Who are we?
White River Presbyterian Church ("WRPC") is a community of Jesus' followers from various ages and backgrounds. Whoever you are, you're assured a warm welcome at WRPC. Just think of us as potential friends, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and grandparents for yourself and your family.

When to arrive:
If it's your first visit, it's probably best to show up around 9:40am for the 9:50am Sunday morning service. If you're driving, there's plenty of free parking. For driving directions and maps, see the "Find Us" page. Once you arrive, you'll be greeted at the door or in the foyer by our welcoming team, who'll give you a program of the day's service and notices of upcoming events.

What to wear:
This is easy. Wear whatever you feel comfortable in. We accept people as they are. There's no need to dress up to try and be someone you're not. Whether you come as a suited businessperson, a sneakers-and-jeans soccer mom, or a freaked-out punk, we're glad you came.  The morning worship service tends to be on the more traditional side, but everyone's welcome.

What to expect:
For some people, going anywhere for the first time can be a nerve-racking experience. To help avoid any worries, here's a quick summary of what you can expect at WRPC on Sunday morning. First of all we aren't "super-spiritual" beings, we've all had a "first day" at church at some point.  You'll find we're a pretty friendly bunch -- if you don't understand something or feel lost, please ask.

The morning service is a unique blend of traditional, classical, and contemporary elements.  We start our Sunday morning service at 9:50am with a couple of songs (usually more contemporary-style songs), and then we follow the outline for the service that's printed in the bulletin.  We'll probably sing a couple of classic hymns during the course of the service -- just look in the bulletin for the page numbers.  You'll find the hymnals [the church "songbooks"] in the slots on the back of the bench/pew in front of you.

A word of encouragement:  Don't worry if everyone around you starts responding in unison to what the speaker up in front just said ... we don't have the responses memorized, it's all printed out in the bulletin.  We all use the "cheat sheets" ... so don't worry, you won't be alone.

Oftentimes the singing portion of the service is led by the choir -- sometimes they show up in their matching robes and other times they just wear their regular street clothes.  Don't be surprised to see an electric guitar (or two!) join the piano or organ during singing, either.  Morning worship is a unique experience each week.

Communion (aka: "The Lord's Supper") is served on the first Sunday of each month at the morning service.  Feel free to participate at whatever level you're comfortable.

We pay the church bills by taking a weekly offering during the church service. As a visitor, please don't feel pressured at all to give.  Remember, you're our guest.  Also, there are yellow cards available near each seat for writing down any prayer requests you might have.  Feel free to drop your prayer request into the offering plate as it goes by (you don't have to include your name if that's not comfortable for you).  These requests will be collected and prayed about in a later portion of the service.

After the Sunday morning service, coffee and juice (and sometimes cookies, etc.) are served in the gathering room on the opposite side of the foyer.  Please come by for some refreshments and a chance to visit with our members, staff, and other guests.  We'd love to welcome you personally!

On the fourth Sunday of each month, we have a potluck lunch immediately following the morning service.   Feel free to come and eat with us (and don't feel the need to bring anything ... you're our guest!).


FYI:  Just so you know, Pastor Arleigh usually wears a clerical robe on Sunday mornings.  So if you're not used to clerical robes and think it's all a bit stuffy, don't let the formal robes fool you ... Pastor Arleigh's a warm-hearted, friendly guy with a true pastor's heart of care and compassion for all people.  On Monday thru Saturday, you'll find him in jeans and Crocks.

What about the kids?
We offer nursery care during the Sunday morning worship service.  Just ask a greeter where the nursery's located.  We also have a small room upstairs at the back of the balcony for mother's of small babies to sit with their infants, and still participate in the worship service.

During our Sunday morning service, preschool and school-age children will be excused to age-appropriate classes immediately following the "Children's Message" (a friendly time when Pastor Arleigh -- or another leader at WRPC -- shares a short lesson up in the front of the church with any children in attendance).

When does the Youth Group meet?
Things are a little in flux at the moment during the changes and transitions our church is currently undergoing.  The Youth are currently participating in the main church service on Sunday mornings.  We have some fun events planned for this summer -- see the new Youth Page for more information.  And then this Fall, we'll be starting a morning Youth Sunday School class each week before the main service.  Stay tuned!  :-)

What we believe:
We're a Christian church and believe that everyone can have relationship with God. We believe this relationship with God is possible because of Jesus (God's only son) who invites us to follow Him. We have friendly relationships with other local churches from a diversity of Christian backgrounds. If you're interested in exploring the Christian faith further, come along on a Sunday morning or plan on attending an Alpha group this Fall.

Is it just Sunday mornings?
Absolutely not! God is with us all week long and we aim to lead lives pleasing to Him. We're not perfect and we do make mistakes, but we want to be helpful to God and the community.

In October 2008, we'll be starting the Alpha course on Wednesday evenings (complete with a delicious dinner, insightful video presentations, and casual discussion time).

We also have a community dinner, called SpiritFest, that meets every Thursday evening at 5:30pm.  A simple -- and free! -- meal is served to the local community.  It's a wonderful opportunity each week to connect with the neighborhood ... not just folks from WRPC attend the SpiritFest meal.

As a church in transition, we have a number of activities, events, and programs in the planning stages (upcoming seminars on a wide variety of practical topics, small groups, parenting classes, children's activities, Bible studies, clubs, voluntary simplicity meetings, and so much more) ... so stay tuned!  If we don't have what you're looking for quite yet, there's a good possibility it's probably on the way soon.