The Mission Review Committee of Westhampton Presbyterian Church began its work on February 28, 1999. Our task at that time was to evaluate where the church had been since its previous study in 1991. We were informed that churches are advised to conduct a new study approximately every seven years. We asked ourselves, "Where will Westhampton Presbyterian Church be in the new millennium and beyond?" We began our work enthusiastically by setting up subcommittees and enrolling in the Precept Group ReVision Program, a widely utilized program within the Presbyterian Church U.S.A.

In April, with Dr. Cary’s announcement that he would be leaving to accept a call from McCormick Seminary to be the Frank and Jean Mohr Professor of Ministry, the purpose of our work took on additional meaning. We realized we had to prepare a document for two distinct audiences: the congregation and a prospective pastor. With that in mind, the committee regrouped and the result is the present document. It is our hope that it will be a guide for the congregation of Westhampton Presbyterian Church and provide opportunities for dialogue between a prospective pastor and a search committee.

The committee would like to thank Dr. Charles M. Cary for his assistance in helping us organize our efforts in the beginning of this study. We would also like to thank Dr. William P. Findlay for his assistance in prioritizing the information collected and helping us to keep focused on those priorities through to the completion of this study.

Who We Are

Only an hour and a half away from New York City, we are located on the Atlantic seacoast, boasting one of the nation’s finest white, sandy beaches. There are rural farms and forests nearby. During the summer months, the population swells to triple in size, accommodating New York City’s metropolitan affluent, so there is a suburban feel as well. The church has members who live locally, some who live in New York City part of the time, and some who drive from as far as twenty-five miles away to worship here. People move to this community because of its strong sense of community, scenic beauty, and low crime rate. The local school system has an excellent reputation. The arts are well represented by strong community theaters and a new performing arts center located in the center of Westhampton Beach.

Westhampton Presbyterian Church dates back to 1742 with a rich history of strength and activity. The present church building was built in 1887 in simple New England traditional style. We recently added classrooms, a modern office, a pastor’s study, a choir room and handicap accessible bathrooms, plus a fire sprinkler system for the entire church. A stained glass window was installed adding beauty to our church.

Where many Presbyterian churches nationwide have been sliding slowly backward, Westhampton Presbyterian has been thriving. We are a growing church, filled with members and friends who are deeply involved in a wide variety of programs. As of December 1999, WPC had a membership of 452 and over one hundred friends; 24 new members joined; and 15 were baptized. Ten members entered life eternal.

Our dedication to mission giving has made us one of the most generous in the Presbytery, and a commitment to caring has led to many acts of involvement in local need. We have a history of being financially solvent; in fact, in two of the last three years our pledge goal was exceeded by approximately ten thousand dollars. Our church has no mortgage.

We are a member of the East End Presbyterian Parish, consisting of 14 eastern Long Island churches, which promotes fellowship between area churches and coordinates worship, training, and mission activities for member churches.

Our Memorial Garden provides a place for internment of ashes and reflection and honor for the community.

As a community we strive to find Christ in our lives each day. Traditionally we look for, and have been privileged to hear, sermons which personally challenge and inspire the listener. We look for Christ in the faces of those who worship in our midst. We, therefore, strive to accept each individual as a child of God.

Music is very important at Westhampton Presbyterian Church. We have a strong active adult choir of approximately twenty members that is open to all members of the congregation. This choir is directed by an exceptionally gifted organist/director. Anthems are chosen from traditional as well as contemporary composers and can be very challenging to the singer while being inspirational to the listener. Children are an integral part of our music program. Opportunities exist for children ages 9 - 14 to sing in the Youth Choir under the direction of the organist. Children ages 3 - 9 sing in the Cherub Choir. A vocal music teacher directs the Cherub Choir. Each of these children's choirs sings approximately six times per year.

Special holiday musical services are held each year with the assistance of local musicians. Some of these musicians are from the Long Island Brass Guild or members of stringed ensembles. We are fortunate to have as a member of our church the director of the Ecumenical Choir. Our Sanctuary, therefore, is often used for the Ecumenical Choir's Advent and Lenten Concerts as well as for their weekly rehearsals.

Westhampton Presbyterian Church has a long history of outreach both to the larger church and to the world. Our members have served in many capacities and positions at the Presbytery, Synod, and General Assembly levels of both the denomination and Presbyterian Women. We recognize and support the presbyterian connectional system.

For about 20 years, Westhampton Presbyterian Church has intentionally included a minute for mission by a lay liturgist in our weekly worship services. Over the years, these individually prepared educational and consciousness-raising messages have become more and more personalized, successfully putting a face on mission.

Although WPC is not particularly known for hands-on mission work, we have responded well to community needs in the past such as the Sunrise Wildfires, the TWA flight 800 crash, and the Shane Daniels racial incident. In recent years we have participated in the Midnight Run to Manhattan. Currently plans are underway for our involvement in building a Habitat for Humanity house in our community.

