Our midweek Lenten study will explore the biblical book of Revelation. Join us on Wednesdays through March 25 on Zoom at 12:15 as we spend this season passing through heaven’s open door into a world of wonder and possibility. This study will be led by our seminary intern Dr. Kristofer Stinson and is open to all regardless of familiarity with Revelation or the Bible. Please register to receive the Zoom link! 

Our midweek Lenten study will explore the biblical book of Revelation. Join us on Wednesdays through March 25 on Zoom at 12:15 as we spend this season passing through heaven’s open door into a world of wonder and possibility. This study will be led by our seminary intern Dr. Kristofer Stinson and is open to all regardless of familiarity with Revelation or the Bible. Please register to receive the Zoom link! 

Our midweek Lenten study will explore the biblical book of Revelation. Join us on Wednesdays through March 25 on Zoom at 12:15 as we spend this season passing through heaven’s open door into a world of wonder and possibility. This study will be led by our seminary intern Dr. Kristofer Stinson and is open to all regardless of familiarity with Revelation or the Bible. Please register to receive the Zoom link! 

Our midweek Lenten study will explore the biblical book of Revelation. Join us on Wednesdays through March 25 on Zoom at 12:15 as we spend this season passing through heaven’s open door into a world of wonder and possibility. This study will be led by our seminary intern Dr. Kristofer Stinson and is open to all regardless of familiarity with Revelation or the Bible. Please register to receive the Zoom link! 

Dr. Kenyatta Gilbert, Dean of the Howard University School of Divinity, is a nationally recognized scholar on African American preaching. He will be guest preaching at First Church on Sunday, February 22, and all are invited after fellowship hour to join Dr. Gilbert in a conversation in the MacColl Room, moderated by Delores Brisbon, ranging from Black preaching and theological education to civil rights and social justice.

Our congregation has been invited to visit Mother Bethel AME Church and tour the Richard Allen Museum in its lower level. Richard Allen founded the AME denomination and, in 1791, purchased the land on which Mother Bethel sits, making it the oldest continuously owned parcel of land held by Black people in the United States and sacred not only to the AME church but as a part of Black history in the United States. In November 2025, Reverend Carolyn C. Cavaness made history when she was appointed as the first woman pastor in the 237 years of the church. Please join us to meet our neighbors and recognize the legacy and ongoing importance of Mother Bethel. Please register to let us know if you’re coming!  

A few important notes about logistics:

• Mother Bethel AME Church is at 419 S. 6th Street; to arrive promptly by 12:30 pm, please plan to leave for Mother Bethel directly after the 11 am worship service. Mother Bethel will serve refreshments, so there will not be a traditional fellowship hour at First Church on this date.

• If you drive to First Church, please be on the lookout for those needing a ride!  A signup sheet for drivers and those in need of a ride to coordinate among themselves will be posted near the office – please fill your car!

• If you prefer to take public transportation, you can use (among other options) SEPTA Bus 12 from Locust & 21st Streets to Pine & 7th Streets or SEPTA Bus 9, 21, or 42 from 21st & Chestnut Streets to 6th & Chestnut Streets. Regular fare is $2.90, which can be paid in various ways, including by tapping a credit card or mobile payment app.

Join our seminary intern Dr. Kristofer Stinson for a two-week series on the faith and wonder of J.R.R. Tolkien. The study will take place on two Sundays, February 1 and February 8 at 12:40 pm in the MacColl room. This series will explore Tolkien’s own faith as well as the faith found within Middle-Earth. We will be asking two important questions: 1) What did faith mean for J.R.R. Tolkien? and 2) What did J.R.R. Tolkien mean for faith? In the process, we will cover such topics as joy and hard hope, courage and despair, pity, power, and Providence. While no previous knowledge is required or expected for this class, there will be plenty of hobbits, dwarves, elves, and dragons for fans of all ages!

Join us in the MacColl Room at 12:40 PM, when Music Director Balint Karosi will lead “Preaching the Gospel Through Music: Theology and Music in Cantatas for Advent BWV 10 and 62.” The presentation and discussion will focus on the musical language and theology through these Bach cantatas before the Advent concert on December 13.

Come to learn about the history of immigration in the United States from Joanna McGill Gardner, an immigration lawyer with HIAS. The program will cover historical immigration laws and trends, modern immigration categories and procedures, and—with input from the Rev. Cindy Jarvis—how the Presbyterian church views immigration. Please note that this is not intended to be a political discussion but rather an educational presentation of facts and the status of our immigration system.

