ABOUT OUR CHURCH
From the Pastor
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God is at work to create an exciting community of faith at First Presbyterian Church in Miami. We invite you to join us as we learn and grow and serve together. The Bible is important to us, and so we listen to scripture, find new ways to hear its message, and live it out in our daily lives.
Every church says that they are welcoming. We MEAN it.
You are welcome if you are black, brown, yellow, red, white, or green. You are welcome if you are young, old or anywhere in between. You are welcome if you are gay, straight, bisexual, transgender, male, female, or still trying to figure it out. God loves you and so will we! This is a safe place for everyone to worship and celebrate their God-created uniqueness.
We believe in forgiveness. God is a God of second chances. That is central to our message and central to our challenge. We forgive one another as God forgives us.
Come journey with us.
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Pastor Ray VandeGiessen
First Presbyterian Church
Miami, Oklahoma
OUR STAFF
RAY
VANDEGIESSEN, PASTOR
Ray has been here in Miami since 2016. He grew up in a village in western Michigan, graduated from Hope College and New Brunswick (NJ) Theological Seminary. He has served congregations in Michigan, New Jersey, and New York before heading to Oklahoma. He is single and the father of three grown children.
JAANNA MEADOR, NURSERY ATTENDANT
JaAnna is the newest member of our staff, and provides a friendly, safe place for young children during the worship services. She is married and is the mother of 3 and grandmother of 5.
DEMARIS CELESTE RECTOR, PIANIST
Celeste is a wonderful pianist and harpist. She is the harpist for the Southeast Kansas Symphony Orchestra. She is married to Darrell.
KATE PRINCE, CLERK OF SESSION
Kate Prince has been our clerk since 2017. She is a long time member of the congregation. Kate is married and has 4 adult children. She worked as a designer for Newell Coach.