Welcome to
First Presbyterian
Whether you are just looking us up for the first time or have been engaged in the ministries of the congregation for a lifetime, welcome to First Pres on the web!
Sunday Service Schedule
- Worship – 9:30 am
- Coffee and Refreshments – 10:30 am
IMPORTANT UPDATE Regarding COVID-19 (Virtual Only Worship Temporarily)
All in-person First Pres events and gatherings, including worship, are temporarily suspended to do our part to slow the spread of COVID-19.
By taking this action, we are living out our faith and following Jesus Christ’s example of placing the needs of the most vulnerable first. We continue to share God’s love and grow in faith through virtual gatherings, phone calls, cards, feeding ministries and more.
We are thankful to all our partners and neighbors in the community also doing their part to “Stay Smart-And Stay (Physically) Apart.”
In Christ,
Pastor Kendra Grams
View details on how to join our virtual-only worship service via Zoom.
- View the order of service here. If you will be on the phone we encourage you to keep a copy of the order of service handy, so that you will have the lyrics to sing along on hymns.
- Email Pastor Kendra your prayers of joy and concern by 8 am Sunday (or enter them in the Zoom chat during worship) for inclusion in our shared prayers.
- Gather some bread and a cup (of whatever is common to your house) so we may share communion together. Christ will bless whatever we gather and share at our tables, just as Christ blessed the common bread and cup at the table with the disciples long ago.
WE’RE HIRING-Seeking a Family-Intergenerational Ministries Coordinator
We are seeking a Family-Intergenerational Ministries Coordinator to coordinate opportunities for young people and their families to grow in faith and share God’s love and opportunities for the entire congregation to be in ministry to and with young people and their families. View the full job description here.
Featured Ministries
Upcoming Events
Stories
Grant Awarded for Sanctuary Upgrades to Support Permanent Virtual Worship Option
One unanticipated blessing of moving to virtual only worship (due to COVID-19) has been worshiping with members of our church family who have previously been unable to worship in person: the permanently homebound, those who have been hospitalized, and/or who have moved to other parts of the country (seasonally or permanently). Whenever we are able to return safely to worship in-person, we do not want to lose these life-giving connections.
Accordingly, we are planning for an ongoing hybrid worship experience, where those worshipping in the sanctuary would be able to see and interact with those worshipping via Zoom, and those worshipping remotely via Zoom would be able to see and interact with siblings in Christ gathered in the sanctuary.
We are thankful for a Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area Congregational Development Grant which will help us upgrade some technology in the sanctuary to make this a seamless worship experience for all.
2020 Give It Away Garden Harvest
Moving forward in faith, despite the uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Give It Away garden was planted last spring, and recently put to bed for the winter, but in the interim, yielded 80+ pounds of veggies (green beans, swish chard, squash, zucchini, cabbage, onions, and more) for neighbors visiting the Hudson Food Shelf. Many thanks to all who helped tend the garden (while maintaining physical distance and masking as needed) and to local gardeners who donated plants!
New Trees and Shrubs Planted in Care of God’s Creation
This fall, several new trees and indigenous shrubs were planted on the west side of the church property as part of our continuing efforts to care for God’s creation. Gifts made in memory of Jim Franz and funds from our 2019 peacekeeping offering were used to offset the cost of these plantings. We are grateful for this opportunity to honor and remember Jim’s life and love and help make peace with creation which God has entrusted to our care.
Celebrating 30 Years of Service to the First Pres Family
In late August, we were blessed to celebrate Jody Branson’s 30 years of service (and counting) as First Pres’s Director of Music and Liturgical Arts. We were blessed to share special words of thanks, recorded by members and friends of First Pres (past and present), with Jody, as well as a special “burning bush” stepping stone for her garden, sharing some of the many ways her gifts help point us toward God’s presence and calling!