About Us
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We are evolving: We are a former big church learning how to be a small church.
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We welcome all: No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome in our church. We will strive to love you, as God does, just the way you are.
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We are mission focused: We support our community through efforts such as providing clothing, school supplies, and library volunteers to a local school, supporting Love INC, First Sunday Foods, the Jackson Interfaith Shelter, the Community Action Agency, and more.
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We share our space with the community: We have ten recovery groups that meet regularly in the building, we host the largest Red Cross Blood drives in Jackson, and we are a city election site.
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We care for one another: We provide meals, transportation, and visitation to members in need.
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We love music: Our adult choir, handbell choir, music activities for children, and regular visiting musicians are a priority to us.
What We Believe
We are a Christian church holding to the great traditions of the faith.
What if I am not sure what I believe – am I welcome?
Absolutely! Jesus said, “come and see,” and so do we. People come seeking to have a deeper, more meaningful relationship with God. God loves each of us and waits for us to respond to his love. There is a beautiful story about a father who asked Jesus if it was possible to heal his son, and Jesus replied, “Everything is possible, if you believe.” The father responded with, “I believe, help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). We are all on different parts of our journey, of growing and deepening our understanding and faith in God. Come, join us.
What about Jesus being our personal Lord and Savior – do you also believe that?
Yes. Our relationship with Jesus is both personal and communal. Because it is personal it will be expressed and experienced by each of us in unique ways. We value and treasure that each one of us is on a journey. Because our relationship with Jesus is communal, it also means we are called to be in community and relationship with one another. 1 John 4:20, says you can’t hate your brother and love God. It’s a 3-way relationship of loving God, loving ourselves, and loving others. Jesus is “the way” and we are seeking to find that way.
Does that mean that you have differences of opinion?
Yes. We believe people love God and still disagree on things. We seek to listen, respect and above all, love one another even when we disagree. We seek God for guidance and discernment. Sometimes amazing things happen, and sometimes we must agree to disagree, but we do it with love. The essentials are we seek to love God with all our head, heart and strength, and love others through the teachings and example of Jesus.
Why come to church?
The local church is the grassroots movement where people seeking God meet up with other people seeking God. We connect and learn from each other. Your personal journey with God inspires and challenges the person next to you. Sometimes you are the strong person, encouraging someone else; and other times you are the one receiving help and encouragement from another. The local church is where we practice love, forgiveness, compassion, and generosity. It’s where we get to be part of God’s mission in the world; we get to work for justice.
What about children in the church?
We welcome children of all ages and have two worship centers where children may play during worship. While their hands are busy, their heads and hearts are open and receptive to God’s
Spirit. Keeping young kids in the worship service allows them to actively participate in the prayers of the people, the Lord’s prayer, the offering, and communion. Repetition and community are critical to young kids’ spiritual formation.
Vision Statement
Discovering our true selves through loving and serving God, our brothers and sisters.
Using all our resources - facilities, finances, gifts and talents, and partnerships -
We intentionally serve one another and our community.
We create intergenerational opportunities
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reflecting our values
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encouraging worship and spiritual growth, and
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cultivating genuine relationships
JFPC is guided by the words of the prophet Jeremiah: "...to seek the prosperity of the city…and pray to the Lord on its behalf" (Jeremiah 29:7) as we live out our vision through the actions of our church community.
History
The First Presbyterian Church of Jackson was fully organized on December 18, 1883. The original 44 members wanted to worship in a church of their traditional denomination.
Jackson was a thriving railroad and manufacturing center and most of the new members were railroad employees or small businessmen. The church grew rapidly and the building at the corner of Cortland and Blackstone (seen at left), built in 1886, became inadequate and a new church was erected on the same site in 1924. God's blessings were evident as the congregation grew and flourished doing God's work.
By 1958 the congregation needed a larger building which was constructed at 743 W. Michigan Avenue. Again, the congregation looked to the future to erect a structure with adequate space for future needs and growth. This church houses a sanctuary, chapel, classrooms, fellowship hall, choir room, offices and a kitchen.
For almost 50 years a preschool with an outside playground met five days a week. In the summer, Church-in-the-Park provided members and the community an opportunity to worship in the beauty of nature. The many activities of this church still provide spiritual development, worship, and activities for all ages and interests. We are working to fulfill our mission of "Serving God, Serving Others!".