Join the Rev. Ken Ross for a discussion of the Presbyterian Church’s historical call to resistance through, for example, the Theological Declaration of Barmen. This program will be a refresher for those who attended the two-part discussion of “The Continuing Relevance of the Barmen Declaration” in 2020, but no prior knowledge is needed or expected. The Barmen Declaration is available here.

Every Sunday, we invite children ages 2-to-12 years old to join us for Children’s Sunday School after our Celebration Service from 9:50-10:30 am in Old Buttonwood Hall. We will be telling Bible stories, making crafts, and learning about how to share Christ’s love to the world. We will primarily be using curriculum from Godly Play, which explores stories from the Old and New Testament using play-based story-telling.

We invite parents to fill out our 2025-2026 Sunday School Registration Form during the first few weeks of Children’s Sunday School so we can best care for your kids in class.

Here are the stories we’ll be exploring our first few weeks together:

• September 28 - The Church Calendar and God’s Time Lesson

• October 5 - World Communion Sunday Lesson

• October 12 - Creation Lesson/Animals Blessing Lesson

• October 19 - The Tower of Babel Lesson

• October 26 - The Great Family

As the last of the Adult CE series on “rest,” Laura Cohen Romano, retired Director of Spiritual Care and Mindfulness for the Einstein Healthcare Network, will facilitate a one-time session called "Mindfulness Matters." This session is for you if:  you find yourself reacting too quickly to a loved one or co-worker; you sometimes lie awake mind-racing at 3 AM;  you struggle with physical conditions; and/or you have a sense that some of life's peaceful or joyful moments pass you by simply because your mind is elsewhere.  Come hear some helpful information and mindfulness myth-busting, participate in a couple types of guided practices, have the chance to ask questions, and likely even join in some laughter. Join us!

As a follow-up to The Good Soil Tour event on June 22, the Rev. Laura Colee will lead a second session on Jeff Chu’s book The Good Soil; all should feel free to attend regardless of whether you attended the June 22 conversation.

Jeff Chu, an award-winning journalist, author of Does Jesus Really Love Me?, and co-author with the late Rachel Held Evans of the New York Times bestseller Wholehearted Faith—and ordained minister who will be guest preaching at First Church on this Sunday—will read from and lead a candid conversation about his new book, The Good Soil. He will explore lessons he learned as a farmhand at Princeton’s Farminary and discuss themes of belonging, family, grief, and love.

This program is part of Jeff Chu’s national book tour. Free copies of the book are available through the church office ahead of the program; the book will also be available for sale at the event. The event is free, but registration is required!

Join us on a family-friendly outing to the Farminary, in Princeton NJ, on Saturday, June 7, from 10 AM to 2 PM (lunch will be provided), to engage directly with God's good creation (get our hands dirty!) while learning about the farm and what tending the soil can teach us.

The Farminary at Princeton Seminary works to "challenge society’s 24/7 culture of productivity by following a different rhythm, one that is governed by the seasons and Sabbath."

During the months of May and June, Adult CE will focus on the theme of "rest" in preparation for and in connection with Baron's upcoming sabbatical.

Join Elaine Hanby to learn about various types of rest and how different community members practice these types of rest. It's not just sleep, and this session will facilitate the chance to learn from one another about what is rest and how we rest. The session will leave you with practices to consider implementing into your own life – or just a moment of quiet.

During the months of May and June, Adult CE will focus on the theme of "rest" in preparation for and in connection with Baron's upcoming sabbatical.

Our first programs, on May 4, at 9:45 AM and 12:30 PM, will be led by Nate Stucky of Princeton Seminary's Farminary, which works to "challenge society’s 24/7 culture of productivity by following a different rhythm, one that is governed by the seasons and Sabbath." Join us for a discussion of faith in an exhausted world, the hope of a Sabbath rest, and the deep implications of God’s love for a weary world. The programs at 9:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. will be different and complementary - all are invited to come to either or both! 

