For over 200 years, First Presbyterian Church of Salisbury (PCUSA) has been a place where God’s love is alive for mission. We are a community formed by the Triune God. Together, we receive God’s grace and offer it to others.

As a congregation we are seeking to go deep. We want to grow together as followers of Jesus Christ. We learn together, care for one another in seasons of struggle, and have lots of fun together. We have a healthy family atmosphere as we care for young people through our half-day preschool, through our Wednesday night elementary program called First Kids, and through our youth ministry which champions grace for teens. We are also seeking to branch out to love and serve our community beyond our church walls. We show up to support local nonprofits, to seek racial healing, and to nurture young people at Overton Elementary School.

In the summer of 2018, God did something new in our midst. The Holy Spirit led us to call a young couple to be our pastors. Since then, we’ve been on a wonderful and surprising journey together. We have identified four priorities to guide our ministry and mission together. We’ve continued to care for our buildings as we open them more to community use. We’ve reorganized how we work as a congregation to create more space for listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and to enable new folks to easily join us in deeply rooting in God’s grace and branching out to love and serve.

We seek to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to one another and to the world. We do that through various programs like Worship, Faith Formation, and Ministries to one another and Mission to the world. Our missional priorities include:

Holy-Sprit Centered Discipleship: We are seeking to grow as followers of Jesus Christ through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This means we’re learning to slow down as a congregation to listen to God’s voice. We’re creating space for all that we learn to move from our heads to our hearts. And we are nurturing people at every life stage with the good news of God’s superabundant grace.

Hands-On Local Mission: We want to be the church that shows up. This means that we care deeply about the physical wellbeing of our friends and neighbors in Salisbury. We regularly organize opportunities to volunteer at local organizations and elementary schools. We give 10% of our budget away to non-profits. And we believe that God grows us when we step out of our comfort zones to serve.

Friendships Across Differences: We believe that God transforms hearts through unlikely relationships. This means we prioritize intergenerational ministry. Our older folks love our kids so mightily and beautifully. We believe people of good conscience may differ. We are committed to being a countercultural community that truly includes people of different political persuasions. And we are following God’s lead to pursue racial healing through the faithful efforts of our Race & Justice Ministry Team (RJMT).

Embracing the Unchurched: We want to lovingly and warmly invite disconnected Christians and non-Christians into our community. We believe that Christian practice in church community draws people closer to God, provides relief in the midst of a chaotic world, and just makes life better. Truth be told, Presbyterians aren’t the best at this but we’re learning and growing with God’s help.