authenticRELATIONSHIPSAt the end of every worship service we join hands to remind us that we do not go out into this world alone, but together as the body of Christ! The authentic relationships we have here at First Presbyterian are not by accident, but are a part of our plan together and God’s design for us. This year we are expanding the opportunities to provide authentic relationship opportunities to those within our family including our church family retreat in April.

Your pledge makes sure we have the space, the supplies, and the spirit to make sure God’s Spirit continues to move freely among us as a reminder of our connection through regular fellowship opportunities, coffee hours, weekly dinners, lunch groups, Rally Day, egg hunts, off-site retreats, and even potlucks on the lawn. Our Westminster Catechism invites us to glorify and enjoy God forever – perhaps this is what we do best here at First Presbyterian!

$109,020 • 10%

Our theme for this year’s Commitment Campaigns is Generosity in Giving, Serving, and Growing. First Presbyterian Church is indeed an example of this generosity as expressed during our Jubilee Celebration last year. With our joyous worship, purposeful education, loving outreach, and authentic relationships – this is a very exciting time to be a part of the First Presbyterian Family!

This overview of the budget is not a line-item facts-and-figures accounting tool. Rather, it is a narrative budget to help us see the story we are telling and the impact we are having.

last year’s budget = $1,022,302this year’s budget = $1,090,201

Some of the key budget highlights for this coming year include: almost doubling mission support to the agencies we serve, increased support of staff, Congregational, Men and Women Retreats, and added fellowship-discipleship opportunities.

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHAiken, South Carolina

COMMIT 2020

joyousWORSHIP

purposefulEDUCATION

lovingOUTREACH

Our education programs at First Presbyterian are always done with the purpose of helping us think, grow, and engage in our learning. We teach our infants and toddlers that they are loved in our nursery program. We show our children how to grow in their relationship with God through JAM (Jesus and Me). The youth meet weekly for fun, fellowship, and faith formation through youth group, confirmation classes, trips, and retreats. The adults are engaged in everything from Sunday School, Covenant Groups, interest groups, support groups, men’s groups and women’s groups. This year we will be providing opportunities on Sundays, during the daytime and evening hours of the week, and weekend.

Your pledge makes sure we have the resources we need, the leaders in place, and the rooms available for all of this to continue as well as it enables us to envision what new educational opportunities are on the horizon.

Our joyous worship is at the heart of all we do here at First Presbyterian. It is through our heartfelt prayers, exceptional music, engaging sermons, and celebration of the sacraments that we are able to fully worship the Lord with gladness!

Our worship exemplifies what the 16th-century Protestant Reformer John Calvin once wrote: “Joy and thanksgiving expressed in prayer and praise according to the Word of God are the heart of the Church’s worship.”

Your pledge supports our worship leaders, our guest musicians, and our choral scholars as well as the upkeep of our Casavant organ with two manuals, four divisions, 24 stops, 25 registers, 33 ranks, and all 1442 pipes. It supports the live-streaming of our worship services for our traveling or homebound members as well as our midweek morning prayer service. It also supports the use, setup, cleaning, and maintenance for the physical sanctuary space throughout the year – including all our special liturgical and pastoral services.

First Presbyterian is a loving congregation with a tremendous outreach. We reach out to those among us who seek help, guidance, or spiritual discernment through visitation programs, Stephen Ministry, home communion, and highly-trained pastoral care. We also reach out to those within our Aiken community who might need assistance, support, or a hand-up for various reasons. We partner with ACTS, Christ Central, Community Medical Clinic, as well as a number of other nonprofits in the area through the use of our time, talents, and treasure. This year we hope to increase our giving to those agencies that we support as well as expand our reach in to the needs of the community with support to Children’s Place, Family Promise, and Stand at the Crossroads.

Your pledge supports these efforts and ensures the impact of our loving outreach within own church family, our own Aiken community, and even various projects in Mwandi, Honduras, South Sudan, and beyond.

$381,570 • 35% $294,354 • 27% $305,257 • 28%