Highlands Presbyterian Church sits along Highland Colony Parkway in Ridgeland, Mississippi, just minutes from the Natchez Trace and a short drive from the state capital. From its single campus at 1160 Highland Colony Parkway, the church serves members and neighbors from Ridgeland, Madison, and the greater Jackson area. The congregation belongs to the Presbyterian Church in America and partners with the Mississippi Valley Presbytery for regional ministry.
The congregation describes itself as "a redeemed community, reaching out at the intersections of life and culture." Around four core values - Worship, Teaching, Nurture, and Reaching - the church builds a calendar that runs from Sunday services through Midweek classes, women's and men's studies, age-grouped Sunday Schools, student ministry small groups, short-term mission trips, and Mercy outreach in nearby Canton. Highlands is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and welcomes visitors from across the metro area to its worship, education, and fellowship life.
What a Sunday at Highlands Looks Like
A Sunday at Highlands begins at 9:00 a.m. with the worship service in the Sanctuary. The service lasts a little over an hour and typically includes music, prayers, scripture readings, a sermon, and the celebration of the Lord's Supper on the second Sunday of each month. After worship, members and visitors gather outside the Sanctuary for coffee and fellowship, then move into Sunday School Communities at 10:30 a.m.
Greeters staff the lobby from 8:45 to 9:15 a.m. to answer questions and help newcomers find the nursery, restrooms, classrooms, and Sanctuary. Children's bulletins are available at the Welcome Desk every week. A mixture of business and business-casual attire is the norm, and guests are welcomed as they are.
The 9:00 a.m. service is livestreamed each Sunday morning for those who cannot attend in person. Audio recordings of recent sermons are posted as a podcast, and a sermon video archive is kept for the current series. The fall sermon series carries the congregation through the book of Galatians under the title "Galatians: Grounded in Grace," and a Wednesday evening study by Dr. Guy Waters has walked members through the Life and Writings of the Apostle John.
Midweek at Highlands
Midweek at Highlands anchors the church's Wednesday evening rhythm from August through November and again from January through April. The night begins at 5:15 p.m. with a churchwide dinner in the Atrium. At 6:00 p.m., adults move into elective classes and small groups, while children gather for playground time, music in the Sanctuary, and a teaching hour. Student ministry activities wrap up by 7:00 p.m.
Adult electives rotate through six-week sessions. Recent offerings have included Dr. Guy Waters' study on the Apostle John and a six-week class on C.S. Lewis taught by Brad Mercer. The Midweek schedule pauses for one Wednesday during Fall Break and resumes the following week.
Nursery and Children's Ministry
Highlands opens its nursery doors at 8:45 a.m. on Sundays for infants through three-year-olds, divided into four rooms by age and stage of development: Room 104 for infants (after shots to crawling), Room 105 for toddlers (crawling to 23 months), Room 106 for young two-year-olds, and Room 108 for three-year-olds. Children four years old and older join their parents in the worship service, with children's bulletins provided at the Welcome Desk. Nursery Coordinator Julie Crosland oversees the program and is present on Sunday mornings to assist families.
Children's Ministry Director Laurie Nordan leads the broader ministry from Pre-K4 through fifth grade. On Sundays, children meet from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. on the third floor for Sunday School, beginning with twenty minutes of music before splitting into grade-level classrooms. The curriculum follows the Great Commission Publication's "Show Me Jesus" material. Wednesday nights, the children's midweek program runs from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. with playground time, music in the Sanctuary, and teaching, beginning with the churchwide dinner at 5:15 p.m.
Children's events through the year include Kids Missions Fest in February, the Highlands Church Picnic in May, Vacation Bible School in June, a Reformation Celebration in October, and the Highlands Family Christmas in December. Recent VBS themes have included "Emerald Crossing: An Irish Adventure through Psalm 23" and "True North." A Communicant's Class is offered annually for children interested in becoming communing members, using the workbook "Understanding the Faith."
Student Ministry
Director of Student Ministry Michael Hawkins oversees the program for sixth through twelfth graders, supported by Assistant Coordinators Gus Crotty and Corinne Parsons. The Student Ministry building sits behind the main church and hosts Sunday School at 10:30 a.m., where the current study is the book of Colossians.
