About Us

Statement of Faith

Since 1926 the First Presbyterian Church of Pampa has been telling the Good News of God's love for the world in Jesus Christ. We have also been living God's Love. The love which we have received from God is not something we leave at the church door. It is a gift we bring to ou families, our co-workers and our friends. It affects how we live 7 days a week. Unfortunately, we are not perfect people We do not claim to be. Like all other men and women we fall short of God's expectations. We do not always love as well as we should.

The good news, though, is that when we fall short, God forgives us. His love is so strong and deep that, like a mother who will not abandon her child or a father who always welcomes hoe a lost son, God is faithful and forgiving... forever.

We invite you to come and live this love with us. Let us...

Meet you and know your name...
Welcome you into a caring family...
Share with you the love which gives life...
God loves you... He cares. Come see how much!

Mission Statement

We are a Christian congregation ministering to our current members, with a deep desire for new membership and growth in order to tell the Good News of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The mission of our church has always been to help others. We have been involved in helping those who are less fortunate in our community since our church was founded. We are responsible for pioneering many of the ongoing organizations that help those in need and we want to continue this ministry. We feel very blessed to have so many of our members involved in the community, serving on multiple boards of a variety of community service agencies.

Meet Our Pastor

Kenny Rigoulot began serving as Pastor of First Presbyterian on July 1, 2008. He graduated with his Masters of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ. Before that he spent six years working with the youth at First Central Presbyterian Church in Abilene, TX. Kenny received degrees in English and Christian Ministry from Abilene Christian University. Kenny is married to Jennifer and they have a son, Kennan and a daughter, Brayden. He has a passion for studying, teaching, and preaching the Word of God and its relevance for people today. Kenny hopes to equip the church and its members to bring glory and honor to God through the proclamation of the good news of God's love to the world through our thoughts, words, and actions. Click here to visit Rev. Rigoulot's Blog.

Our Staff & Volunteers

Our Missions

Each year our church donates to the annual children’s Christmas shopping tour and several of our members help to take underprivileged children shopping for their families. This is a combined project with approximately 35 other churches and organizations in Pampa.

We donate from church funds to the Good Samaritan Center in Pampa which helps needy people with food, clothing and utilities. Members of our church family also donate to this cause on a monthly basis.

We donate to the Helping Hand Fund which is a fund set up by our church to help our members in need and others in the community.

We donate to the Salvation Army on a yearly basis.

This year, the Palo Duro Presbytery asked our church to investigate the needs of fire victims in our area who suffered great loses after a wild fire spread throughout the Panhandle creating loss of homes, livestock and property. The disaster relief fund provided $20,332.64 to the victims and our church distributed the money to 47 fire departments, 18 individuals, the Red Cross, Salvation Army and the Howardwick Fire Fighter Relief Fund for injured fire fighters.

Our church has been very active in the community in the past and we are hoping through new leadership, that we can develop new services for our community.

Our History

The history of our church began in October of 1926 when the Rev. W.M. Baker, a Sunday School missionary, was sent by the Presbytery to organize a local church…at the request of local residents. The early services were held in a variety of places…the Pampa High School Auditorium, the American Legion Hall, and the old Rex Theater.  A charter membership of 75 was brought together on December 5, 1926.  When funds were available, the congregation purchased a lot and constructed a building at the corner of Browning and Frost streets (where the Bible Church is now located).  After a LOT of work, the building was opened on July 10, 1927.  Those of us who are still around that were part of the congregation in those formative years have many cherished memories of the church…and of the fellowship of the church.  During the cold parts of the year, the Fellowship Dinners, etc. were held inside.  We had a wonderful, big green lawn and when the weather was warm we had ice cream socials, watermelon feasts, etc. on that lawn.  The front of the church looked more like a home than a church.  It had a big porch on the front.  They planned for this to be the Manse when they needed a larger building for the church.  The Women’s Organization was already active prior to the organization of the church.  During the early time of the church the women held bake sales, quilt and flower shows, serving of dinners and a three-day merchant’s carnival…and made enough money to pay all except $300.00 of the approximately $3,500.00 cost of the Manse (other denominations would call it the Parsonage).

