First Presbyterian Church of Newark

I have been attending First Presbyterian Church of Newark for a year. I enjoy both the traditional and contemporary services. Pastor Garrett is a kind, powerful speaker who illustrates ways for us to become closer to God. I have attended several small groups and Bible studies. I had a blast teaching art at Vacation Bible School last summer. I enjoy the many opportunities to serve the community and the church.

God continues to bless this church! I love that we can say ‘Come as you are, you will be loved’!
We are a community of followers of Jesus who find joy in being together.
We want others to come share God’s love for the world.
If you need a preschool, we have Park Side Preschool, too.

I’ve been here a year. I’ve been more active and felt more at home in this church than in my previous church.

I love this church! From the first time there I felt at home and very comfortable. There is a traditional service at 9:00 and a contemporary service at 10:30 with a fellowship time in between. The people there are friendly and the atmosphere is relaxed. The message is always what I need to hear and the pastor gets the point across clearly and with humor. It’s also nice that the church is diverse and active in the community.
This church is family friendly and is for all ages and backgrounds. You don’t even need to know anything about Christianity to attend and get something out of the service. I invite you to come. I’m so glad I did.

I’ve been going to this church since I was 4 yrs old… now that’s a long time that my family have been members here! I have to admit, I don’t regularly go as often as maybe I should, but I happen to attend this past Easter’s service. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they added a new contemporary service with a band! Drums, guitar, bass, and singers… wow! I’m totally not against the traditional type of service, in fact, it was how I attended every service here, but it was a great new way to worship and rejoice, I loved it! I love that they thought outside the box to include this service.
9am is the traditional service filled with prayer, sermons, choir, bell chimers, time for children, introduction of visitors, hymns, etc.
10:30am is the contemporary service full of energy, great music, lots of singing, a sermon, etc. It’s like the traditional, but with a lil’ more pizazz.
This church has such a welcoming feel. Their are always greeters to welcome you into the church before every service. The new pastor is fantastic and funny. He’s been in ministry for over 25 yrs. and has great stories. They’ve even added a coffee hour in b/​w services with beverages and pastries/​snacks! One thing I was impressed with is welcoming new visitors with a Starbuck’s gift card, it’s a nice touch.
A little after the service starts, they have a children’s time when they ask the kids to come to the front so that the pastor can pass on a message to them. After it’s over, they are welcomed to go to their own worship with the other kids. That used to be my favorite part about going to church… especially Sunday school. Vacation Bible School (VBS) is coming up. Now they call it adventure camp. Right now, the Youth Group is serving a mission in Mexico (a wonderful memory of my childhood). There are so many activities and charities they’re involved in.
After attending the contemporary service, my desire to go to church has been rejuvenated a bit… granted, there are always things that come up which make it not possible to attend every Sunday, but it felt great to go again. I really love how this church has evolved and gotten a bit more modernized, but yet is still holding onto its traditions.