“There’s a Place for You!” has been the primary goal shaping the life and mission of Palms West Presbyterian Church since it first met in March of 1991 as a New Church Development under the leadership of Rev. Jeff Mitchner. Now in a new millennium, hundreds of persons of all ages and ethnic heritages have found a place where they can worship, study, pray and serve within a dynamic spiritual fellowship.
 

Palms West sees itself as a mission outpost in the midst of the fast-growing Western communities of the West Palm Beach area (Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, Loxahatchee and the Acreage). Our goal is to experience the peace and joy of God through worship, celebration and prayer; to encourage the growth of individual faith and discipleship; to support, challenge, and affirm one another as members of a Christian community; to comfort the suffering and serve the needy; and to share the Good News with our neighbors both here and around the world. We are accomplishing our mission in Christ in a variety of ways:

• Supporting an award-winning Youth Program recognized for its commitment to mission and service. This energetic group influences and interacts with virtually every ministry at PWPC.
• Not being content with “the maintenance of divine worship” (Great Ends of the Church) but continually experimenting with new and creative approaches to worship faithful to our Reformed heritage. We offer contemporary and traditional services every Sunday. We are upgrading our audio-visuals. We offer special services: outdoor worship and picnics, youth services, outdoor Easter dramas, dramatic Christmas programs for the whole community, and more. We have an outstanding choir complemented by a variety of soloists, instruments and our own Southern Cross Quintet.
• Doing a 40 Days of Purpose Campaign for Presbyterians this Lent to encourage spiritual growth and small group ministry.
• Building a “Barnabas Ministry”. This group reaches out to the congregation by phone and mail as a ministry of encouragement and prayer, providing an important caring contact and resource for the pastor and session.
• Providing a home for and developing a partnership with a Korean congregation recently chartered as a PC(USA) church in Tropical Florida presbytery.
• Offering an active Women’s Group, Bible study and prayer groups, and a number of community-outreach programs.
• Continuing to pursue our plans to build in order to make room for our educational and fellowship needs. We completed a capital campaign toward this goal.

These are just some of the many happenings at PWPC, but the point is that Palms West is simply striving to be the church God wants us to be, trusting the Spirit to use average folks like us to do some exciting things. We may be understaffed and work with a modest budget, but our strength is found in committed leaders and members. Most participants responded to a national survey saying that “joy” best described their experience at Palms West. Our hope is not only to share the joy of God but also to embody it in our church life, because we believe that what we are doing shouldn’t be regarded as above average, but typical of any church whose members and friends commit themselves to God’s vision and purpose. Palms West is grateful to be a part of the greater mission in south Florida!