Over the next eleven years the church had the services of three ministers:
Rev. W.L. Evans October 1927 – June 1928
Rev. A.A. Hyde October 1928 – October 1934
Rev. L.B. Shell December 1934 – May 1937

The Rev. Robert Boshen came to be our pastor in October of 1937.     The growth experienced by the church during the oil boom made it necessary to build a larger  building.  The Rev. Boshen was still the church’s pastor and with his guidance construction of the current church building began in 1940.  The building was sold to the Duenkel-Carmichael Funeral Home and we went to church in the auditorium of the Pampa Junior High School until the new church was ready.  Because the property had been sold, the Manse was moved to Gray Street as the new building was being started.   The first event in the new building was the Christmas Party in December of 1940.  The ground floor was covered with cardboard (the floors had been sanded, but were not finished yet) and we made our way to the basement.  Rev. Boshen always had a “story” of how he had been able to get Santa there.  The new location of the church was just a few blocks from the water tower…and he told the kids that he had climbed to the top of the water tower and “flagged Santa down”!  Another happy memory was that Rev. Boshen managed to get a half of a block of Kingsmill St.- to where it intersects with Somerville, roped off on Thursday evenings so the kids could roller skate on the pavement.

            In 1945, Dr. Douglas E. Nelson from Pennsylvania was called to be Pastor of the church.  Rev. Boshen was a large man…when the young people first saw this man of small stature…in a cutaway coat, they said, “Is THAT what we have in place of Rev. Boshen??”  It did not take long for the youth to “fall in love” with “Doc”…and the adults to be spellbound by “Doug’s” sermons.  During the years of his ministry, the church grew in numbers and an educational building to house the Sunday School classes was constructed.

            The Rev. Ronald E. Hubbard was called to our church in 1954.  It was during his ministry here that our educational building was expanded to the size it is today.  It was a wonderful time of hearing youthful voices resound throughout the spacious building.  Rev. Hubbard began what has become a tradition at our church.  He presented a weekly children’s sermon preceding the regular adult Sunday morning sermon.  The custom was well received and early every Sunday the front pews of the church were filled with children.  We do not have that many children in our current congregation…but it remains a very important part of our Sunday worship.  It was during Rev. Hubbard’s ministry here that our first candidate for the ministry, Michael Price, presented himself to the session and was taken under care by the presbytery.

During the time between Rev. Hubbard’s leaving and the calling of a new pastor, laity and ministers through out the presbytery filled our pulpit.  Reginald Hillier, a brick mason by trade, and the only commissioned lay preacher within the (then) United Presbyterian Church in the Amarillo area became a beloved guest in our pulpit.

In 1962 we called our “youngest” Pastor, the Rev. Donald S. Hauck who served from 1962 to 1967.  If he met you once…and did not see you the second time for an extended period…he would call you by name.  He had a wonderful appreciation of people and would give them a job to do…and trust them to get it done.  It was during this time that Ruling Elders began to assist in the Sunday morning worship.  During his ministry, we had another period of unprecedented growth.  It was during this time that it became necessary to conduct two services on Sunday.  It was during the ministry of Don Hauck that we reached our highest membership.  In 1967 we had 580 communicate members…and an enrollment of 367 in Sunday School. With the encouragement and expertise of Rev. Hauck, the church’s youth programs were revitalized and expanded. A high moment in the life of any church – the ordination of one of its sons or daughters to the gospel ministry!  Our first candidate for the ministry, Michael Price, was ordained on July 21, 1963.  On July 29, 1966 our second candidate for the ministry, Craig Meyers, was ordained in our church with the Rev. Ronald Hubbard and the Rev. Michael Price returning to be a part of his ordination.  An added bonus during Rev. Hauck’s years with us was that he and Marge had one four year old son when they came, and they had three more babies while they were here.  It is always nice to have “PKs”.

Down through the years, our church has had a rich tradition of being active in the community.  During the years of the Rev. Martin Hager, 1967 through 1974, the church helped organize and staff Genesis House, a Committee for Drug Abuse, a Suicide Prevention-Crisis Intervention Hotline, and a Refugee Resettlement Program.  During these years Jay Losher and Darrel Cory each received a call to ministry in the church…and responded.  The Jaycees voted Martin Hager as one of the five outstanding young men in Texas.

The Rev. Norman E. Dow, Jr. was pastor of this church from March of 1975 to October 1976.  It was during his time here that the original rose window was replaced with faceted glass and was dedicated November 30, 1975.

