At Princetown, we want to make your visit an enjoyable experience, easy, stress-free, and relaxing. Princetown is laid back for people, whatever their background, including those who have never been to church before. In fact, many of our people were not regular church attenders before coming to Princetown. So you're in a majority when you visit! If we were visiting a new church for the first time, we'd like to know what to expect, so here's a brief overview:
Upon entering the church, there should be some friendly people (we call them "greeters") to say hello and answer any questions you might have. If you have kids, babies and toddlers can be put in our secure and well-staffed nursery, while other kids can come into the service. Kids age three through fifth grade are dismissed from the service about fifteen minutes from the beginning in order to go to "Kids Church." Sixth graders on up are welcome to stay in the service.
You'll notice that everyone is dressed however they feel comfortable, ranging from a suit-and-tie, to "office casual," to jeans and sneakers. We hope you will do the same.
The service usually begins with some upbeat music, followed by a welcome and introduction to the theme of the day's service. Sometimes, there will be a drama or multimedia to further explore that theme. Then someone will offer a prayer, and the pastor will begin the message. He usually speaks for about 30 minutes, and does his best to make the messages interesting, enjoyable, and relevant to daily life. The message will be based on the Bible, and will often include interesting quotes from contemporary people, songs, or movies. The message comes from solid Christian reformed theology in intelligent, understandable, and relevant terms. Hopefully, you'll laugh at times and maybe feel a tug at your heart as well.
Speaking of the Worship Team, they do a great job leading musically, with a contemporary feel (drums, guitars, keyboards, vocalists). You'll have some new tunes to hum all week long, as well as some old chestnuts from the past.
When the offering plates are passed around, please do not feel obligated. We encourage our members and regular attenders to assist in the ongoing financial concerns in the church, but we want visitors to relax and simply be our guests. Don't worry, no one will be watching.
After the service, you can pick up your kids from their Kids Church classrooms, and then we hope you'll stay around, meet some people and enjoy some coffee, donuts, and cookies in the Kids Church Area. Church is about God and worship, but it's also about community and friendship, so we hope people really experience warmth and friendliness here at Princetown.
And don't forget we also offer a Sunday Education hour from 10:00-11:00 with classes for all ages, including adults. We encourage you to attend a class where you can meet other people and learn more about God.
Thanks for your interest!
Princetown is an unincorporated area of Schenectady County, New York, ten miles west of Albany and seven miles southwest of Schenectady. It is a somewhat rural area, yet on the edge of the suburbs and easily accessable to and from the cities. Many of Princetown Church's members and attenders come from Rotterdam, Duanesburg, Delanson, Schenectady, and Guilderland.
EVANGELICAL
Being "Evangelical," we believe in spreading the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout our community. We are a Bible-centered church that holds true to the traditional interpretation of Scripture and moral values. We take seriously the words of Jesus in His Great Commission.
PRESBYTERIAN
Historically, Presbyterians belong to a family of faith that can be described in two ways. If you talk about how we govern ourselves, we are called "Presbyterian" which means "rules by Elders." Our form of government is different from the episcopal form with a heirarchy, or the congregational form where the government is by the congregation, for we have a representative form of church government.
If you talk about what we believe, we are called "Reformed." This means that our belief grows out of the Christian faith as it was "reformed" during the Protestant Reformation, particularly through John Calvin and John Knox.
CHURCH
We believe that a church is people, not a building. Our church building is simply a meeting place for the real Church to come together - those who love Jesus, those who serve Him, and those who are becoming interested in Christianity. We try to focus not on the facility, rather the Family.
In March of 1978, the hundred-year-old church building burned to the ground. All that was salvaged was what is currently the Assembly Hall. A plan was enacted to build a new church a few hundred feet west of the original placement. This new building was dedicated in 1981, with an education wing added in 1995. The church congregation voted in 1998 to switch from the Reformed Church of America denomination to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.
What do you see?
