Help Zia kickstart the school year by donating essential items on to help stock up their pantry and make sure children can show up well-fed and ready to learn this school year!
The Deacons are hosting our annual Welcome Back Brunch on September 13 at 10 AM between the worship services. The brunch will be potluck/covered dish style so that folks across our congregation may share their cooking or baking skills! Sign up at fellowship hour or sign up online to bring a main dish, a salad/side, or a dessert. Contact Katie Wu with questions.
As we continue to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Professor William Ewald of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School will join us on Sunday, September 13, 2026 at 12:40 PM to speak with our congregation members about First Church member and Founding Father, James Wilson.
James Wilson was well ahead of his peers in understanding the importance of human equality in the American Revolution. Wilson intended to draw an explicit link among the Declaration, human equality and the Constitution, which no other delegate did during any ratification debates. During the Pennsylvania debates over whether or not to ratify the Constitution, Wilson quoted the entire second sentence of the Declaration of Independence and added, “[T]his is the broad basis on which our independence was placed; on the same certain and solid foundation this system [of the US Constitution] is erected.”
Mark your calendars for the WWW September lunch on Thursday, September 17th at noon in the MacColl Room. A tasty lunch will be provided; you bring the conversation and fellowship!
RSVP to Diane Rogers at womenwitwisdom@fpcphila.com. Do come!
Thanks to the large amount of interest generated from our previous Parent Coffee Chats, we are hosting a family-friendly Interfaith Seminar immediately after the Celebration Service on September 20. A facilitator from Interfaith Philadelphia will spend 90 minutes helping us explore different faiths and cultures, leveraging children's literature to evoke curiosity and understanding. She will also provide resources to empower parents to continue these important conversations within their families beyond this single session. Registration is recommended so that we can get a headcount for the program materials and snacks. Please reach out to Becky Yep with any questions.
The opposition of evangelicals to homosexuality has long believed to be an inherent feature of their faith, rooted in their unyielding beliefs about the Bible. In his book Born Again Queer, our guest speaker the Reverend Dr. William Stell upends this article of faith. Arguing that the antigay majority in evangelicalism has been less dominant and more vulnerable than previously thought, Stell describes a network of authors, ministers, and professors—all veterans of major evangelical institutions—who worked in the 1970s and 1980s to persuade Christians that their churches should affirm the relationships and ministries of gay and lesbian members.
William Stell is a Faculty Fellow in the Department of Religious Studies at New York University. Dr. Stell joins us on September 20 as part of his book tour.
Let's come together for beverages and snacks and share our summer stories at Sassafras, A classic, cozy spot in the heart of Old City (48 S. 2nd Street).
First Church Children’s Sunday School returns, beginning on Sunday, September 27th! This year, we are introducing two age-specific classes to better meet the needs of our growing kids’ ministry:
Our Old Buttonwood Class is for children roughly ages 2–8 and it will gather in our Fellowship space.
Our Whitefield Class is for children roughly ages 9 and up and it will gather in the Whitefield Room in the First Church basement.
Both groups will meet on Sunday mornings, after our Celebration Service, from 9:50–10:30 AM and explore Bible themes at just the right level for their age.
We will primarily be using curriculum from Godly Play, Illustrated Ministry, and re:Form, which explore stories from the Old and New Testament with age-appropriate learning. Both groups will be telling Bible stories, making crafts, playing games, and learning about how to share Christ’s love to the world.
We also invite parents to fill out our 2026–2027 Sunday School Registration Form during the first few weeks of Children’s Sunday School so we can best care for your kids in class.
We can’t wait to see all of our young friends back in the classroom—and to welcome new faces, too!
Religious freedom is a foundational principle for our city and our commonwealth, and later for our nation. But does it have limits? Does your freedom to practice religion extend to limiting my freedoms? Does religious freedom supersede the social responsibility of a community to care for the vulnerable?
Professor Marci A. Hamilton of the University of Pennsylvania will help us to grapple with such questions, beginning with our Saturday seminar, and the continuing the conversation on subsequent Sunday afternoons. She will compare and contrast the Founders' views on religious liberty and the push today by the religious right to obtain extreme religious liberty.
Conversations Worth Having is our regular lecture series honoring the late George and Mary Schneider, which holds the premise that Christians and people of other faiths should be able to talk about challenging topics by approaching them with expert guidance and impeccable scholarship.
Registration is required. A light lunch will be provided. Child care will be made available upon request.