Under the Rev. Joseph L Turner, 1977 to 1987, the First Presbyterian Church instituted the Hospital Chaplaincy Program and the Satellite School for the Mentally Retarded, which was housed in the church until the Sheltered Workshop was built. During that period, Presbyterians contributed funds, housing, or volunteer staff to Good Samaritan Christian Services, Tralee Crisis Center, the Latchkey program for school children, the Samaritan Pastoral Counseling Center of Amarillo, and the Pampa Meals on Wheels program. The Rev. Joe Turner was voted “Man of the Year” by the Pampa Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. John Judson, 1988 to 1992, used his experience in the Peace Corps to help the church extend its mission.  The Presbyterian Church joined the First Christian Church in bringing the Jews for Jesus program to Pampa.  During the Persian Gulf crisis, the church sponsored an area-wide interdenominational service to pray for peace. Under Dr. Judson’s leadership, the session decided that we needed to create more parking space to accommodate our members and our visitors.  The Manse was sold (the bricks were carefully taken off and stored to be used later on the fencing in front of the parking lots.)  The Manse was moved, the property leveled and prepared for concrete work and then asphalt.  This was followed up with landscaping.  We also purchased the two houses across the alley to the West.  They were moved and the fencing put in place.  This was about the time of the “white oil bust”…companies were moving their offices to other locations.  It was a serious “downturn” in both population and financial condition.

The second parking lot has been used only occasionally, but the session felt it was cheaper to asphalt the lot than to pay for “upkeep”…we still have hope that one day that parking lot will be full!  Also under Dr. Judson, the church celebrated its Scottish roots with a revival of the Kirkin’ of the Tartans service, complete with bagpiper and Judson wearing the kilt of his clan.

Our longest tenured pastor, Dr. Edwin Cooley came to Pampa in 1994 and served the church until February 28, 2006.  When the Macedonia Baptist Church’s roof collapsed, Dr. Cooley mounted a move among the community to help this church restore its building…and it was completed in grand style.  Then Dr. Cooley and Dr. I. L. Patrick, pastor of Macedonia Baptist, joined forces to reunite the Pampa Ministerial Alliance and fostering co-operation between the different denominations in providing for the community joint vacation bible school programs, Lenten services and meals, and sharing of the gifts of music ministry.  Under his direction, the church adopted the LOGOS ministry to youth, a weekday after-school program combining Bible study, music and worship skills, and a shared meal…cooked on location…and served complete with tablecloths and silverware…with table parents for each group.  This was all staffed by Presbyterian adult volunteers. 
           
After Richard Williams graduated from the Colorado School of Mines in 1999, he then spent 1999-2000 as a Young Adult Volunteer in the Philippines.  It was there and seeing “People who lived on the trash pile” that he felt the call to ministry.  Richard was assisted during his college years by the Celebration Scholarship from Palo Duro Presbytery.   He graduated from McCormick Seminary in May of 2004…with a call from the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago, IL as a Pastoral Resident.  Richard was ordained in our sanctuary on March 20, 2005. 

Early in the ministry of Dr. Cooley the Rev Robin Gantz, who is a member of Palo Duro Presbytery, became a Parish Associate with our church.  Rev. Gantz was involved on the Presbytery level in the training of candidates for the ministry and in filling the pulpits of smaller area churches.  At this time between pastors, although Rev. Gantz is retired, she often fills our pulpit…as well as other denominations in the Pampa area.

In November of 2001 our church celebrated its 75th Anniversary.  As part of that celebration four of our former Pastors attended and joined Ed Cooley to make it five ministers “doing” the worship service that Sunday morning.  The picture shows them standing in the order they served this church, Don Hauck, Marty Hager, Joe Turner, John Judson and Ed Cooley.  And then we all sat down to enjoy a Fellowship Dinner.

With many of the smaller churches across the country unable to afford a full time pastor, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) instituted a program designed to help alleviate this problem.  This is the Commissioned Lay Pastor program.  Under guidance by Presbytery, these candidates go through an intense three year program of study.  These studies are taught by ministers within the presbytery.  When they are about a year into the study program, they begin preaching in the smaller churches.  Nancy Ruff of our church was in the first group in Palo Duro Presbytery to take these studies.  Nancy was commissioned in June of 2003 by Palo Duro Presbytery and became Nancy Ruff, CLP.  It has been most fortunate for our church that Nancy is a Commissioned Lay Pastor.  When Dr. Cooley left our church, we had a wonderful supply of preachers to fill our pulpit.  Nancy is commissioned to preach, serve communion and has conducted five funerals.  In addition to preaching often for us, she has planned and led our special services at Easter and Christmas.  With permission from our assigned Moderator, Dr. Mert Cooper, she has moderated our called session meetings, and called congregational meetings.  She was also contracted by our session to attend to the Pastoral Care of our congregation…and has done a wonderful job!

Our PNC (Pastor Nominating Committee) worked very hard, asking for the guidance of the Holy Spirit that they may be led to the person that God already has chosen to lead our congregation into a new era. And now... We have a new pastor! He is everything we could have asked for and more. Our church is growing both in spirit and in members.

We invite anyone who is seeking a church home to come visit us…look us over and see if we might furnish the kind of “Church Family” that you would be comfortable worshiping with, fellowshipping with, and serving others with.