A Heritage Going Back to 1710

On Second Street Pike in Richboro, in the heart of Bucks County, stands a church whose story begins long before its present building. Addisville Reformed Church traces its roots to 1710, when early Dutch residents of the area first gathered for worship. Over the following century and a half the congregation endured relocations, expansions, and literal hurricanes before beginning its independent career in 1864. That long history has shaped a fellowship that describes itself, simply, as a body of believers striving to love the Lord and to love neighbors, through faithful service, inspiring worship, biblical education, and encouraging fellowship.

The congregation is part of the Alliance of Reformed Churches, a confessional denomination that affirms historic Reformed creeds and confessions while keeping the Bible as its final authority. Addisville is a member church of the ARC, joining other Reformed congregations across the country. For anyone curious about its deeper history, the congregation points to A History of Addisville Church by Virginia B. Geyer, which covers the people, architecture, and cultural intersections of the church over the centuries.

Two Services, Two Styles of Worship

Sunday at Addisville begins with two distinct services under the same roof. At 9:00 AM the traditional service fills the sanctuary with classic hymns accompanied by the Adult Choir. At 10:30 AM the Standing Stones Worship Team leads a contemporary service with modern praise music. Both services feature biblical preaching rooted in Scripture, and both share the same calendar of weekly sermon series.

During the summer months the schedule simplifies into one blended service at 10 AM, drawing from both the traditional and contemporary repertoires. Children and youth Sunday school runs at both hours so families can choose the service that fits them best. Visitors will not be put on the spot, but greeters at the door and a digital Friendship Pad make it easy to introduce yourself if you wish.

For those who cannot attend in person, the 10:30 AM service is livestreamed on YouTube and on Facebook, with recordings of every sermon archived back through 2022. A wide library of sermon series, from studies in Hebrews and Revelation to Advent cantatas and seasonal series, is available for listening any time.

Music That Anchors the Morning

Music is central to the Addisville identity. The Adult Choir rehearses Thursday evenings from 7:30 to 9:00 PM, September through early June, and sings at the 9 AM service. The Standing Stones Worship Team rehearses Thursdays at 6:45 PM and leads the 10:30 AM service. Together with the Choirs Director, the Worship Team Director, and the Organist, they shape the two very different sounds of the morning.

Children and Youth: Rooted in Scripture from Age Three

Addisville takes seriously the call to raise up the next generation. Children's Sunday School meets at both 9 AM and 10:30 AM for kids age three through sixth grade, with curriculum from Group Publishing chosen so that different ages study the same scripture passage at the same time. Younger children use Two or More at the 9 AM hour, while older elementary students use FaithWeaver NOW at 10:30, with KidsOwn Worship Children's Church reinforcing the lesson in a fresh format. Each class is age-appropriate, hands-on, and designed to move Bible stories from head knowledge into heart and life change.

The H2O youth ministry (Here to Obey) gathers students in grades 7 through 12 on Sunday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 PM for fellowship, Bible study, fun, and community service. Director of Youth Ministry Natalie Kelly leads the group, and teens have opportunities to discover their gifts, purpose, and calling.

Each summer, Vacation Bible School invites the wider community for a free week of crafts, games, songs, memory verses, and Bible lessons. The 2026 program, Lifeway's Illumination Station, runs Monday, June 22 through Friday, June 26, from 9:30 AM to 12:35 PM, for children age three through entering sixth grade. A Christmas Pageant each Advent season involves children age three through grade eight in scripture reading, acting, music, and song to reinforce the Christmas message.

Addisville Christian Preschool

Operating out of the same building is Addisville Christian Preschool, a Christ-centered early childhood program serving children in two classes. The Nursery Class, for three-year-olds, meets Tuesday through Thursday from 9:00 to 11:30 AM and focuses on social enhancement through music, art, story time, games, show-and-tell, and free play. The Pre-Kindergarten Class, for four- and five-year-olds, meets the same days and hours, building reading and math readiness, individual skills, dramatics, environmental observation, and field trips to ease the transition into kindergarten.

Each class is staffed with a lead teacher and at least one CPR-certified aide. Bathrooms are inside the classroom, exterior doors are locked during school hours, and a large outdoor playground (with an indoor playroom as backup) supports daily gross-motor play. Tuition for the 2026-27 school year is $190 per month, plus a $40 non-refundable registration fee. The preschool admits students of any race, color, or national or ethnic origin.

Adult Education and Small Groups

Addisville invests heavily in the discipleship of adults. Sunday Morning Adult Education meets at 9 AM (with a Zoom option) and at 10:30 AM, offering small-group study open to anyone from novice to veteran with Scripture. Outside of Sunday, the church runs a full calendar of weekly and monthly groups for men, women, mixed groups, and seekers.

For men, the Men's Breakfast and Bible Study gathers on the first Saturday of each month (weekly during Lent) at 7:30 AM in the Fellowship Hall. Band of Brothers meets Wednesdays at 7:30 AM in the Lounge, both in person and on Zoom. Men2Men meets Sundays at 6 PM in the Lounge. The League, a Tuesday-afternoon group twice a month, welcomes high school and college-age men. All run September through June.

For women, Afternoon Manna meets Thursdays from 1 to 2 PM, in person and on Zoom. Bloom, for young ladies, meets on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays at 6 PM. Girlfriends in God gathers Sundays at 6 PM in the Fellowship Hall, studying books and devotionals together. Lois Circle meets on the fourth Monday of each month at 7:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall.

Mixed groups include Alpha at Addisville, an 11-week conversational course about faith, life, and God that meets Thursday evenings at 7 PM (the group may choose another day). Fellowship of Friends for All Seasons meets once a month on Friday evenings at 7 PM in members' homes, the Lounge, or the Fellowship Hall for food, conversation, a video Bible study, and prayer. A Tuesday Night Bible Study, currently working through Proverbs, meets on alternate Tuesday evenings from 7 to 9 PM on Zoom.

