About Us

History

First Presbyterian Church of Dallas, Oregon was founded in the late 1800s.

Like all churches, we have had a variety of wonderful pastors over the years, and repeatedly have grown and shrunk and grown and shrunk in numbers of attendees as time has passed. We have moved locations within Dallas as our town and needs for space changed.

What has never changed, is our allegiance to our Lord Jesus and our sense of being a close family that cares for each other and for our community.

What We Believe

Some of the principles articulated by John Calvin, the founder of our Reformed Chrisitan Faith, are still at the core of Presbyterian beliefs. Among these are

the sovereignty of God,

the authority of Scripture,

justification by grace through faith, and

the priesthood of all believers.

What these tenets mean is that God is the supreme authority throughout the universe. Our knowledge of God and God’s purpose for humanity comes from the Bible, particularly what is revealed in the New Testament through the life of Jesus Christ. Our salvation (justification) through Jesus is God’s generous gift to us and not the result of our own accomplishments. It is everyone’s job — ministers and lay people alike — to share this Good News with the whole world. That is also why the Presbyterian church is governed at all levels by a combination of clergy and laity, men and women alike.

Presbyterians confess their beliefs through statements that have been adopted over the years and are contained in The Book of Confessions. These statements reflect our understanding of God and what God expects of us at different times in history, but all are faithful to the fundamental beliefs described above.

Even though we share these common beliefs, Presbyterians understand that God alone is lord of the conscience, and it is up to each individual to understand what these principles mean in his or her life.

Theology | Presbyterian Church (USA)

Serving Others

Presbyterians are passionate about mission. It’s in our blood. It’s who we are. We care for people who have needs, and we seek a world where God’s justice is achieved on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Our congregation participates in serving others both locally and around the world.

For example, last September we hosted missionary Caroline Kurtz who serves in Ethiopia, and raised enough money to install solar power in 10 homes in a village that has no electricity.

We support other Presbyterian missionaries around the world and select one of them to learn about and pray for each week.

Locally, we support many projects with gifts of our time, energy, and money, including:

  • James 2 dinners
  • Dallas Food Bank
  • Sable House
  • Titus House
  • River of Life House
  • The Kindness Club
  • Polk Free Clinic
  • Western Compass @ WOU
  • Dallas Ministerial Association emergency help fund
  • Weekday School of the Bible
  • Dallas Indoor Play Park
  • the new Veterans' Shelter
  • and more