Follow-up discussion with Professor Hamilton will be held on Sundays at 12:40 PM (registration not required):
October 11 - The Religious Freedom Restoration Act and LGBTQ Rights
October 18 - Parental Rights, Children's Rights, and Religious Liberty
October 25 - What To Do About Extreme Religious Liberty and Christian Nationalism
Can a work of fiction shine a light on current event events, perhaps even more truly than works of non-fiction? Patricia Grace King, winner of the 2026 Drue Heinz Literature Prize offers us a chance to consider this question more deeply. On October 7, we have the unique opportunity to hear Patricia from her award-winning book, Those Who Vanish. Following her reading, we will have a facilitated conversation about the stories in her book and what they say to us about immigration.
Taking place during the decades-long civil conflict, Those Who Vanish follows the stories of Guatemalan citizens and North American expats set on a collision course by war. Set in a world of daily disappearances, the collection addresses a vital question: When all certainties are snatched away, what remains of lives, of memory, of faith?
The Deacons invite everyone to an ice cream social in Old Buttonwood Hall immediately following the 10 AM worship service. Please join us!
Volunteers are needed on Sunday, August 16th in Old Buttonwood Hall for a Casserole Extravaganza at 11:45 AM (after the 10 AM combined worship service). This popular volunteer activity provides an opportunity to bond with fellow casserole-assemblers while serving our neighbors in West Philadelphia. We put together 30 to 40 casseroles for the University City Hospitality Coalition (UCHC), which provides free meals for those experiencing food insecurity. Join us for a time of fellowship and service! Contact Laura Colee to volunteer.
Join our regular brunch outing on Sunday, August 9 after the 10 AM service (~11:45 AM). We’ll be going to Pub & Kitchen (1946 Lombard Street). Please RSVP to Laura if you’d like to join so we can make a reservation!
Join us for a day of sun and fun at the beach with our friends from fpcQ and the Twenties & Thirties group on Saturday, August 1st from 12 noon to 5 PM in Atlantic City! We’ll gather at Larry & Mete’s condo on the southern end of AC and head out to the beach. Please bring your beach gear, some snacks to share, and your own beverages for a day of relaxation. Please let Larry know if you can join us!
Join our regular brunch outing on Sunday, July 19, after the 10 AM service (~11:45 AM)! We’ll be going to Hart of Catering & Cafe at 21st & Sansom. Please RSVP to Laura if you’d like to join so we can make a reservation!
All Gen Xers (born between 1965-1980ish) are invited to join us for our July FPC Gen X Brunch after worship on Sunday, July 12! The group will be heading to Wilder (2009 Sansom) after 10 AM worship. If you’re interested in joining, please RSVP to Matthew Arlyck.
On July 12, join us for our Hymn Sing service at 10 AM as we sing God’s praises together! Hymns requests will be taken from our blue hymnal.
Join us on Thursday, July 9 for some minigolf at Puttshack (1625 Chestnut Street)! See how well you can compete against other T&Ts at Puttshack’s tech-infused course. If you’d like to join us, please RSVP so we can include you in the reservation!
This summer, the congregation at First Pres will once again gather for a 10 AM combined Celebration and Traditional worship service from July 5 through August 23. Bringing everyone together for one service strengthens our fellowship, simplifies our summer schedule, and gives us the opportunity to worship side by side.
On July 5th, we will observe the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence
On July 12th we will have our Hymn Sing service.
Services will be held in the sanctuary, weather permitting. The service is available via livestream.
DUE TO THE EXTREME HEAT FORECAST, THE ORGAN RECITAL IS CANCELED:
Join organist Bálint Karosi for Let Freedom Ring, a celebratory Independence Day recital on Friday, July 3 at 3 PM at the First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia.
Performed on the church’s distinguished American-made Reuter organ, the program commemorates the 250th anniversary of the United States through a rich and colorful survey of American organ music. Works by Horatio Parker, Dudley Buck, Charles Ives, and Florence Price will explore the many voices of the American musical tradition, from hymn-inspired grandeur and transcendental lyricism to bold modernism.
The recital will also feature live improvisations by Bálint Karosi on audience-submitted themes, continuing the historic American tradition of spontaneous organ performance.
Let Freedom Ring celebrates the organ as one of America’s great civic and sacred instruments in the historic city where the nation first declared its independence!
Throughout the month of July, Zia is collecting peanut butter and jelly to support weekly meal kits given to member families facing food insecurity in Philadelphia. These pantry staples are nutritious, shelf-stable, and can help create quick, satisfying meals for children and families in need.
Drop off your donations anytime through July 25 in the marked boxes. Every jar makes a difference!