Celebrate the 55th anniversary of Earth Day by learning more on the history of the first Earth Day and early conservationists on both sides of the Delaware River – and how that same spirit rings true in a moment of profound ecological peril and political attacks on our environment. Join Doug O’Malley, Director of Environment New Jersey and FPC member, who will talk about how this same activism led to the passage of our landmark environmental laws – and can be re-channeled into building a broader consensus for environmental preservation, protection of our drinking water and a strengthened resilient clean energy grid. And how we can learn to be sustainable ambassadors of environmental stewardship, as children, parents and grandparents, and talk about the changes we are making with our friends and neighbors. (MacColl Room)

The Reverend Cindy Jarvis will lead this three-part Bible study as a time to talk together about how we are feeling about and responding to all that is happening to our democracy. We are not the first to find ourselves in this sort of crisis. The biblical narrative invites us seek wisdom from the stories of God’s people who have gone before us.

Three sessions will be held on Sundays @ 12:30 PM in the MacColl Room:

• March 30 - Session I: “The Shadow of Tyranny in Scripture”

• April 6 - Session II: “The Foreshadowing of Mary’s Magnificat”

• April 13- Session III: “The Prophetic Voice”

Read the complete syllabus here. The readings from Timothy Snyder’s book On Tyranny are offered as an additional resource but not necessary for participation in the conversation. Please email or call (215-567-0532) the church office to reserve a copy of the book.

The Reverend Cindy Jarvis will lead this three-part Bible study as a time to talk together about how we are feeling about and responding to all that is happening to our democracy. We are not the first to find ourselves in this sort of crisis. The biblical narrative invites us seek wisdom from the stories of God’s people who have gone before us.

Three sessions will be held on Sundays @ 12:30 PM in the MacColl Room:

• March 30 - Session I: “The Shadow of Tyranny in Scripture”

• April 6 - Session II: “The Foreshadowing of Mary’s Magnificat”

• April 13- Session III: “The Prophetic Voice”

Read the complete syllabus here. The readings from Timothy Snyder’s book On Tyranny are offered as an additional resource but not necessary for participation in the conversation. Please email or call (215-567-0532) the church office to reserve a copy of the book.

The Reverend Cindy Jarvis will lead this three-part Bible study as a time to talk together about how we are feeling about and responding to all that is happening to our democracy. We are not the first to find ourselves in this sort of crisis. The biblical narrative invites us seek wisdom from the stories of God’s people who have gone before us.

Three sessions will be held on Sundays @ 12:30 PM in the MacColl Room:

• March 30 - Session I: “The Shadow of Tyranny in Scripture”

• April 6 - Session II: “The Foreshadowing of Mary’s Magnificat”

• April 13- Session III: “The Prophetic Voice”

Read the complete syllabus here. The readings from Timothy Snyder’s book On Tyranny are offered as an additional resource but not necessary for participation in the conversation. Please email or call (215-567-0532) the church office to reserve a copy of the book.

Monthly discussions on Reformed theology, based on chapters of Daniel Migliore’s Faith Seeking Understanding, are open to all, including those new to the Reformed tradition and those seeking to deepen their theological understanding. Books are provided for all registrants. The group meets on the third Sunday of most months at 10 AM in the MacColl Room.

The March discussion is “Finishing the Trinity”
Suggested: Chapter 11 - The Holy Spirit and the Christian Life"

To receive a copy of the book, please register online or email the church office.

In the Presbyterian Church (USA), women were first ordained as elders in 1930, and they were first ordained as ministers in 1956; today, women serve at every level of the church.  In recognition of Women’s History Month, join a discussion of women in the ministry and leadership of the Presbyterian Church (USA) with Rev. Cindy Jarvis and Rev. Laura Colee on March 2 @ 9:45 AM in the MacColl Room.

Are you interested in learning more about how theology is relevant to public life in divisive times? We will dive into the work of notable theologian James H. Cone to understand how we can work in and around racial and social divides in our present era. We will meet on February 23 at 9:45 AM in the MacColl Room.

Redlining is an illegal practice by which lenders avoid providing credit or financial services to communities of color based on their race or national origin. Unfortunately, the practice has a long and enduring history in the United States and has greatly contributed to wealth inequality among its citizens. In particular, it has defined the neighborhoods in Philadelphia from the 1920s to the present day.

The 57+ Blocks Coalition is a group of over 70 organizations around Philadelphia dedicated to reducing gun violence. The premise of the Coalition is that gun violence is most prevalent in the formally redlined areas of Philadelphia: specifically, major portions of North Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, and lower Germantown. Join a discussion of solutions to reduce that gun violence led by Greg Holston, a social and racial justice activist who previously served as a senior advisor on policy and advocacy at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.