Mission Statement

With joyful hearts and open minds, we welcome all persons as diverse, unique, and individual expressions of the image of God as we:

• Affirm the unconditional love of God for all people as expressed in the life of Jesus Christ.
• Celebrate God’s grace and creative work through ritual, sacrament, music, art, movement, and play.
• Honor our Christian heritage while we explore the knowledge and wisdom of multiple religions, science, philosophy, humanities and psychology to deepen and enrich our spiritual journeys.
• Nurture one another through fellowship and compassion in a community that seeks to offer wholeness.
• Embody our faith through local ministries and in actions that promote environmental sustainability, peace, and justice for all people and Earth.
• In awe and gratitude for the Divine Mystery that dwells within each of us and pervades our Universe, we seek to create a Christian community that honors our past, is vitally connected to our present, and looks with hope and vision to the generations after us.

8 Points of Progressive Christianity

By calling ourselves progressive Christians, we mean we are Christians who…

1. Believe that following the path and teachings of Jesus can lead to an awareness and experience of the Sacred and the Oneness and Unity of all life;
2. Affirm that the teachings of Jesus provide but one of many ways to experience the Sacredness and Oneness of life, and that we can draw from diverse sources of wisdom in our spiritual journey;
3. Seek community that is inclusive of ALL people, including but not limited to:
   • Conventional Christians and questioning skeptics,
   • Believers and agnostics,
   • Women and men,
   • Those of all sexual orientations and gender identities,
   • Those of all classes and abilities;
4. Know that the way we behave towards one another is the fullest expression of what we believe;
5. Find grace in the search for understanding and believe there is more value in questioning than in absolutes;
6. Strive for peace and justice among all people;
7. Strive to protect and restore the integrity of our Earth;
8. Commit to a path of life-long learning, compassion, and selfless love.

More Light

First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton (FPCe) is an open and inclusive church. We welcome everyone at the table. FPCe is a proud member of the More Light Presbyterians.

FPCe's More Light LGBTQ+ Outreach Committee's goal is to serve gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and their families and friends — both those who are members of the FPCe congregation and those in the community at large.

Organized in 2014, the More Light Committee grew out of the late Rev. Don Steele's 2013 More Light Sunday sermon that called on FPCe to find ways to educate people both within the congregation and in the community at large about LGBT issues.

Our web page is one of the ways FPCe’s More Light committee would like to serve the Tri-Cities LGBTQ+ community. If you have any news, upcoming events, or ongoing gatherings you’d like to publicize, feel free to send the information to Jane Woodside, and we'll do our best to spread the word.