Location: Durham, N.C.

Presbytery: Great Lakes-Gulf

Organized: 1998

Membership: 43 communicant; 23 baptized

Pastor: Ian Wise (Deanna)

Assistant Pastor: Greg Cumbee

Website: http://www.firstrpcdurham.org

Formerly known as Triangle RPC, First RPC is located on the Reformed Presbyterian frontier, in Durham, N.C. First Reformed Presbyterian is not only the first RP congregation in Durham, but the first and only one in the state!

The congregation got its start in 1997, when the Charlie Leverett family, along with Kent Butterfield, solicited Great Lakes­–Gulf Presbytery for pulpit supply. A year later, they organized as a congregation, with Doug Comin as the first minister. After years of meeting in a hotel banquet room, in summer 2007 the Lord provided us with a building of our own. Situated near downtown Durham, the location gives multiple opportunities for ministry, most notably to nearby Duke University and the hospital.

Our members are spread out over the “Triangle” area (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) and beyond. We continue to be amazed by the people the Lord brings through our doors. We hail from all over the United States and beyond, and this gives us a cosmopolitan feel that reflects the area’s diversity.

God has encouraged us in a number of ways in recent months. We have seen several new professions of faith, both from covenant children and those coming from “the world.” Elections for elder and deacon were held recently, and the congregation has enjoyed a high degree of unity and love.

Though we are a dispersed body during the week, members make the effort to involve themselves in one another’s lives and to bear one another’s burdens. The commitment of many to share the gospel with friends and neighbors, and to invite folks to church, is just as encouraging. As an example, we have had opportunities to witness to several Chinese graduate students and professors studying at Duke.

One of the challenging and exciting aspects of church life here stems from our being a young congregation far away from traditional Covenanter areas; only one of our members grew up Reformed Presbyterian! While our history and testimony is fresh and intriguing to many, we can also feel disconnected from the denominational family.

Without a doubt, the highlight of the week is the Lord’s Day. Pastor Ian Wise has been leading us through Genesis in the morning, and Pastor Greg Cumbee has been teaching a series on Basics of Reformed Theology in the afternoon. Each week, between services, the congregation shares a lunch, in itself a great outreach tool with all the hungry students around!

We may, for now, be the first and only Reformed Presbyterian congregation in North Carolina, but by God’s grace we will be the first of many.