About Us
Who We Are
We are first and foremost a Christian church, though not a perfect one. In fact, we acknowledge that we are a bunch of sinners. Maybe it would be best to say that we are a work in progress!
Our primary activity is to gather together on Sunday mornings to worship God and to glorify his name. We do that by reading the Bible, hearing a sermon, participating in music and joining together in prayer.
We seek to be a neighborhood church. Throughout the year we participate in a number of activities that benefit the community because God told us to love our neighbors. So, we might weed a community garden, we open up our building for AA meetings, organize collection drives for a local food pantry – really just about anything that can benefit our “neighborhood,” we’re willing to consider.
You can read about our Christian beliefs below. We try to follow the motto, “Come casual and leave fulfilled.” That means that we want you to enter our fellowship exactly as you are and that we hope that when you leave, you’ll know that you have been in the presence of the divine. We believe that God made each one of us in his image, so we strive to reflect that image of God to each other. Sometimes we fall short of the mark, but together we strive to be a Christian community, serving God and each other, here in our neighborhood.
We are eager to have you join us, because we believe that a relationship with Christ, amongst a community of believers, benefits us all.
We hope to see you on Sunday. And we welcome you to reach out if you have a question or prayer request, by following these links.
God Bless You!
Living in God’s amazing grace!
At First Presbyterian Church of Troy, we believe that in his infinite and indescribable love for the people he created, God sent his son Jesus Christ into the world to save humanity. Further, God’s Holy Spirit is here with us now, to strengthen us and guide us.
Full books have been written about what Presbyterians believe and what it means to be a Presbyterian, but the paragraph above – acknowledging God, Jesus and Holy Spirit as one Triune God and our only hope for salvation – is the foundation for everything else.
We believe that the Bible is the Holy Word of God, inspired by God through the Holy Spirit, and is God’s unique revelation to the world. We believe that salvation is by God’s grace alone, through faith alone. Salvation cannot be earned by our good works or deeds and yet we are called to live faithful and productive lives as we respond to the gift of God’s grace.
We believe that God gave us the church as a source of comfort and aid and as a place where we gather together to worship, to pray, to learn and to serve.
One of the hallmarks of the Presbyterian traditions is that questions are not only encouraged, they are almost required as we seek to continue to grow in our faith and learn more and more about God. If you have a question about our faith, please ask Pastor Dan, join a Bible study or attend a class. More information is also available on the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) website. For questions on Baptism or Communion at First Presbyterian Church of Troy, follow these links.
What We Believe About Baptism
St. Augustine said it best way back in the 5th century: Baptism “is an outward sign of an inward grace.” In other words, Baptism is an action that the church takes to attempt to acknowledge what God is already doing in our lives. God loves us and claims us as his own.
Baptism speaks to the covenant relationship we have with God. A covenant is a solemn promise. In this case, that promise is one that has existed for thousands of years – God will be our God and we will be his people. Baptism is a way that we acknowledge that covenant and strive to live up to our end of the agreement.
In the Presbyterian Church, we accept both infant baptism and the baptism of believers. For those who are baptized as infants or young children, we encourage a Confirmation, generally around age 13, which includes a course of study and an opportunity for the individual to confirm the decision to live as a part of God’s family that was made on his/her behalf. For many, baptism is a start on a long journey of faith.
We believe baptism occurs as part of a regular church service so that all can celebrate and witness this decision to be baptized. Further, the church as a whole then promises to support the individual baptized and to treat that individual as a brother/sister in Christ.
For more on what we believe about Baptism, please talk with Pastor Dan, or visit the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) website https://www.presbyterianmission.org/what-we-believe/baptism/ or https://www.presbyterianmission.org/story/0117-wpb/
What We Believe About Communion
Communion is one of the great gifts given to the church to help people deepen their relationship with God. It is one of the two sacraments, the other being baptism, that we acknowledge.
When Jesus of Nazareth was nearing the end of his physical life on Earth, he had great compassion and great love for his disciples and for those who would be Christ-followers in the times to come. So Jesus took an ordinary act, eating a meal together, and made it sacred by using the elements of that meal to bind the disciples to him and to each other. We share in that same relationship when we participate in communion.
We do not say that the bread and the cup somehow magically become the actual body and blood of Jesus. But neither do we say that the communion meal is merely bread and juice either. In Jesus’ great love for us, he makes the meal an opportunity to connect with him and with each other in a way that is deep and meaningful.
We believe that all those who seek a relationship with Jesus, even those who may be struggling in their faith – perhaps especially those who are struggling – are welcome to participate in communion. While communion may have been given to the church, it was intended to be shared with the people.
Generally, we serve communion once per month. We do this so that the people have regular access to this invigorating gift, but we seek to prevent it from becoming a rote act that we engage in without thought or reverence for what is happening.
To learn more about our understanding of Communion, please contact Pastor Dan or visit the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) website here: https://www.presbyterianmission.org/what-we-believe/communion/
Dan Heaton
Pastor Dan is a bi-vocational pastor, meaning he works a full-time job in the community and serves as a pastor part-time. He became a pastor about 10 years ago and joined FPC-Troy around Christmas of 2018. He and his wife, Kim, have 4 adult children.
“I believe a relationship with Jesus can provide meaning and purpose to our lives. Coming out of Covid-19, I think we could all benefit by finding some new friends in the church and deepening our relationship with God.”
Pastor Dan attended Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit and holds master’s degrees in both divinity and theology. He previously served at churches in Mount Clemens and Howell and as a hospital chaplain in Detroit.
Penny Brady
Penny not only works in the office, but she’s also a longtime member of the church, having started attending when she was 10 years old. Fast-forward a few years, and her two sons are grown and on their own. One son lives close by, and the other lives on the west side of the state with his own new family. Life has continued on in the years since Penny joined, but her love for the church remains, and she enjoys her time with her church family, in any capacity!