Antrim Church Homepage

The First Presbyterian Church family worships, works, and has fellowship together, teaches our young right from wrong, and supports our members and the community when times are tough--all fibers which make any family strong.

Sunday Worship While many elements of the worship service in Antrim have remained the same since its founding in 1788, the church continues to evolve, adopting innovative worship, music and education elements over the years.

A typical Sunday worship includes a call to worship, a prayer of confession and assurance of pardon, exchange of the peace of Christ, a responsive Bible reading, a children's message, two Scripture readings, sermon, pastoral prayer, offering of gifts, and a benediction. There are usually three hymns and at least one song by the choir or soloist.

Communion All who have been baptized (in any Christian denomination) and who accept Jesus Christ as savior may partake of communion, held during services on the first Sunday of every month. Bread and grape juice are used to represent the body and blood of Jesus Christ, shed for our sins.

Prayers, Creeds and Confessions Presbyterians use many prayers and statements of faith common to both the Protestant and Catholic churches including the Lord's Prayer, the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed. Congregational confessions vary weekly and are read in unison.

Bible Readings A typical service contains three readings: A Psalm recited by a layperson and the congregation, a reading by a layperson relating to the pastor's message, and a reading with interpretation by the pastor. We use the New Revised Standard Bible as our primary text.

Music We have a long tradition of fine and varied music throughout the year, led by music director Julia Dunton. An adult choir sings Sept.- May, a youth choir four times each year, and there is special music during the summer and Christian holidays. Our music is mostly traditional hymns with a sprinkling of contemporary Christian songs. We use a hymnbook entitled Worship His Majesty, which reflects this mix of old and new.

Children's Sermons Young people make up a third of our congregation, and are an integral part of our worship service. Typically, children remain with their parents during the first 15 minutes of worship, then come forward for a five-minute worship with the pastor. After a message, story or Christian-oriented show & tell, the children K-6 break up into their Sunday School classes, and younger children are escorted to the nursery or remain with their parents. Jr. and Sr. Highs remain for the service. Children's Bibles, coloring sheets and crayons are available at the back of the sanctuary.

World Hunger Presbyterians throughout the world join in the One Great Hour of Sharing program, which benefits local, national and international hunger programs.

International Peace The Presbyterian Church supports a liason to the United Nations, and funds other projects which promote peace, whether civil rights or domestic abuse.

Fuel Assistance For those in the community who can't use our Wood Bank, our church provides emergency fuel assistance for needy families.

Presbyerian Women's Guild Founded in 1857, the Guild has done everything from rolling bandages for Civil War soldiers, to hosting the Washington's Birthday suppers for almost 90 years, to recently providing blankets for babies with AIDS. Its members meet monthly and include all women in the church.

The Revival Shop One of the newest programs of the church, the Revival Shop is a clothing consignment shop which provides high-quality, low cost clothing to the community. Its profits go to other local charities, such as local food banks, and to capital improvement projects within the church. Over 30 volunteers participate.

Salvation Army The church administers a Salvation Army program for the town of Antrim, and members ring the bell for the familiar kettle at Christmas each year. Donations go to assist fire victims, purchase hearing aids and eye glasses, and other direct assistance

Caring means going beyond the walls of the local church and into the community--to help where and when help is needed. Pastoral counselling and support is available for marital matters, crisis intervention, and emergency family support. Call at the church office, 603-588-2209.

We invite YOU to

Worship with Us!