Sunday Worship in Two Languages

First Presbyterian Church of Goldsboro gathers for one blended worship service each Sunday at 10:00 a.m. The service follows a traditionally Reformed order and is led by the Chancel Choir and pastoral staff. Communion is observed on the first Sunday of every month, at the Maundy Thursday service, and at the traditional Christmas Eve service.

For Spanish-speaking members of the broader community, the church offers Worship en Español at 11:30 a.m. Both services are open to all, and a welcome team can be reached through the church office. Baptism is recognized at First Pres as a sign of God's love and grace, offered to infants, children, and adults. Services are also livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel for those joining from home.

Sunday School for Every Age

Christian education begins at 9:00 a.m. and runs until 9:50 a.m. in dedicated classrooms on the education floor:

• Birth through age 3 in Room 104
• Age 3 through Pre-K in Room 205
• Kindergarten through grade 2 in Room 207
• Grades 3 through 5 in Room 204
• Middle and high school youth in Room 206

Adults have three options. The Susan Borden Discussion Class (Room 100) studies the "Present Word" curriculum. The Young at Heart Class meets on the second floor and focuses on current topics. The Connection Class for young adults gathers in the Library. A nursery is provided during the Sunday School hour.

Wednesday Family Night

Wednesday evenings follow a steady rhythm throughout the school year. From 5:00 to 5:45 p.m., students in third through eighth grade rehearse with the Chancel Choristers. A fellowship dinner for all ages is served from 6:00 to 6:45 p.m., followed by an intergenerational Bible study from 6:45 to 7:30 p.m. At 7:30 p.m. the adult Chancel Choir begins its weekly rehearsal. Family Night breaks over the summer and resumes in the fall.

Children and Youth

Children's Ministry at First Pres welcomes infants through elementary age, with classes for nursery, K-2, grades 3-4, and grades 5-7 during Sunday School. Children take part in Wednesday Family Night activities and in local mission projects alongside their parents. Family Fellowship Friday gathers the congregation once a month for an evening of soup or salad, devotion, and fellowship.

The Youth Ministry serves middle and high school students through Confirmation, Wednesday night Bible studies, and Sunday-afternoon activities. The program emphasizes grace, service, and friendship, and newcomers are welcome whether or not they grew up in a church.

Paige Corbett, the Director of Christian Education, oversees the children and youth programs. A native of nearby Stantonsburg, she is pursuing a degree in Christian Studies at the University of Mount Olive and has worked with children and youth through early childhood education and church ministry since her teens.

Three Choirs

Music has long been a centerpiece of life at First Pres. Three ensembles rehearse each week, with no audition required for the adult choir:

• Chancel Choir (adults), Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. in the Choir Room
• Chancel Choristers (students in grades 3-8), Wednesdays at 5:00 p.m.
• Chancel Bells (adult handbells), Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. in the Handbell Room

Previous choir experience is welcome but not required, and practice tracks are posted online for singers to learn each voice part.

Outreach: From Soup Kitchens to Mission Trips

Outreach at First Pres stretches from the streets of Goldsboro to the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico, and to Mwandi, Zambia. International mission teams have traveled to Chiapas in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2023, and to Mwandi in 2010 and 2014. Youth take part through Vacation Bible School at Chiapas and through summer camp sponsorships.

Locally, the Mission Committee partners with a long list of ministries:

• Community Soup Kitchen
• Clothing Giveaway and Turkey Giveaway
• Meals on Wheels
• Habitat for Humanity
• Crisis Center
• Latino Farm Workers Ministry
• Weekend Food for Vulnerable Students
• Boys & Girls Club and Young Life
• Flynn Christian Fellowship Home
• Wayne Recovery
• Campus Crusade for Christ

Designated giving funds support the Soup Kitchen, the Local Good Samaritan Fund (helping with delinquent rent and utility bills), the FPC Education Fund (scholarships for graduating seniors and post-secondary students), and the church's Youth Missions program.

Presbyterian Women and Their Circles

Every woman of the church is automatically part of Presbyterian Women and is invited into one of two circles for fellowship, Bible study, and prayer. The Morning Circle meets the first Tuesday of each month at 10:00 a.m. The Night Circle meets the first Monday at 7:00 p.m. Both meet in the parlor.

Members of the circles deliver flowers to elderly and shut-in members, prepare and serve bereavement meals, host parties at retirement homes, organize a community lunch one Wednesday during Lent, and assemble casseroles for the ill. Susan Stackhouse serves as Moderator and helps new members find a circle.

A Day Away: A Mother's Morning Out Program

A Day Away is the church's non-profit Mother's Morning Out program, sponsored by First Pres and open to the wider Goldsboro community. It serves children from six weeks old through age five on Mondays (8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.), Wednesdays, and Fridays (9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.), with a half-day rate of $14 (two hours) and a full-day rate of $20 (four hours). Enrolled families do not need to be members of the church.

The program operates from the main church building at 1101 East Ash Street and can be reached at (919) 735-3060.

Weddings, Funerals, and the Columbarium

The sanctuary hosts weddings with pre-marital counseling for couples who wish to marry there. The church's written guidelines describe marriage as a sacred covenant between two people and God.

First Pres walks alongside families through funerals, treating them as services of worship that witness to the resurrection and celebrate the life of the deceased.

The Columbarium on the church grounds reclaims an older role of the church as a final resting place. Memorial Markers are available to eligible members whose remains are scattered in the garden or elsewhere.

The FPC Foundation and Giving

Contributions can be earmarked for specific funds: annual budget pledges, the church general offering, the church mission offering (the fifth-Sunday offering), a Building Maintenance fund, the FPC Education Fund, the Local Good Samaritan Fund, the Music Fund, and the Sound System Contribution. Giving is available online.

The FPC Foundation annually awards grants to outside organizations whose work supports the church's stated mission: "With Christ our Savior as model and the Holy Spirit as guide, we gather to worship God, and go forth to serve, sharing our faith and God's love." Applications for outside grant cycles are accepted during the first quarter of each year.

Pastoral Leadership

The Rev. Dr. Noé Juarez serves as pastor. Originally from Peru, he holds a degree in History and Geography from the San Martin Teaching Institute, a Master of Divinity from Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, a certificate in Clinical Pastoral Education from Duke University, and a Doctor of Ministry from Columbia Theological Seminary. Before coming to Goldsboro he served as pastor of Sunset Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale and as associate pastor for mission and family ministries at Highland Presbyterian Church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He and his wife Laurie have two children.

Paige Corbett directs Christian Education, and Susan Stackhouse moderates Presbyterian Women. The church office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The motto that runs through the church's publications captures its identity: "We gather in worship and go forth to serve, sharing our faith and God's love."