children Each week the children of our church rehearse during a portion of the Sunday School hour. They grace our worship with their music several times throughout the program year. On the Sunday before Christmas, all our children — preschool through high school — perform in a Christmas pageant, a theatrical performance featuring costumes and music to celebrate the season.
Sharing Music with the Community We are also dedicated to sharing our music across the greater Elgin ecumenical community. The Chancel Choir joins many other churches in the area on special occasions. Our children join with others in the Elgin area for our annual Summer Music Camp – one of the highlights of our children’s outreach and mission program. It is truly a unique and meaningful experience for everyone involved!
Learn moreServing Our Neighbors
"Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."
— Matthew 25:40We are a Matthew 25 church. Matthew 25:31–46 calls all of us to actively engage in the world around us, so our faith comes alive, and we wake up to new possibilities, and guides everything this congregation is doing, living out the church’s mission through bold and compassionate discipleship. The movement invites you to engage in three core pillars: building congregational vitality, dismantling structural racism, and eradicating systemic poverty. The Matthew 25 movement’s three intersectional priorities include addressing climate change, militarism, gender justice, and heteropatriarchy. These priorities are intertwined with our core pillars, recognizing that true transformation requires a holistic approach to justice and compassion. Join us in this journey of faith and action. Together, we can make a profound impact and bring the vision of a just and loving world to life. We address systemic poverty through our Community Garden, serving at the Soup Kettle, Bienvenidos, and personal advocacy. All of these labors of love build our vitality as a community of faith. We are involved in dismantling structural racism by first looking at ourselves and through engaging in book studies that help discern our own biases. Because we believe racism is sin, we answer the call to love as Jesus loves us.
Our Three Core Pillars
Building Congregational Vitality
Dismantling Structural Racism
Eradicating Systemic Poverty
Our Community Initiatives
Our annual music camp includes children from completed kindergarten through 6th grade. Any child is welcome to attend the week-long FREE day camp! At the end of the fun-filled week, a performance is given on Friday night. It is a hugely successful experience for children throughout the Elgin area and beyond! For more information, call the church office or Deborah Walters.
Register for Camp
Bienvenidos
Bienvenidos is an ecumenical group that formed out of concern for housing issues, especially for new arrival immigrants in the community. We work in strong relationship with Centro de Información, who is a non-profit organization who is committed to supporting, bridging and providing services to become a safe, strong, healthy, and sustainable community that ensures equitable opportunities and cultural exchange, empowering future generations.
This group has evolved to address needs related to housing, including providing necessities for moving into an apartment, some furniture and financial assistance.
Register for Camp
Church Partnerships
The Covenant Network of Presbyterians is a broad-based, national group of clergy and lay leaders working for a church that is simultaneously faithful, just, and whole. The Covenant Network seeks to:
- support the mission and unity of the Presbyterian Church (USA);
- articulate and act on the church’s historic, progressive vision;
- work for a fully inclusive church;
- find ways to live out the graciously hospitable gospel by living together with all our fellow members in the PC(USA).
- Centro de Información
- Volunteering one Sunday a month at a local Soup Kettle, both helping to prepare and serve the meal
- Bienvenidos Group
- Donating clothing to the YWCA Resale Shop
- Elgin’s Gay Pride
- A.D.S. of Elgin (Local emergency shelter)
- Food for Greater Elgin
- Elgin CROP Walk
- Church World Service – providing school kits
- Salvation Army – Holiday Pajama Drive
- Bread for the World Letter Writing campaign to Congress
- Purchasing and sending books to a Nicaraguan library and schools
- Elgin Community Crisis Center
- Martin Luther King Jr. Food Drive
Our Commitment to Welcoming Immigrants
At First Presbyterian Church, we believe that God calls us to welcome the stranger, love our neighbors, and seek justice for all people. Rooted in the teachings of Jesus Christ and guided by the policies of the Presbyterian Church (USA), we stand with immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers as they journey toward safety, stability, and hope. The Bible reminds us:
Deuteronomy 10:19
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"You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt."
Matthew 25:35
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"I was a stranger and you welcomed me."
As a Matthew 25 congregation, we commit to living out Christ’s call by:
Welcoming immigrants into our faith community with open arms and hearts.
Advocating for just and compassionate immigration policies that honor the dignity of all people.
Supporting immigrant families with tangible resources, legal aid connections, and pastoral care.
Building Relationships that foster mutual understanding, cultural appreciation, and shared faith.
PC(USA)
The PC(USA) affirms that all people, regardless of nationality or status, bear the image of God. Our denomination has long advocated for humane immigration policies, recognizing that migration is often a matter of survival. We stand with those seeking refuge and commit to being a place of sanctuary, love, and justice. First Presbyterian – Elgin stands as a place of sanctuary and justice. We will not permit ICE, Homeland Security, or bounty hunters to enter our sacred space without a judicial warrant signed by a duly elected judge within the past 30 days. We also remind our community of their rights:
Know Your Rights:
- You have the right to remain silent
- You do not have to open your door without a judicial warrant
- You have the right to speak to an attorney