Vesper Point Camp & Conference Ministry

 Vesper Point is a Camp and Conference Ministry of First Presbyterian Church. Covering 127 acres of land, Vesper Point overlooks beautiful Chickamauga Lake. In the summer, Vesper Point offers camp sessions from Monday morning until Saturday morning for rising 3rd graders through rising 10th graders.

The rest of the year, Vesper Point serves as a conference and retreat center offering a large dining room with a rustic fireplace, a large meeting room, and rustic cabins with bunk beds. Linens and towels are not provided. Our overnight group sizes range from 30 to 160. We can accommodate lunch for a day group of up to 200 people.

To learn more about Vesper Point please email Tom Pipkin

For more information on vesper point

Mercy & Compassion

The Mercy and Compassion Team is in charge of benevolence to church members and walk-ins. Member assistance is led by the shepherds who present requests to the team on a case by case basis. Walk-ins are served through the Rapha program, a relationships-focused ministry that seeks to walk alongside our neighbors in need through a weekly meal and Scripture-based educational classes in the areas of relationships, finances, and work. 

Volunteer opportunities: co-leader in weekly Rapha classes, ally/mentor to participants, attire for hire store, walk-in appointments, and more!

more on rapha and mercy & compassion

Rapha seeks to build relationships with neighbors in need. While conventional mercy ministry focuses on financial handouts, Rapha invites neighbors in need of healing relationships with a loving church family. 

With a dedicated team of classroom facilitators, prayer warriors, and lay mentors, Rapha is equipping the congregation to grow as a more welcoming church home for neighbors in need. Rapha needs more volunteers like you!

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Coffee/Coke Ministry

The Church hosts a time for fellowship following the 10:55 Sunday worship services.  Held in the library - lounge (“coffee shop”). An opportunity for those who attended the Sanctuary Service and those who attended the Fellowship Hall Service to unite as a body in friendly conversation, and enjoy coffee, soft drinks, and snacks together.  The time also provides an opportunity to welcome and get to know visitors and newcomers. 

(Note:  Coffee is served after the early service as well and the “coffee shop” is a popular stop-off between early service and Sunday School.)

help with the coffee coke ministry

Golf Cart Ministry

The Golf Cart Ministry provides transportation from the Douglas Street parking lot to one of the church entrances for those who wish to use the service. A golf cart is operated by one of 21 volunteer drivers from 9:40 AM until 11:00 AM each Sunday from March through November, weather permitting. The driver monitors incoming vehicles and drives to the parked vehicle to offer a ride. The service is most appreciated by those who have difficulty “climbing the hill” and by parents with small children. It is also very helpful to visitors unfamiliar with our church as well as attendees who are a bit late for Sunday School or the late service.

join the golf cart service team

Outreach Ministry Team (OMT) – Church Impact

The Outreach Ministry Team (Church Impact) was established to (1) grow congregational participation in making disciples and spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and; (2) steward assigned financial resources of the church for maximum benefit in home mission endeavors.

OMT is given stewardship over assigned financial resources that are used to promote Christ’s love within the community.  OMT allocates funds to members of 1st Pres who are in full-time Christian ministry; to campus ministers/leaders who are diligent in proclaiming the Good News of Christ to high school and college students, and; to local organizations that are committed to disciple, evangelize, and assist people in our community.

The Session also has charged OMT with the accountability for sourcing, interviewing, and funding local PCA church plants.

find out more about omt

New Members Class

To identify, contact, and cultivate relationships with interested visitors and encourage them to become a part of the 1st Pres community.  To lead them through a process of instruction about 1st Pres, membership, ministry opportunities, and commitment.  Ultimately the objective is for them to meet with an elder, answer the joining questions, and be received by the session.

join the new members class

Kids Hope USA

Kids Hope is a nationwide program that pairs one church with one school, one mentor with one child. Our mentors spend one hour per week reading, talking, playing, and listening to a child at school. By helping children feel loved and valued, these safe relationships support their ability to learn, grow, and thrive at school. We believe and pray that demonstrating hope, faith and grace to each student in our program can change Orchard Knob Elementary School and its community. The goal of this program is to provide a consistent adult presence for students who could benefit from extra support and care. The hour spent together each week offers a relationship of encouragement, structure and friendship to children living in Orchard Knob, a neighborhood that remains on the socioeconomic margins of Chattanooga.

For more on Kids Hope USA visit https://kidshopeusa.org

Prison Mentoring

First Presbyterian Church is the catalyst in our community to raise and train several hundred mentors for prisoners incarcerated at Walker State Prison and, the first and only “Faith and Character Based” Prison in the State of Georgia, as well as other correctional facilities in our area. We offer the key tools for an all-inclusive ministry including evangelism, discipleship and reintegration of prisoners. Correspondence courses are offered to prisoners by our churches, using the curriculum Metanoia provides.

To learn more about this opportunity to serve please email Doug Craven

To learn more about on Metanoia Prison Ministries https://pcamna.org

Good News Club

Children from the neighborhoods in the Orchard Knob Elementary School (OKES) school zone need to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. Many of them will benefit from the consistent (week after week) presence of dedicated Christian adults (and possibly teens who participate) as role models. We have a need to be sharing the gospel and investing our lives in those around us. “The Good News Club” is a national initiative to bring the gospel to children.

For more on the ministry of Good News Club visit https://www.cefonline.com

Greeters' Ministry

The “greeter” ministry was formally begun in 2002 at the suggestion of Asst. Pastor, Rankin Wilbourne, when we were launching several programs under the title of “First Touch Ministries” as a way to have greater interaction with the congregation.  At the time, the only people who were stationed to welcome people and give them a bulletin were the deacons who stand at the front entrance to the church.  Because we have several other entrances and avenues within the church that people pass through, we developed a rotation of greeters to be stationed in the Connector, at the Douglas Street entrance to the church and inside the Black & White foyer.  Later, we added greeters to serve in the Nursery, primarily to serve as an additional welcoming face and to assist families in getting their children settled in.  Bulletins are not passed out in this location but are handed out at the other three locations—for the Sanctuary service.  Bulletins for the Fellowship Hall service are handed out as folks enter that service.  Other duties served include giving directions to Sunday School classrooms, restrooms, other areas of the church, etc.

Become a greeter