DOTHAN
First Presbyterian Church,
3012 West Main Street,
Dothan, Alabama 36305
A Member Congregation of
the Presbyterian Church in America
Our Mission
"First Presbyterian Church, Dothan, is a Grace Place!"
I became Associate Pastor of this Church after serving as Interim Pastor. I liked this Church and City so well that after the Church called a Senior Pastor, I accepted a call to remain here. Worship starts at 10:15 AM.
Dothan is the sixth largest city in Alabama. Money magazine called it the "most livable city in Alabama" for three years. It is known as "the Peanut Capital of the world." The Bureau of Economic Analysis calls it "one of the 172 Best Economic Areas in the United States." The Alabama-Florida-Georgia area it dominates has a population of 323,171 and is ranked 142nd in the nation. It is noted for its medical facilities. Beyond peanuts, economics, and medicine, Dothan has a witness on Main Street at First Presbyterian Church. It is pointing people to the Lord Jesus Christ.
I was excited about serving this great Church when I learned how effectively the Lord has been using it to fulfill His Great Commission. This Church supported 99 missionaries, projects, and organizations when I came here. It also owns two homes for missionaries on furlough. The Church looks beyond itself and seeks to obey Christ's missionary mandate to go into all the world with the Gospel.
The Church has a splendid Christian School (Kindergarten through 12th grade) with about 700 students expected for the 2007-2008 year. It is so respected for academic and spiritual excellence that some parents register their children for the school as soon as they are born! The name of the school is Providence Christian School. It provides a Classical Christian Education. It offers classes in logic and latin. It helps the students learn to THINK. I have taught the High School Rhetoric Class as a guest speaker at the teacher's request.
This Church shows its interest in its youth and children with its beautiful building called the Youth Activities Center and another fine building called the Children's Activities Center. We have a tremendous ministry to the children through our Day Care Services. The Dothan Eagle reported recently that a mother from out of town spent the night outside the Church before registration day in order to be first in line to register her child for our Day Care. This ministry to the children is so popular that we have a long waiting list. We would rather do the best job we can with the students we have than to reduce its quality.
First Presbyterian Church started and continues to support the Dothan Rescue Mission and the Wiregrass Save-A-Life Dothan Crisis Pregnancy Center. We have a regular broadcast of Sunday's sermon on the radio. We have our own Christian Book Store in the Church Office area where we sell Christian books at a discount to our members. We have a splendid Church Library and Children's library.
On Wednesday nights our cooks prepare a delicious meal which is well attended in Fellowship Hall from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. every week.
First Presbyterian Church has an army of dedicated, gifted leaders who are engaged in many ministries. Our Director of Youth Activities is Chris Gregory.
The monthly Men's Breakfasts are held on the first Sunday of each month at 7:00 AM.
It is easier to mention a few specifics about this Church than it is to describe the positive, joyful spirit of the people. I can only express with deep gratitude the appreciation that Marylu and I have for all the warmth and enthusiasm we have experienced in this congregation.
Preaching in the pulpit of the Cathedral-like Sanctuary is quite an experience. The ceiling is so high and the high golden windows allow some shafts of sunlight to shine down upon some of the people in the pews giving them bright halos! When I have seen some folks having to shade their eyes at times, it reminds me that the glory of the Lord shines down upon the congregation in other ways too profound to explain.
Watch the EVENTS page for information and news about the Church and Dothan. You can tell that I am excited about being here. I retired from South Carolina in 2000 and became "re-fired" to come here for the first Sunday of 2001. I felt like the old fire horse hearing the fire bell and eager to go again!
Anyone reading this who lives near Dothan, please consider this an invitation to join us for Worship at 10:15 AM. We have Sunday School Classes for all ages with many diverse classes for adults of every age. Sunday School is at 9:00 AM.
You have read about DOTHAN. Now you can read about HEAVEN! The page called "HEAVEN or HELL?" will show you what the Bible says about your eternal destination. What could be more important? If you think you already know your destination, this page will still give you simple, clear ways to explain it to others.
The page called "MY BOOK" used to be called "AIM HIGH!" It reviews my book by that title and shows you the JOY of a HEAVEN-DIRECTED life. When heaven is your TARGET, and your life is AIMED in that direction, you enjoy a magnificent motivation day by day.
The page called "MISSIONS" tells about the heart of the Church's purpose--to make known the wonders of God's love and the greatness of His grace. Max Lucado in his book, No Wonder They Call Him the Savior says this about the bold witness of the disciples after Jesus gave them the commission to go into all the world with the Gospel: "Maybe we all need to witness His majesty and … victory. Maybe we all need to hear our own commission again.
'Will you tell them?' Jesus challenged." Will you tell others that Jesus rose from the dead and is Lord of heaven and earth? Missions is one of the ways every Church member can have a part fulfilling this Great Commission from our Lord Jesus.
The page called "CONFESS IT!" explains something we all need to do daily. If you read the three lessons from John Owen you will understand why this is so necessary and helpful. You will also understand why many Christian leaders today say that "John Owen is the most influential Christian writer in their lives. That is amazing for a man who has been dead for 311 years, and who wrote in a way so difficult to read that even he saw his work as immensely demanding in his own generation." (John Piper, Reflections on the Life and Thought of John Owen.)
Try a little depth reading of the John Owen lessons. I have three pages on this web site that pertain to John Owen's writings, and links on the last page that will take you to more information about John Owen by John Piper and J. I. Packer. Take a peek at the beautiful LINKS to other web sites. Have fun. Thanks for visiting. Suggestions welcome. God bless you.
I asked our "Bookstore Lady" to write an article about the First Presbyterian Church Bookstore. Our members here enjoy perusing the books, and the prices are attractive.
First Presbyterian Book Service
First Presbyterian Book Service is a city licensed bookstore which exists to provide the church and community with Christian resources. It has an extensive variety of Christian books, Bibles, devotionals, children's materials and other items normally found in a Christian bookstore. New books are readily available and special orders are taken anytime and fulfilled quickly as our sources allow.
We encourage you to avail yourself of this opportunity. The prices are excellent and you can just leave a note if you have additional needs. The bookstore is open whenever the church is open and is located adjacent to the reception area of the church office. For further information call the church office at 794-3128.
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