What is a Presbyterian Church?

Columbia Presbyterian Church (CPC) is part of a denomination known as the Presbyterian Church USA . . . or PCUSA for short. If you want to know more about our denomination and what we believe, please check out these two websites: www.PCUSA.org and www.atlpcusa.org.

If you are looking for a church that will answer all your questions about God, you won’t find that at CPC. But you will find a loving group of people who worship, study, pray, struggle, and think about the scriptures together to discern God’s relationship with us and our relationship with God in a very complex and sometimes mysterious world.

Do you have to be a Presbyterian to worship at CPC?

Not at all, particularly considering that most of our members and friends come from many different religious and denominational backgrounds. Everyone is welcome at CPC!

Can you tell me something about the CPC community?

Jesus said, “Where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” But if you like to count, there are about 175 of us who call CPC our home . . . some actual members and some just good friends. We are a close-knit community composed of many colors, cultures, and many ethnic groups. There are lots of babies and children growing up at CPC, many refugee families from Myanmar, a good many folk who have grown up in this church, and many more who have been a part of this community for just a few months. Rich and poor . . . gay and straight . . . yellow, black, red and white . . . Republican, Democrat and Independent . . . conservative and liberal and everywhere in between . . . this is the CPC community.

How are children welcomed at CPC?

Children are affirmed and loved at CPC. Childcare for children, two and under is available in the nursery downstairs during worship and Sunday School.

Children’s Sunday School: K through fifth-graders meet on Sunday mornings at 9:45 to learn the stories of the faith, from Genesis to Jesus, through Godly Play. Kindergarten through fifth grade children meet in the Children’s Room on the lower level Sanctuary Building.

All children are encouraged to come to worship with their parents. There are activity bags with crayons and coloring pages for all children available as you enter the sanctuary. We typically have a Children’s Sermon time during the worship hour. Children, three to five remain in the sanctuary during worship by gathering together at the back of the sanctuary after the time with the younger church for special activities.

Are there classes and events for my preteens and teenagers?

CPC and nearby Oakhurst Presbyterian church have a collaborative youth program that supports our youth in their spiritual journeys. Shared programs include Bible studies, mission programs, and fun fellowship events. The youth group holds Mission Mondays during July with three other churches . . . 30 Hour Famine with Oakhurst Pres . . . host a Super Bowl Party for Clifton Sanctuary Ministries . . . raise money to address Hunger with Souper Bowl of Caring . . . meets at least twice a month for fellowship, learning, worship and prayer . . . does yard work for MLK weekend . . . travels to Montreat, NC during the summer for the youth conference . . . has fun at trivia night with four other churches. For more information, contact the David Fuentes at: youthdirector@oakhurstpresbyterian.org

Are there classes and events for Adults?

The Breakfast Club meets in the back of the sanctuary every Sunday morning at 9:30 for coffee, light breakfast, and a variety of lessons and studies.

  • Book Study Group meets on Friday mornings at 10:30 in the back of the sanctuary for a lively discussion of both fiction and non-fiction books.
  • The Presbyterian Women meet each month in the church for a Bible study and lunch.
  • We meet at a local restaurant on the first Friday of every month for First Friday Fellowship for food and fellowship.
  • We have a monthly potluck on the third Sunday of each month following worship . . . after all, Presbyterian love to eat!

Who is the pastor at CPC?

Quite honestly, every member of CPC is a pastor. We are all called by Christ to be loving servants who worship and share our lives with others both inside and outside of the church walls.

Our ordained pastor, Tom Hagood, has been serving God and the people of CPC for 15 years. A graduate of Davidson College and Columbia Theological Seminary, Pastor Tom entered ministry after a career in the publishing world. He has a passion for working with the homeless and with organizations striving to prevent homelessness, including Decatur Cooperative Ministry and Our House. He also enjoys creative worship planning and preaching. Tom believes that Jesus Christ can be found in every person’s story if we just take the time to stop and listen to each other. Stories, he says, build relationships and tear down walls. Tom enjoys hiking, traveling and even throwing a little pottery once in a while.

Music Program

CPC is blessed to have a fantastic music program under the direction of Jeff Funderburk.  At Columbia Presbyterian we strive to bring our congregation to a personal experience with God through our music ministry. Our Chancel Choir leads in worship eleven months out of the year providing anthems and leading the singing of our hymns and spiritual songs. Our style of music is eclectic with the choir singing anthems that reach to the soul of the congregation to help encourage a deeper relationship with God. Besides being an organ and piano led worship service, we also often have guest musicians, both soloists to instrumentalists, to lead the. We are always looking for musicians to join us in our worship experience. Our choir may be small but mighty great sounds come from it! We would love for you to come be a part of our Wednesday night rehearsals at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday morning services where we warm-up at 10:30 a.m. for the 11:00 a.m. worship service. We are always welcoming new members to come join us as we fellowship together and prepare music for our worship services!

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How can I support the work and ministry of CPC?

The most important way to support our work is to pray for us. You can also volunteer your time to serve on one of our three ministry teams (that’s right . . . we only have three committees!):

  • People to God . . . our relationship to God through worship and study.
  • People to People . . . our relationship to each other through fellowship and mission.
  • People to Resources . . . our sharing of our time, talents, and money for the work and mission of the church.

If you would like to offer a one-time gift or an on-going financial gift, please follow this link: http://www.cpcdecatur.com/give/

Whether you give as an act of freedom and worship or only because you want to support what CPC is doing in this community (or even a little of both), we are very thankful for your support.