What to expect
Sunday Mornings at 9:30am
Join as we Worship our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Once you make your way here, we will help you find your way around. We have a spot just for you!
Welcome! We are located in downtown Lake Wales, just one block east of Scenic Hwy at 16 N. 3rd St. We have a large campus with two main parts, the vintage buildings and a newer building, which is our Family Life Center. The vintage buildings, which are on the north end of the block at the corner of Park Ave., house our sanctuary, chapel, offices, classrooms, music department, and children’s department. The newer building, which is on the south end of the block at the corner of Central Ave., houses our gymnasium, fellowship hall, kitchen, youth department, and additional classrooms.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is your Worship Style?
At First Presbyterian Church of Lake Wales, we worship in a traditional manner. All the aspects of the service (music, readings, and children’s message) are planned to coordinate with the Scripture reading and sermon topic. Our service begins at 9:30 am and lasts about an hour and fifteen minutes. We begin with welcome and announcements, then move into worship: we sing using hymnals or song sheets provided, we interact with responsive readings, we participate in Scripture readings, and listen to a sermon. Our choir enlists a wide variety of music from hymns and praise songs to classical pieces during worship. Each week, Pastor Mackay preaches from a specific Bible passage and illustrates its meaning through the message.
What is the gown the pastor wears?
For most of the year, you will notice that our pastors wear dark robes called the Geneva Gown. Much like a judge in a courtroom, the robe is intended to hide the man wearing it and emphasize the office that the man holds.
In other words, the robes are a visual reminder that our worship does not center around the personality of the pastor, but around God, whose Word the pastor is to set before the people.
What should I wear?
Attire runs a wide spectrum and is entirely up to you! Some attending dress up (suits, dresses) while others wear jeans or shorts, but most wear business casual. Our pastors generally wear robes during the winter months and suits in summer. Whatever you choose to wear is fine with us!
Why should a Christian commit to and attend a local church?
We live in an age of consumerism and convenience. We tend to expect everything on-demand and exactly according to our preferences. As a church, we look to the Holy Spirit to create Christians who are not self-centered, but Christ-centered, and desire to give of themselves as Jesus has given himself to us (Galatians 5:22-26). Just as Christians are connected to Christ, the head, so too are they connected to the body of Christ, which is the Church. This looks like a public profession of faith in which we make promises to follow Jesus with the help and accountability of a local body of believers (we call this church membership). Trusting the Spirit, we pray for God’s grace to live out our promises by regular, physical attendance in worship; giving of our time and resources; and trusting that God’s ways are better than our own.
What about kids?
We want our children to be growing into adult worshippers, so we include them in our worship service. What better way for kids to learn the language, songs, and movements of worship than to be watching the people of God speak, sing, and pray? We welcome the noise and wiggles that children bring. Our littlest worshippers are welcome in our church nursery until the age of four.