Our Mission

“The mission of First Presbyterian Church is to be a joyful community of faith in which persons are nurtured, challenged, and comforted, and through which Christ takes form in this community and the world at large.”

We are a congregation in Henderson, North Carolina who worship and work as Christians in the Presbyterian tradition. We have been an organized church since August 29, 1868. We were organized by Orange Presbytery. We have occupied three locations in Henderson since our beginning. One was on Spring and Williams Street. One on Breckenridge Street, where the county court used to meet, and in 1881, we moved to our present location on Young Street.

We are a part of the Presbyterian Church (United States of America) or PC (USA) as it is more commonly called. The PC(USA) is a national association of Presbyterians.

We have approximately 250 people on the membership roll, and we average about 110 people at worship each Sunday morning. We have some strong and vital traditions as a church which values education and reason. Our branch of the Christian faith grew out of the work of John Calvin who is best known for his theological writings called the Institutes of Religion. We are seriously engaged with the question of our mission and our purpose for our congregation for our times. We think that you will want to be a part of this on-going “wrestling” with God’s Will and our community. It is in such a struggle that we find our true selves.

First Presbyterian Church of Henderson is equipped to welcome people with disabilities. We have large print bulletins and hymnbooks, hearing amplification for those with hearing difficulties, and we have space provided for those in wheel chairs.

If you would like to request a copy of our bulletin, a tape copy of a sermon, or printed copies of the messages of First Presbyterian Church, send us an email to fpc<at>vance.net

We are located at 222 Young Street, Henderson, North Carolina 27536. Our telephone number is (252) 492-0156. The email address is: fpc<at>vance.net
The fax number is (252) 492-0157.

Nine Principles for Interpreting the Bible *

1. Scriptures truthfully tells the story of God’s action of creating, judging, and saving the world.

God is the primary actor and agent in the Scriptures. The focus of the Scriptures is the purpose, work, and love of God. The Scriptures declare the reality and purpose of a God who creates, who directs, and who cares about creation. Scriptures is not a primary witness to science, history, psychology, or economics.

2. Scripture is rightly understood in light of the Church’s rule of faith as a coherent dramatic narrative.

The unity of the Bible is found in the overarching story of the work of the God. While there are many different voices and many different witnesses, the Bible finds its unity in the one God who acts in and speaks through all parts.

3. Faithful interpretation of scriptures requires an engagement with the entire narrative: The New Testament cannot be rightly understood apart from the Old, nor can the Old be rightly understood apart from the New.

The Bible must be read “back to front” so that the Old Testament is understood as leading up to and preparing for the revelation of Grace in Jesus. It must also be read “front to back” so that the New Testament is seen as a continuation and fulfillment of the hopes and covenants with Israel of the Old.

4. Texts of scripture do not have a single meaning limited to the intent of the original author. In accordance with the understanding that the Holy Spirit is at work through the texts, there may be multiple complex senses given to the text by God.

The Texts must be taken seriously, but the God working by the power of the Holy Spirit in the text and in the historical context of the interpreter may provide a number of different senses to the text.

5. The four canonical Gospels narrate the truth about Jesus.

What is said and what is affirmed about Jesus cannot violate what we know of Jesus in the four Gospels.

6. Faithful interpretation of scripture invites and presupposes participation in community brought into being by God’s redemptive action – the Church.

The work of interpretation of the text under the power of God by the Holy Spirit is a work done best by the community of faith. Individual interpretations and enlightenment are expected to be brought to the community for validation and correction.

7. The Saints of the church provide guidance in how to interpret and perform scriptures.

Those who have left us the best and highest example of the Christian life are the best sources to listen to in the discussion of the interpretation of the Scriptures. Both their writings and the pattern of their lives are help in understanding the texts.

8. Christians need to read the Bible in dialogue with diverse others outside the Church.

There is great help in the understanding of the Scriptures if they are read in conversation with other faiths. The Old Testament is studied and interpreted by Jews and Moslems. There are diverse others to whom the Church and the saints will listen for questions and complaints.

9. We live in the tension between the “already” and the “not yet” of the Kingdom of God; consequently, scripture calls the Church to ongoing discernment, to continually fresh rereading of the text in light of the Holy Spirit’s ongoing work in the world.

The story is not over, and our vision and understanding is always limited and shaped by our culture, there is always a need for a new reading, a new interpretation, and a new appreciation of the love of God active in our lives.

* Ellen Davis and Richard Hays, “Nine Theses on Interpreting Scripture” Christian Century, April 20, 2004, pp.25-26.