Rather than filling a biblical, ordained office, our trustees represent First Presbyterian Church as a legal entity and also manage the care of our building and grounds. Trustees are elected to a three-year term.

The Reverend Dr. David Eikenberry became just the 17th pastor in the church's long history when he accepted our call in 1992. He came to us from the First Presbyterian Church of Greenfield, Indiana where he served for five years. He brought imaginative ideas and leadership which has continued to this day. The hallmark of Pastor Eikenberry's service to our congregation has been leading a time of tremendous spiritual growth, as our body of believers has drawn closer together and to our Lord.

While attending Purdue University, he was also on staff at Covenant Presbyterian Church, and for two years he was responsible for that church's college ministry. After graduating from Purdue with a degree in chemical engineering, Pastor Eikenberry attended Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, where he received his Master of Divinity degree. While attending seminary, he served as a student minister at the Springdale Presbyterian Church in Somerset, Kentucky.

Pastor recognized early on in his ministry the importance of Bible study within the lives of our members. He presently leads a Wednesday evening study and a men's group the first Saturday morning of each month and has encouraged the formation of several other groups.

Shortly after arriving in Waukegan, pastor collaborated with Dr. Beth Naegele in establishing the First Presbyterian Philharmonic. They managed to blend experienced, skilled musicians with others of lesser abilities and craft them into a cohesive, enthusiastic group.

Another priority for Pastor Dave is outreach in the community. That includes involvement with community groups. He shares his considerable trumpet skills by playing with the Waukegan Symphony and in the Waukegan Band.

Pastor is in the final stages of completing the Doctor of Ministry Degree at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. His thesis deals with the benefits of intergenerational ministry and its interworkings in a congregation.

Pastor Eikenberry's greatest ministerial challenge came in 2011 when our denomination was on the verge of approving a measure that was clearly contrary to God's Word. With one Presbytery after another approving this radical change to the Book of Order, Pastor proactively brainstormed with his elders to craft a response and plan of action for our church. It was the right thing to do biblically and the only way to ensure the survival of our 150-plus year old church. After many small group meetings were organized and led by the elders to keep our members informed as to the details of the situation, an historic vote of 91-10 was taken to leave the Presbytery of Chicago and PCUSA for membership in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. He nurtured the officers and congregants alike throughout the negotiation and dismissal process. This journey culminated on September 15, 2013 with the church's reception and installation into the EPC.

Dave and his wife Kathleen have three children and reside in the manse.

Dr. Beth Naegele is the Director of Music and the Organist at First Presbyterian. She took her first music lessons on a pump organ in the Congo, Africa, where her parents were missionaries. Following graduation from the American High School of Kinshasa, Congo, she began classical organ study, first at Moody Bible Institute with Lillian Robinson and then with Corliss Arnold at Michigan State University. In June of 1989, she completed doctoral studies in organ performance at Northwestern University, where she studied under Wolfgang Rübsam. Dr. Naegele, who has been a member of the Moody faculty since 1976, is Professor and Chair of Organ Instruction and Ethnomusicology. She travels with the Moody Chorale on their biennial summer tours to points around the world.

Beth joined our staff in 1990. Shortly after Pastor Eikenberry was hired, the two of them collaborated on establishing the First Presbyterian Philharmonic Orchestra. They were successful in crafting a nice blend of students who were actively playing an instrument along with adults who's instruments had been dormant for years. With one bell choir already in place, she spurred other adults and youth to form new choirs geared to their skill levels. In addition to playing the organ for our worship, she also directs our Impromptu Bell Choir and sometimes directs the Philharmonic.

Beth foresaw the need to share functions of our music efforts at First Presbyterian and created a music intern program. Most of our interns have been students in the music program at Moody. At the present time we have two interns.

Beth and her husband Mike have two grown children.

