Faith at First Magazine: Winter 2026-2027

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There is a phrase we all use from time to time without giving it much thought: make room.

We make room around a table when another chair is needed. We make room in our already crowded calendars for something that matters. We make room in our homes for guests, in our lives for new friendships, and in our hearts for experiences that change us.

In many ways, that simple phrase also describes what the church is called to do.

At its best, a church is a community that is always making room: room for new faces to find belonging, room for children to play and grow, room for questions to be asked and faith to deepen, room for those who are hurting to find support, room for our neighbors to experience hope, and room for each of us to discover new ways to use the gifts God has given us.

We do this because making room is at the heart of the Gospel itself. Again and again, Jesus expands the circle. He pulls up another chair. He notices the person others have overlooked. He welcomes children, eats with outsiders, touches those who have been pushed to the margins, and assures his disciples that in the abundance of God’s grace, there is room enough for even them!

That same spirit runs through all the stories in this edition of Faith at First.

In the pages that follow, you’ll read about some of the many ways First Presbyterian Spartanburg is making room these days: room for play and friendship through a church basketball tradition that has brought generations together; room for honesty, healing, and belonging through support groups; room to serve through mission opportunities that carry Christ’s love beyond our walls; and room for gratitude as we celebrate servant leaders like William Massey and others whose faithful service has helped shape the life of this congregation.

Some of these ministries happen in crowded gyms and busy hallways. Others happen quietly, with only a handful of people gathered in a room. Some are joyful. Some begin in grief or struggle. Some have been part of our congregation for many years, while others are just beginning to take shape.

But together they remind us that a healthy church is not one that is simply concerned with filling rooms. Instead, we are called to make room—continually widening our life together so that more people might experience the grace, community, purpose, and abundant life we have found in Jesus Christ. As you read this edition, I hope you’ll give thanks for all the ways that this is already happening among us. And maybe you’ll also find yourself wondering: Where might God be calling me to make room?

Peace,

Rev. Alan F. Dyer
Senior Pastor