Our Vision, Mission and Beliefs
 
We are a living community of faith. Inheritors of a strong and generous
tradition of Presbyterian presence since Burlington’s beginnings, we desire
to be a faithful and growing mission presence in our community and beyond.
 
The Staff
Michelle Huppenbauer
Office Administrator
 
Michelle joined the staff December, 2022. She was born and raised here in Burlington. She began her career working in church offices in the late 90’s at First Congregational Church. A few years later, she began working at Trinity Lutheran Church and was there for 10 years. After a summer of working at Trinity and filling in at Bethany Lutheran, she became Bethany’s office administrator. Aside for a brief break, she has worked at Bethany since 2012. She continues working there and splits her day with 1st Presbyterian. 
 
 
As of January 1, 2022 First Presbyterian will be searching for an interim pastor. 
We are very fortunate to have a retired pastor that will be filling the pulpit until one is found. Meet…
 
Pastor Richard (Dick) Johnson is a retired Presbyterian minister. After graduating from
Dubuque Theological Seminary, he served as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church,
Savanna, Il, Central Presbyterian Church, New Lenox, Il, as Interim Pastor of the New Hope Presbyterian Church, Coal City, Il, and the United Presbyterian Church, Biggsville, Il, from which he retired in 2016. Pastor Dick is the teacher of our adult education program and currently serving as our temporary pulpit supply.

Dick and his wife, Vicki, have been married for 52 years and are parents to daughter, Krista, a middle school language arts teacher, and their son, Matthew, who is a truck driver. Dick and Vicki live on their 5 acre slice of paradise in rural Biggsville township along with their St. Bernard, Bailey.

Dick is an EMT on the Biggsville Ambulance Service where he also develops and teaches the continuing education program and is the lead instructor in the EMT training program. Having earned a degree from Joliet Junior College in Turf Management, Pastor Dick enjoys mowing grass and container gardening. Currently, he is creating a greenhouse for his many containers of vegetables.

Dick earned a D.Min. Degree from Dubuque Theological Seminary with a focus on the
church’s inclusion of the disabled in its ministry.
 
Randy Lee Webster serves as our Minister of Faith and Worship. Randy is a child of the congregation, the son of (the late) Shirley and Shirley Webster, and returned to our congregation in December of 2013.
 
He received his BA degree in organ performance and choral conducting from Coe College, and his MDiv from Bexly Hall, an Episcopal seminary in Rochester, NY, in conjunction with the Eastman Conservatory, and was ordained an Episcopal Deacon in 2005 and Priest in 2006.
 
Randy has returned to regularly play the Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ that he first studied on almost fifty years ago! Among the many things he does, Randy helps to craft out weekly worship services, and oversees the musical portions of our services and directs our choir.