We all have a story – our lives are stories as individuals and as a community. We understand ourselves and our world through stories. Our personal or self-story holds together the past, present, and future. Our memories come to us in stories. And in the present moment, we extend that story. That unfolding story of past and present takes us into the future. To be human is to indwell a narrative.

     The stories of Scripture shape our lives now. The holy text of our faith contains stories about how people came to know the love of God. The stories of our ancestors endure throughout the ages because they speak to our human experiences. Scripture reminds us of who and whose we are – beloved children of the Triune God – and offers wisdom into our identity as God's people. The Biblical narratives contain stories about people and places in precarious situations who become the center of the Triune God's creative, liberating activity. As people of the Good Book, we are invited, like so many of our ancestors before us, to cultivate an imagination to see the possibilities of what the Spirit wants to do in and among us. 

     Our story as First Presbyterian Church began over 160 years ago. Since then, our ministry has adapted and changed with each bend in the road. If you're curious about the story of 1PC, I encourage you to check out the book the History Committee published for the 150th anniversary in 2007. The history of our church bears witness to the deep faith, hope, and love embedded in the fabric of our congregation. Ours is a story of a people committing their hands, hearts, and resources to the proclamation and incarnation of God's reign on earth as it is in heaven. 

     The following narrative budget is an attempt to tell the story unfolding now. In 2022 I asked each of our Ministry Teams (Hearts, Hands, and Resources) to tell the story their part of the budget represents. In a sense, the narratives you will read are our attempt to put words to the numbers – a type of embodiment realized when we participate in the life of First Presbyterian Church.