Our Care for Each Other

There are many ways to serve within the life and ministry of the congregation at First Presbyterian Church. To find a way to offer your gifts, your time and talents with the various ministries at First Presbyterian, CLICK HERE to print out this form and bring it back to us. 

WELCOMING

Those who are interested in ministries of hospitality could offer their gifts by volunteering at the welcome desk during the week or by greeting visitors at the north entrance of the church on Sunday mornings. In addition, ushers and greeters are a critical part of our church's ministry; they serve on the front lines of welcoming visitors and helping them get acquainted with the life of this church. If you are interested in serving in this way, please contact the church, 318-222-0604.

CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

There are opportunities to support and serve at First Presbyterian Church Day School through the Day School Board. If there is interest in supporting the activities and events of the Day School, please contact the church and the school director, Kathy Booth 318-222-0604, ext. 216. Many of the church's ministries with children are always in need of extra support and help in the children's worship center, Sunday school, and during evening and weekly activities. To support our children's ministries, contact the church and our director of children's ministry at 318-222-0604.

YOUTH & ADULT MINISTRY

There are many ways to serve by providing Christian Education to Youth or Adults. The Youth are active throughout the school year as well as during the summer. Adult classes meet at church and around the community for for study and fellowship. These ministries are always in need of support, time and talents. If you would like to offer your time to these ministries contact the church at 318.222.0604.

FAITH COMMUNITY NURSING/HEALTH MINISTRY

Faith Community Nursing is a practice specialty that focuses on the intentional care of the spirit, promotion of an integrative model of health, and minimization of illness within the context of a community of faith. To be more straightforward, FCNs provide wholistic (not holistic) care of the mind, the body, and the spirit of people within their faith community. We facilitate healthful living and believe it is a conscious decision to embrace health. Choosing healthful living is to seek out positivity, to care carefully for our wellbeing, and to commit to a life of faith. Faith community nurses are advocates for your health and supporters for your spiritual needs.

SUPPORT GROUP - We have a Memory Caregivers Support Group that meets twice a month on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays at 1:00pm in the PW Suite. This group is led by Stacy Hand and Susan Pierce, and is open to family and friends of people with Alzheimer’s disease and related memory disorders. Our support group provides a safe place where caregivers can share experiences and talk with others to relieve stress and learn useful information about caring for their loved one. Non-members are always welcome!

CARD MINISTRY

The Card Ministry is a group focused on communicating with our church members through mailed correspondence and cards. No matter if it's a special day or if a member is in need of support or well wishes, the Card Ministry focuses on making sure we reach out to let members know they are loved and cared for. If you'd like to be part of this ministry, please call the church office at 318-222-0604 for details about how to participate.

Our Care for Our Neighbors

Committed to our call to service as disciples, First Presbyterian Church has long been active in mission in our local community, with special focus on the Highland neighborhood in Shreveport. Our purpose in mission is to respond to God’s love made manifest in Jesus Christ and to promote Christ’s continued work in the world. Transformed through service, members of the congregation contribute their time, their gifts, and their resources in support of a wide variety of ministries.

Local ministries include Volunteers for Youth Justice, Providence House, Highland Center Ministries, Northwest Louisiana Food Bank, Mercy House, Communities in Schools partnership at Creswell Elementary School, and The Fuller Center for Housing.

Every second Thursday of the month, we are the church "host" for the Highland Blessing Dinner. Volunteers are always welcome to assist with all aspects of this meal, served to the working poor of the Highland neighborhood. All ages are encouraged to volunteer as table hosts, servers or to wash table linens after the meals. This is a perfect opportunity for families. If you are interested in this ministry, please come to the Highland Center at 5:00pm for a brief orientation of the program and to help set up. We also help with the Highland Christmas Shoppe, collecting donations as well as organizing and working the "store" the day of the shoppe. The Highland Center is located at 520 Olive Street.

The First Presbyterian Community Outreach Center, housed within our own building, provides a front door presence for groups hosted by the church. Volunteers for Youth Justice currently makes their home at First Presbyterian. VOLUNTEERS FOR YOUTH JUSTICE has been leading the way in providing dynamic, life-changing programs for abused, neglected and at risk children in Northwest Louisiana for over a quarter of a century. 

If you'd like to become involved in local outreach, please contact us. 

Learn more about some of our Outreach Partners:

• Providence House
• The Fuller Center for Housing
• Communities in Schools
• Hope for the Homeless
• The Highland Center (through the VOA)
• NW Louisiana Food Bank
• Volunteers for Youth Justice

Our Care for Our World

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL MISSION

Committed to our call to service as disciples, First Presbyterian Church has long been active in mission in our local community, our nation and our world. Over many summers, members of First Presbyterian Church have taken part in several intergenerational mission opportunities, some as close as New Orleans and the Highland neighborhood, some as far as Philadelphia, Atlanta, Denver, Haiti, Malawi and South Asia. Nationally we have supported programs at Montreat, Mo Ranch, Ferncliff, Austin Seminary, Austin College, and Broadstreet Ministry. International ministry partners include Community Renewal International, the Heifer Project, Joy to the World Ministries located in Malawi, Africa, the mission work in South Korea of Rev. Kurt Esslinger and Hyeyoung Lee - Young Adult Volunteers YAV Korea, the Haiti Education Foundation, Living Waters for the World, Solar Under the Sun, and mission work in South Asia. We are supportive of programs served by PC-USA. Rev. Kurt Esslinger, our ministry partner in South Korea, has a blog at https://hyeyoungkurtkorea.wordpress.com/

In addition, we promote economic justice initiatives through our annual Mission Marketplace in cooperation with neighboring congregations, and our participation in the Presbyterian Coffee Project. We serve only fair trade coffee and sell in our Book Nook hot chocolate, coffee, tea, and chocolate produced by small farmers in developing nations. Our purchases help assure that these farmers and artisans receive a fair price for their goods.

D. THOMASON GRANTS

First Presbyterian is blessed to have members who have remembered the church through lifetime gifts and in their wills, which has enabled us to amplify our witness to the Good News of the gospel by reaching out to our neighbors in need. D. Thomason was one member in particular whose gifts have enabled us to give almost $5 million away in the past 30 plus years. First Presbyterian Church, Shreveport takes great care in our partnership with organizations who are faithfully living out their call to share Christ's love by equipping leaders, building institutions, and strengthening communities by serving those in need. 

To apply for next year's D. Thomason Grant (2024), look here in the spring for application instructions. If you have any questions, please contact Lona Lockard.

Application deadline:  Please email your application to LLockard@fpcshreveport.com with "D. Thomason Application" in the subject line of your email. The applications are closed for 2023.