You can also purchase directly off Zia's Amazon Wishlist and donations will be sent directly to the church.
Join us for a guided tour of First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, on Monday, June 29 from 11 am to 2 pm. Each 20-25 minute tour will offer an intimate glimpse into one of America's most historic congregations.
Established in 1698—nearly 80 years before the nation's founding—First Church has served as the birthplace of organized Presbyterianism in America, counting three signers of the Declaration of Independence and two Constitutional Convention delegates among its early members. The current building at 21st & Walnut, erected in 1872 by Second Church (with whom First Church reunited in 1949), is a cruciform sanctuary filled with remarkable artistry: Tiffany Studios windows, a majestic Reuter organ with over 5,000 pipes, the "Prophet Windows" depicting Old Testament figures, and a Steinway grand piano once played by Ignace Paderewski. In addition to the Reuter organ in the gallery, First Presbyterian is home to three European antique organs. In the sanctuary stands a Dutch cabinet organ built by Ibe Peters Iben in Emden, Germany, in 1783, incorporating metal pipework and carved figures dating from the seventeenth century. Old Buttonwood Hall houses an antique Italian organ from around 1750 by an anonymous builder from Verona, Italy. The third instrument, dating from 1741, is located in the Music Director’s office on the second floor.
Visitors will also encounter the Washington Chandelier from President George Washington’s house and a 1791 letter from Vice President John Adams. Tours begin in the sanctuary and will explore both the architectural splendor and the congregation’s enduring legacy of faith, from the Great Awakening to the present day. Tours will be led by congregant and author, Michael B. Smith.
The Missions Committee is hosting a Missions Fair on June 28 in Old Buttonwood Hall. We have invited many of our partners join fellowship hour after both the 9 and 11 AM services to talk about ways that you can support their organizations. This will include Habitat for Humanity, The Common Place, the Welcoming Center, Christian Association at University of Pennsylvania, PhillyHouse, William Way, Interfaith Philadelphia, The Attic Youth Center, Stand with Iraqi Christians (SWIC), Camp Sojourner, and Tango Therapy Project. As before, there will be a raffle with three winners who will be able to choose which of our partners will be given a $100 contribution. Please join us!
Join us as a group of T&Ts volunteer with Books Through Bars on Saturday, June 27 from 11 AM to 1 PM. We will be filling requests for reading materials for incarcerated individuals in PA and throughout the tri-state area. If you’d like to join us, please RSPV to Laura Colee!
Join First Church T&Ts for our regular brunch outing on Sunday, June 14. We’ll gather in Old Buttonwood following the 11 am service and walk together to dine at Goldie at 1911 Sansom Street. If you’d like to join us, please RSVP to Laura so we can include you on a reservation!
Volunteers are needed on Sunday, June 14th in Old Buttonwood Hall for a Casserole Extravaganza starting at 10 AM (between 9 AM and 11 AM worship services). This popular volunteer activity provides an opportunity to bond with fellow casserole-assemblers while serving our neighbors in West Philadelphia. We put together 30 to 40 casseroles for the University City Hospitality Coalition (UCHC), which provides free meals for those experiencing food insecurity. Join us for a time of fellowship and service! Contact Laura Colee to volunteer.
Join us for a special guided tour of religious and devotional art at the Princeton Art Museum on the Princeton University campus. The guided tour will last approximately an hour, leaving time to explore other areas of the museum on your own. Please register to attend (and please re-register if you registered for the originally scheduled tour), as the number of participants will be capped at 20.
Journey through the history of Christian art and uncover how artists across centuries respond to and transformed their faith, with art historian and Princeton seminarian Louisa Raitt. This course will provide a brief survey and illuminate the stories behind a smattering of sacred paintings, sculptures, and icons from the early church to the modern era. The experience culminates in a guided visit to the Princeton University Art Museum on June 13, where participants will engage directly with extraordinary works from the museum’s collection both as works of historical and cultural significance and sites of devotional encounter with the divine. (MacColl Room)
First Church is heading to an afternoon Phillies Game on Saturday, June 6 at 4:05 PM (against the Chicago White Sox). First Church will cover $24 of each ticket, so individuals will be responsible for $20 of the remaining price per seat. To reserve one of the 30 tickets we have purchased, please RSVP to Laura Colee (laura.colee@fpcphila.org).
Please join us in Old Buttonwood Hall for a “Welcome to Summer” fellowship brunch between our 9 AM Celebration! Service and our 11 AM traditional service. This combined fellowship is part of the Deacons’ efforts to maximize fellowship and connection between congregants from each service.
