Welcome! Everyone is welcome here.  We really mean everyone!  God made us all a little different, and we think that makes life interesting!   We have people of all ages, races, backgrounds, and views, including immigrants,  LGBTQIA+, and people who have had bad church experiences elsewhere.

In worship, classes, and other activities, we include both in-person and online participants, and have active members living in several different states.

Beliefs: You’ll find a wide range of beliefs among our people, but generally we’re on the “progressive” end of the spectrum. We emphasize spiritual inquiry over doctrinal conformity, grace and acceptance over judgment, and how we live and love others over theological rigidity. You are welcome to gather with us wherever you are on your spiritual journey.

We take the Bible seriously, but not literally. In fact, it’s because we take it seriously that we don’t try to take it literally. If that idea puzzles you, we will be glad to explore it with you.

We love Jesus, but we don’t think that requires us to devalue or diminish others. We gladly join with other Christians and with Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, agnostics, atheists and anyone else seeking a more just and caring world.

Presbyterian: We’re a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Presbyterians trace their roots back to the 1500’s, when reformers like Martin Luther and John Calvin split from the Roman Catholic Church in a movement known as the Protestant Reformation.  There were four major streams of Reformation churches: Lutheran, “Reformed/Calvinist” (Presbyterian, Reformed), Anglican (Episcopalian, Methodist), and Anabaptist (Mennonite, Amish, Baptist).

The writings of John Calvin, a French lawyer living in Switzerland, formed the basis for what came to be known as the Reformed movement.  It quickly spread throughout Europe and particularly to the British Isles. Presbyterians were prominent in the early days of America, and most of them came from England, Scotland, or Ireland.  Like other Protestant streams, Presbyterians have split into several different denominations over the years. Ours, the Presbyterian Church (USA), is the largest and the most open and affirming of the Presbyterian denominations.

The name “Presbyterian” refers to the way the church is governed. It comes from the Greek, Presbuteros, which means “elder.”  A local congregation like ours is led by a council of elders, called the session. The elders are elected to three-year terms by the members. The pastor (also known as the “teaching elder”) chairs the session meetings, but does not vote. Thus, our church governance is essentially a representative democracy of the members. We have no bishops.