Through the Minutes for Mission and pastoral leadership, mission has come alive to our congregation; our faith is not separate from our daily living. As a result, our General Mission giving stands as #1 within our Presbytery; our special offerings are the third highest given by our presbytery’s congregations; overall we rank as #2 in per member giving. This is our faith in action.

WORLDWIDE MISSION

    Support for special church offerings and Presbyterian ministries at all levels of the church

    Support young adult for global mission trips

    Financial support for Cuban church

    SERRV - Sale of crafts from around the world to raise money for needy people

    Support for eye surgery at the Christian Hospital in Taxilla, Pakistan

    Support for Bosnian student through our Peacemaking Offering

LOCAL MISSION PROJECTS

We actively participate in and support the following:

    Long Island Council of Churches - Promotes interaction between churches

    Greater Hamptons Interfaith Council - Local version of LI Council of Churches

    Habitat for Humanity - Helping to provide affordable housing

    Long Island Council of Churches Soup Kitchen in Riverhead

    Midnight Run - Delivering food and clothing to homeless in Manhattan

    Crop Walk - Raises money for local food pantries and international hunger relief

    Breast Cancer Support Group

    Martin Luther King Breakfast - Inter-racial celebration

    East End Hospice - Palliative care for the terminally ill

    Camp Good Grief - Day camp for children who have experienced a significant loss in

    Timothy Hill Children’s Ranch - Home for orphaned boys

    Peconic Campus Ministry - Provides chaplain for students at two local campuses

    Group for the South Fork - Environmental Group

    Brighter Tomorrows - Shelter for victims of domestic violence

    Child Development and Learning Center – Organized by First Baptist Church Riverhead

    Support for two members of our church who are seminarians

    Family counseling service of Westhampton

    Brookfield Presbyterian Church Redevelopment

The Deacons help set the tone for the church as a caring community. The Deacons’ closet provides free medical equipment to anyone in the community who has a need. They oversee the collection of canned goods for a local food pantry. At Thanksgiving they provide food baskets for local families in need. At Christmas time they participate in an "Adopt a Family program" which is an ecumenical program that provides gifts for needy families.

The Deacons provide a special ministry to the hospitalized and homebound members of the congregation. They visit hospitalized members, provide transportation to doctors’ appointments, provide meals for the hospitalized families, and send get well cards and flowers.

As part of our outreach to the community, we routinely allow local groups use of our building. This includes AA groups, Girl and Boy Scouts, a full time nursery school, Ecumenical Choir,  Maureens Haven Homeless Shelter, and The Westhampton Garden Club, and The Westhampton Woman’s Club.

A variety of intergenerational activities for the family are coordinated by the adult ministry committee, including the All Church Picnic, the World Communion Sunday Brunch and the Harvest Dinner.

Other activities of fellowship and education include periodic adult study classes, new member classes, a men’s group, and a working women’s support group. At present the adult education program is being reevaluated.

Our Church has a long and proud tradition of ministering to children of all ages. The church school and youth group programs inspire and prepare children to carry on the traditions of our faith. These programs are often the reason why new families become involved in our church life. Our youth programs teach and nurture children and actively involve them in the life of the church. As a result, our families are stronger and our church membership continues to grow.

Over the years, our church has made a variety of decisions concerning staff support for youth ministry. These have ranged from weekend seminarians, full-time seminary interns, a shared position with a neighboring Methodist Church and an Associate Pastor. Currently, we have a part-time youth coordinator.

The church school participates in the following mission projects: soda ring-top collections in order to send children on dialysis to camp; a mitten tree to encourage the donation of new mittens for needy children; and One Great Hour of Sharing banks.

The middle and high school youth meet weekly to provide "hands-on" opportunities to worship, practice faithfulness through mission projects, and participate in fellowship activities. Mission opportunities include leading Youth Sunday, liturgical dance, volunteering at a local soup kitchen, summer work camp experience, and global mission trips. Recreational activities include ski and whitewater rafting trips, a Great Adventure trip, bowling and "nacho nite" discussion sessions.

The Presbyterian Women are an important and active part of the life of Westhampton Presbyterian Church. They have a long history of raising money for mission both locally and internationally. During 1999 over $20,000 was raised of which $9,000 was given to mission projects coordinated by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Long Island Presbyterian Women. This is in addition to our church's mission giving. Over $5,000 was returned to Westhampton Presbyterian Church in the form of an annual contribution, special gifts, and scholarships to women for seminars. The remainder, supporting local mission projects, included after-prom activities for WHB High School, HUGS (Human Understanding and Growth Seminars) for high school students, and sponsoring four children from the Christian Children’s Fund.