Sunday evenings bring students together for dinner at 5:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall, followed by a fun activity at 5:30 p.m. and small group worship and Bible study on Ephesians from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. On Wednesdays, students join Midweek at Highlands for dinner in the Atrium at 5:15 p.m., then gather in "The U" for games, worship, and teaching called "Grace 101." All activities end by 7:00 p.m.
Annual retreats include the Junior High Fall Retreat "Encounter" at Twin Lakes, sponsored by the Mississippi Valley Presbytery, and the Senior High guys' retreat at Timber Creek Camp in Pulaski. Students also attend Reformed Youth Ministries summer conferences - juniors in late June and seniors in early July - and the Student Ministry sponsors social events like Feliznavidodgeball in late November, a Boys' Basketball Tournament, girls' pumpkin carving, and a Senior High grill-out and bonfire.
Adult Sunday School Communities
Highlands organizes its adult education into age- and stage-based Communities that meet at 10:30 a.m. The 30s Community is led by Will Boyd, Jim Scott, and Chris Wolfe in Room 209; the 40s Community by Scott Jones and Andrew Wilson in Room 301; the 50s Community by Clark Robinson and Thomas Gandy in Room 210; the 50s-60s Community by John Nordan and John Thomas in Room 211; and the 60-plus Community led by Charlie Saums in the Fellowship Hall. The Young Adults Community meets in Room 212.
Young Adults Ministry
The Young Adults Ministry brings together adults from out of college into their early thirties, both single and married, in regular Sunday School, small groups, and monthly social events. Sunday School gathers at 10:30 a.m. in Room 212. Women's small groups meet on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. and men's small groups on Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m., with locations shared through a GroupMe chat. Kathryn Mann serves as the Young Adults Female Coordinator, and Rev. Wesley Rule serves as Assistant Pastor to Young Adults.
Women's Ministry
Women's Ministry at Highlands gathers under the verse "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened" from Ephesians 1 and is coordinated by Laurie Nordan. The fall lineup includes multiple Bible studies across weekdays: a Tuesday evening study for young adult women through the book of Esther; two Wednesday morning studies, one on Jen Wilkin's "None Like Him" in Room 212 and one on Jen Wilkin's "Joshua: Every Good Promise Fulfilled" in Room 210; two Wednesday evening studies on Kay Arthur's "Lord, I Want to Know You" and Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth's "Heaven Rules"; a Thursday morning Precepts study on Romans 1-5 in Room 210 (with Zoom available); and a Friday morning study on Sinclair Ferguson's "Let's Study Mark" in Room 210.
A Sew and Sow group meets the second Monday of each month from 9:00 a.m. to noon and the third Thursday from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Parlor for those who sew for missions. The Women's Fall Event brings everyone together for a catered meal and a speaker, and the Women's Spring Conference joins women from across the Mississippi Valley Presbytery for a day at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson.
Men's Ministry
Men's Ministry anchors itself around several Bible studies that meet throughout the week. Mondays at 11:30 a.m., Andy Hoffecker and Charlie Saums lead a study for men primarily in their sixties and older, gathering for lunch first in the Atrium. Tuesdays at 6:30 a.m., Chip Johnson and Andy Sensing lead another group primarily for men in their sixties. Tuesdays at 7:15 a.m., Chuck McBride and Eddie Woodard lead a Zoom study for men 55 and older. Tuesdays at 7:30 a.m., Casey Combest and Brad Tisdale lead a study for men in their twenties, thirties, and forties at Casey's studio on Lakeside Drive in Jackson. Thursdays at 6:00 p.m., Wesley Rule leads a study for young adult men at 369 Pinewood Lane in Ridgeland.
Twice a year the men of Highlands gather for an evening of food and teaching. The Men's Steak Supper in the Fellowship Hall features a steak dinner from a local caterer, group games led by Thomas Gandy, congregational singing led by Mike Murphy, and a guest speaker. Recent speakers have included Dr. David Irving, President of Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, and Paul Hurst, attorney and former Chief of Staff to Governor Haley Barbour. A Men's BBQ dinner takes the place of the steak supper in the colder months.
Reaching: Missions and Mercy
Missions is one of the four core values at Highlands, and the church supports a wide network of missionaries through Faith Promise giving. The current Faith Promise maintenance goal is $160,000, with a challenge goal of $175,000. Supported workers serve in Japan, Thailand, Australia, the Bahamas, Spain, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine, Belgium, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, India, Nepal, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Panama, and across the United States. The annual Missions Festival is the largest missions event of the year, featuring a guest missionary, panel, and opportunities to give.