Carole is the pleasant voice you hear when you call First Presbyterian and the friendly face you see, among others, when you stop by the church office on a weekday morning. The multitude of tasks she performs include publishing the weekly church bulletin and monthly newsletter, bulletin preparation for special services, organization and compilation of the Annual Report, ordering supplies, and generally keeping the office functioning smoothly.

Carole and her husband Ken have two sons.

At First Presbyterian Church our community life centers around our worship services, where we glorify God together. In addition to attendance at worship, it is our hope that each person will grow in faith as part of a discipleship group, and that each person will serve Christ through one or more of our church's tasks and teams.

Sundays at 9:30am in the sanctuary, followed
by refreshments in Fellowship Hall (lower level)

God, our creator, deserves our thanks, our love, and our lives. In short, He deserves our worship. He has created us to be worshiping beings, and inevitably we seek something to admire, to praise, to stand for, and to give ourselves to. But our hearts find their true home only as God gives us a love for Himself and as we give ourselves to Him. This giving of ourselves touches every aspect of our lives, but finds special expression in times of public worship, when Christians gather to praise God, to remember our unity with each other, to receive God's message, and to commit ourselves to Him.

At First Presbyterian Church, the atmosphere is formal yet warm, reminding us of both God's greatness and His love. Much of our worship is expressed through music which is traditional yet fervent, and we also explore popular and contemporary musical styles.

Infants and toddlers may stay with their parents during the service, or they may be dropped off in our nursery (see the Welcome Table attendant). Also, during the sermon (see below), children six and under who are old enough to appreciate a simple Bible story are welcome to attend our Junior Church.

A typical worship service at First Presbyterian Church includes these elements:

Prelude: Music performed as attendees gather and prepare for the worship service

Announcements: News and updates related to the life of our church and its members

Call to Worship: A brief statement (usually from the Bible) encouraging us to worship God

Hymn: A song of praise to God, sung by all. This first hymn of the day helps us join our voices as we begin our public worship.

Affirmation of Faith: A statement, read by all, summarizing the beliefs that bind us together. Often, our Affirmation of Faith is a passage from the Bible, such as Philippians 2:5-11; at other times it is the Apostles' Creed or Nicene Creed.

Prayer of Confession: A short prayer, read by all, acknowledging our guilt before God and asking for His forgiveness

Bible Reading: A portion of the Bible, generally addressing the same topic to be addressed later in the sermon

Prayer of Intercession: A prayer, usually led by our pastor, for our church and for those in need. At the conclusion of the Prayer of Intercession, everyone prays together the Lord's Prayer ("Our Father, Who art in Heaven...").

Offering: An opportunity to contribute money to the work of the church. "Offering plates" are passed around, in which attendees may place contributions. The music performed while this happens is called the Offertory.

Children's Sermon: Our pastor invites the children to gather around him for a short lesson, generally on the same topic to be addressed in the main sermon.

Hymn: This second hymn is usually in a contemporary musical style.

Sermon: Our pastor reads from the Bible, then explains what he has read and discusses ways of applying it to our hearts and lives.

Hymn: This final hymn helps us to reflect together on the theme of the sermon as the service draws to a close. 

Benediction: A brief assurance of God's goodness to His people, taken from the Bible

Postlude: Music performed as attendees disperse and as we transition from worship to fellowship

Following the service, we gather in our Fellowship Hall in the lower level of the church for refreshments and fellowship, and at 11am some of our discipleship groups and classes meet.

The Lord's Supper
Usually the first Sunday of the month, during morning worship

Once a month, our worship service includes the celebration of the Lord's Supper (also referred to as communion, the Lord's table, and the eucharist). This ceremony recalls Jesus' last supper with his disciples and centers on the eating of bread and grape juice, signifying Jesus' death, through which believers’ sins are forgiven. The invitation to participate in the Lord's Supper does not come from First Presbyterian Church, but from the Lord Jesus Himself. Jesus invites all those who trust in Him to share at His table. However, if you are not a believer desiring to live in obedience to God, we ask that you not partake of the elements (the bread and juice).