**Note that the Celebration service will be held in the sanctuary at 9 AM so the Deacons can prepare for the brunch in Old Buttonwood Hall.
Our T&Ts and fpcQ crew will be gathering for a Rooftop Happy Hour at Larry Slagle and Mete Egemen’s house in Center City. Join us for drinks, conversation, and community! Please RSVP to Larry !
Interfaith Philadelphia will be hosting their monthly Young Adult Brunch series this month at First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia! Join folks in their 20s-30s from all faith backgrounds monthly for meaningful dialogue across lines of difference, building community and explore timely social & cultural topics…all over brunch! Register here or on the Interfaith Philadelphia website.
Join Dr. Baron Mullis for an informal discussion of faith on May 17 at 10 AM in the MacColl Room. Participants will watch noted New Testament scholar Amy-Jill Levine’s TED Talk on Life After Death: Jesus, Judaism, and Justice, in which she examines Jesus's claim to be “the way, the truth, and the life” from an interfaith perspective. A discussion will follow. This program will be in lieu of a Parent Coffee during May; all are welcome to join!
The First Presbyterian Church Choir presents a concert that traces 250 years of American choral tradition through music of profound beauty, faith, and innovation.
This program honors the rich lineage of American sacred music, beginning with William Billings of Boston, widely regarded as the country’s first choral composer. His pioneering voice laid the foundation for a tradition that continues to evolve even today. The concert also features spirituals as shaped by composers such as William Dawson, Florence Price, and Alice Parker, whose works preserves and elevates this deeply expressive and essential part of the American musical heritage.
Contemporary voices bring new dimensions to this tradition. Excerpts from David Lang’s Poor Hymnal (2023) offer a striking and contemplative reimagining of communal song, adding a modern layer of spiritual reflection. Music by Caroline Shaw, including And the Swallow (2016), represents the creativity and originality of today’s composers, building on the past while speaking with a distinct and personal voice.
The program also includes excerpts from Music Director Bálint Karosi’s new composition, The Seven Last Words, with Paul Fleckenstein on the organ. This work contributes a fresh perspective to the ongoing story of sacred music in America.
The concert concludes with selections from Morten Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna, a luminous and deeply moving work that brings the program to a close with a sense of peace, hope, and radiant beauty.
A reception will follow in Old Buttonwood Hall. All are warmly invited to attend this celebration of tradition, innovation, and the enduring light of choral music.
Admission is free, with a suggested donation of $20 to support Concerts at First.
After worship on May 10, our T&T Book Club will be discussing the final chapter entitled “Love” of Jesus and the Disinherited by Black minister, theologian, and Civil Rights leader Howard Thurman.
If you’d like to join us and are in need of a copy of the book, please let us know at youngadults@fpcphila.org!
Join us after worship on Sunday, May 3rd as our T&Ts grab boba tea across the street at the Tea House Café. Please let Laura (youngadults@fpcphila.org) know if you’d like to join so we can look out for you!
In this class, Cindy Jarvis will lead us in tracing the history and basic beliefs of this movement, critiquing it from the perspective of our own Reformed theological tradition. The class will also consider the text of an overture (OVT-002) that will be before the PCUSA General Assembly “Repudiating Christian Nationalism and Affirming Our Faith Commitments.”
Join our team for the Sojourner Truth Walk on May 2nd! You can register to be a part of the team or support our team through contributions that go directly to Camp Sojourner, our mission partner who provides leadership programs for girls living in Philadelphia. Email the Missions Committee for more information.
We’re suiting up again! Join your fellow T&Ts as we attempt to crack codes, dodge lasers, and disarm a giant paint bomb within an hour. We’ll meet at Beat the Bomb (1218 Chestnut Street) on Thursday, April 23 at 7 pm for this escape-room activity. If you’re interested in joining us, please RSVP!
As part of its SpringFest, the Philadelphia Film Society is screening the documentary, Jane Elliott Against the World.
Premiering at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival to excellent reviews, the film profiles a rural schoolteacher who becomes a national voice against racism after leading a 1968 lesson in discrimination with her all-white third day class. Now nearly ninety, she refuses to hold back amid today's fights about race, history, and power after a lifetime of speaking out.
Jane Elliott Against the World
Wednesday, April 22, 6:30 p.m. (runtime 99 minutes)
Philadelphia Film Society East
125 S. 2nd Street, Philadelphia 19106
We are currently negotiating tickets and pricing. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP ASAP!