Short-term mission trips have taken Highlands teams to Nassau, Bahamas and to San Salvador, El Salvador. The Bahamas teams partner with MTW missionaries Tim and Beverly Hart, hosting literacy and STEM camps and Vacation Bible School for local children. The San Salvador team visits universities, practices English with intermediate and advanced classes, distributes meals to the homeless through a local mercy ministry, and hosts a gathering for college students and young professionals.
The Mercy Ministry extends the church's reach closer to home. Kid's Club in Canton meets every Tuesday during the school year from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. for children ages five through twelve, sharing the gospel through music, crafts, and Bible lessons in partnership with Pleasant Green Church of Christ Holiness and Pastor Tony Parker. Each summer the church also hosts Canton Kids VBS at Pleasant Green, with volunteers traveling from Highlands for an afternoon of ministry with neighborhood children. The monthly Mercy Ministry spotlight highlights a local partner such as Gateway Rescue Mission, which provides meals, shelter, counseling, and discipleship to homeless men, women, and children in Jackson.
Two other mercy efforts round out the ministry. The Highlands Caregiver Support Group meets on the second Monday of each month from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in Room 118, providing a safe space for members caring for loved ones. Each year the church family also participates in the Center for Pregnancy Choices LifeWalk at Trustmark Park in Pearl, raising funds and walking in support of life across Mississippi.
What Highlands Believes
Highlands identifies itself as evangelical, Reformed, and Presbyterian. The church teaches that the Bible is the very Word of God and is necessary for a true and saving knowledge of God, that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ, and that the Westminster Confession of Faith with the Larger and Shorter Catechisms summarizes the system of doctrine taught in Scripture.
As a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America, Highlands is governed by a Session of elders elected by the members, with elders also serving at the regional (Mississippi Valley Presbytery) and national levels. Officers are ordained as Ruling Elders and Deacons following a training course. The PCA representative form of church government shapes how the congregation handles discipline, teaching, and the call of pastors.
Becoming a Member
Highlands welcomes newcomers through a four-week Inquirers' Class offered on Sunday mornings from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in Room 117. The class covers what the church believes and how it functions as a Presbyterian congregation, and it is required for anyone considering membership. "Discover Highlands" gatherings offer a more casual next step: refreshments and conversation with pastors and leaders after a Sunday service in Room 118, with answers about Sunday School, small groups, baptism, and serving opportunities.
Visiting with Children and Practical Details
Families arriving with young children will find a marked nursery wing and greeters in the lobby ready to point the way. Children four years old and up join the worship service with their families; children's bulletins and crayons are at the Welcome Desk. The nursery is available on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings during the Midweek semester.
Parking is available on site at the church. A map and directions are available online, and the address is 1160 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland, Mississippi 39157. The church office can be reached at 601-853-0636 or office@highlandspca.org.
Leadership and Staff
The pastoral team is led by Senior Pastor Rev. Joseph Wheat, supported by Senior Associate Pastor Rev. Bradford Mercer and Assistant Pastor to Young Adults Rev. Wesley Rule. Mike Murphy directs the music ministry and leads congregational singing at men's dinners and special services. Michael Hawkins directs the Student Ministry with Gus Crotty and Corinne Parsons serving as assistant coordinators. Kathryn Mann coordinates the Young Adults ministry with the women. Laurie Nordan directs the Children's Ministry and coordinates Women's Ministry, and Julie Crosland oversees the nursery.
Administrative support comes from Director of Administration Larnie Shinnick, Administrative Assistant Marsha Areundo, Ministry Support Becky Brown, Communications Coordinator Kristen Walters, Housekeeping lead Kathy Richardson, and Facility Maintenance lead Damon Winston. Elders and deacons, including ordained Ruling Elders and Deacons who completed the nine-week Officer Training course taught by Rev. Mercer, share in the spiritual leadership of the congregation.
Giving and Getting Connected
Online giving is available through PushPay, and offering plates are passed during worship. Members and visitors can also give through wall-mounted boxes outside the Sanctuary doors and at the balcony entrance, or mail or drop off contributions at the church office. A Faith Promise pledge supports the church's missionaries each year, and the church directory is hosted online for member access.
Whether someone is looking for a worship home, a place for their children to learn the Bible, a small group, a women's or men's study, a way to serve, or a short-term mission trip, Highlands offers many on-ramps into the life of the church.