We are a community of Christians who exist because God is good and has called us together to serve Christ with joy and love. We believe in the loving, joyful, spirit, God, in whom all began and who stays always with us. And that, through the forgiving grace, the gift of Jesus Christ, God calls us to love everyone as ourselves. We believe that, as we evolve in compassion for more and more of creation we can come to be ever nearer to God. We believe God has knit us together as a kind, caring community which sees outreach as vital to our ministry. We believe that the heart of all we do springs from the power of a Savior who moves us and opens us to see each person as a child of God. Therefore our doors are open to all who come for guidance, for sanctuary, for learning and for worship. We believe our task is to make real the forgiveness, compassion and grace of Jesus Christ through worship, prayer, outreach, education, fellowship and service. We believe the ministry of Christ is shown in all age groups with gifts which shine in all of us as we build our part of the Kingdom of God here in Westhampton.

Westhampton Presbyterian Church is a place to come, to pray and to experience God's love, strength and healing powers. No matter what one's personal struggles or where we are on our voyage, Westhampton is a refuge, a place to find the courage, the strength, the love to seek our unique potential. It is a place where as weak as we may feel, with God's help we learn to love and help others, here in the church, the community and the greater world.

As part of the connectional nature of the Presbyterian Church (USA), our bylaws for the Ecclesiastical Body affirm the following: "The purpose and mission of this congregation are consistent with the great ends of the church found in the Book of Order.

"As we are called to proclaim the gospel for the salvation of humankind; we shall provide an environment for preaching the good news of Jesus Christ and endeavor to communicate this message to others beyond our immediate congregation.

"As we are called to shelter, nurture, and sustain a spiritual fellowship of the children of God, we shall support one another in a community of care and concern.

"As we are called to maintain divine worship, we shall endeavor to respond to the good news of God's love as it is revealed in Jesus Christ. This response takes on a corporate nature as members gather weekly to hear the work of God in scripture, sermon, song and sacrament. The response takes on an individual nature when members pray privately, search the scriptures, and meditate on the Word.

"As we are called to preserve the truth, we shall provide opportunities for members to search and study the scriptures, explore the creeds and confessions of the church, and be instructed as to the way of Jesus Christ.

"As we are called to promote social righteousness, we shall endeavor to identify and confront the individual and corporate evils. We shall as mandated in the scriptures, be advocates for the poor and the oppressed in the world. We shall also seek peace and understanding amongst all people.

"As we are called to exhibit the Kingdom of Heaven to the world, we shall seek to be good stewards of our lives and resources, profess the gospel, and, with the church throughout the world, follow Jesus Christ." (Bylaws for the Ecclesiastical Body-Article III)

As a congregation, we are a growing yet aging group. Many of us come from traditional families and homogeneous lifestyles. As a group, we are well educated and our concerns revolve around both spiritual and personal problems. Our stress level is relatively low and we are accepting of religious teachings. Our preference is a traditional style of church and style of worship that focuses upon spiritual development. We are a financially secure organization.

Our church has many and diverse programs. Those with the greatest support are in the areas of mission, children’s activities and worship. Our music and youth education programs are central to our church and are very well received. Our groups, such as the Presbyterian Women, and our mission programs (Adopt-a-Family and Midnight Run) inspire a great deal of support from the congregation. Conversely, adult education, prayer groups and men’s groups are less well attended.

The wants of our church family, in terms of programs, range from personal counseling to cultural programs. Areas of great importance to our members include active retirement programs, theological discussion, Bible study and prayer groups. Out of those programs, we currently lack all but Bible study and prayer groups.

Members of our church family are generally satisfied with their personal and spiritual lives. However, some areas are perceived as lacking in people’s church lives, such as their involvement in the ministry and the way they share their faith with others. In general, people’s family, financial and professional situations are close to ideal.

The level of distress among our members is fairly low. However, their personal relationships and problems with their children are sometimes a cause for concern. People tend to worry about educational quality, childcare and problems affecting their young people. Divorce, companionship and parenting skills are areas that seem to trouble our members.

GOAL - Meet our congregants’ expressed needs for personal spiritual growth and sharing our faith with others:

OBJECTIVES:

Expand adult ministry… education…fellowship…outreach

Find ways to enable volunteerism within the church

Institute a more comprehensive officer training

GOAL - Embrace brothers and sisters in Christian unity while accepting our diversity.

OBJECTIVES:

    Support the needs of all minority people within our community

    Create activities that are inclusive, including non-traditional individuals and families

    Expand the church’s services to include physically, emotionally and economically challenged persons

    Be open to alternative forms of worship

    Expand our vision of ourselves and our church to address social issues

GOAL – Strive to meet our children and youth’s needs

OBJECTIVES:

    Expand senior high youth group participation

    Develop additional youth opportunities

    Willingness to explore church school schedule

    Explore ways to increase existing scholarships

GOAL – Embrace the changes that have occurred, be open to future changes, and meet the ensuing needs.

OBJECTIVES:

    Recognize the effect of our growth on church organization and leadership

    Respond to our growth by more intentional membership care and assimilation

    Evaluate current and future staffing needs.

    Explore other models of ministry

    Explore ways that technology can enhance our ministry