Grief Support

For those walking through loss, Your Journey From Mourning to Joy, a GriefShare-based group, meets every other Wednesday at 6:30 PM in the Lounge. The video seminar series combines biblical teaching with support-group discussion and is led by Susan Sigafoos.

Reaching Out: Local, National, and Global Missions

Missions are woven into the identity of the church. Addisville supports a network of partner ministries through prayer, finances, and volunteer service. Local and national partners include the Jesus Focus Food Pantry at Bethanna in Southampton, Christ’s Home Children’s Services in Warminster, the Salvation Army, Prison Fellowship Ministries, Operation Christmas Child, Teen Challenge, Liberty Ministries, Grace Covenant Ministries, Bethel Colony of Mercy, ECHO, The Well, and Our Daily Bread Ministries.

On the global side, the congregation supports missionaries in Mexico (Martha and Jaime Amaro), Slovakia (Lubica Kovac), Ukraine (Pam D’Andre), Ethiopia (David Ford), and through ECHO in Thailand, Burkina Faso, and Tanzania, and Multiplication Network Ministries in the Dominican Republic.

For students, the TEAMeffort mission trip program offers Middle School and High School youth a chance to put faith into action through work projects, children’s outreach, disaster response, and Christian service, often alongside teens from many other churches. Applications open annually.

Serving the Community

Beyond its mission partners, Addisville operates its own ministries that serve neighbors in need. The church regularly supports the Jesus Focus Ministry Food Pantry at Bethanna in Southampton, which is open Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 2 PM. An Amazon registry directs deliveries of high-priority items straight to the pantry.

A weekly Community Meal, free for everyone and open to children, is a chance to meet practical and emotional needs in the neighborhood. For those who are homebound due to medical issues or hardship, meals can be delivered. Each semester the church also sends College Care packages to enrolled students, including an encouraging letter, a gift card to a favorite restaurant, and a snack.

Addisville Church Women

Addisville Church Women (ACW) exists to uplift, encourage, and nourish the women of the church. Through gatherings, Bible studies, service committees, and the annual Country Store Bazaar, the group serves one another, the congregation, and the wider community. Annual events include a Daughters of God Brunch, a Women's Day of Renewal, a clothing drive, a hat, coat, and glove drive, the Christmas Tea, and the Bazaar itself, which funds ministries both inside and outside the church. Profits from the Country Store Bazaar support both Addisville and a long list of charitable organizations.

Giving and the Addisville Legacy Foundation

Addisville teaches that giving takes three forms: tithe, sacrifice, and responsibility. Online giving is available through the church's giving platform, where recurring and one-time contributions can be transferred directly from a checking or savings account or charged to a credit card. Donors can also give through bank billpay or by mailing a check to the church office.

For those thinking about longer-term generosity, the Addisville Legacy Foundation invites members and friends to include the church in their estate plans. The Foundation supports unbudgeted capital expenditures, mission-related projects, and the long-term financial health of the congregation, allowing gifts of cash, securities, insurance beneficiary designations, charitable IRA rollovers, or property.

Pastoral Leadership

Senior Pastor Rev. Douglas J. Dwyer has led the congregation since 1997. A graduate of New Brunswick Theological Seminary, Pastor Doug came to faith at fifteen on Long Island, served a congregation in upstate New York before moving to Richboro, and enjoys walking, swimming, hiking, and traveling with his wife, Jane, and their two sons.

Associate Pastor Rev. Ryan Sweet joined the staff in October 2011 after graduating from Western Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Jaclyn, grew up in California and spent years in Michigan before settling in the Philadelphia suburbs. Pastor Ryan accepted Christ at age nine and often quotes Eugene Peterson's description of the Christian life as a long obedience in the same direction.

The pastoral team is supported by a full staff and a volunteer Consistory of elders and deacons. Elders include Frank Claus, Patti Hartline, Bob Matlack, Jill Osterhout, Bob Proske, and Al Sigafoos. Deacons include Charlene Borah, Ashley Borowski, Bonnie Gallagher, Doug Hamilton, Bob Glass, Natalie Kelly, Gina Lane, Rich Shetzline, JD Smith, Val Rook, Tom Stewart, and Frank Weckenman. Together they shepherd the congregation in its ministries and day-to-day life.

Core Beliefs

Addisville's statement of beliefs centers on a sovereign God who has eternally existed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The church teaches that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, lived a sinless life, died on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for sin, rose again on the third day, ascended to heaven, and will return as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Holy Spirit makes people aware of their need for Christ, lives in every believer from salvation, gives spiritual gifts, and guides daily life.

The Bible is described as God's Word, written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit, and the supreme source of truth for Christian belief and living. People are made in God's image but are marred by sin, which separates them from God. Salvation is a free gift, received by turning from a self-ruled life and trusting in Jesus Christ, and eternal life begins the moment one receives Christ by faith. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.

Core values name Jesus as Lord of all, the Bible as the source of truth, spiritual discipline through worship, prayer, meditation, scripture study, and service, strong Christ-centered families, passionate evangelism that creates opportunities for broken people to be rescued by Christ, and faithful trust in God's promise of salvation through grace.

Plan Your Visit

Worship takes place at 945 Second Street Pike in Richboro, with parking available on site. The 9 AM traditional service features hymns and choir. The 10:30 AM contemporary service features modern worship with the Standing Stones Worship Team. Summer worship is one blended service at 10 AM. Children's programming is offered at both service hours, and a nursery is available. Greeters welcome visitors, and a digital Friendship Pad makes it easy to share your name without being put on the spot.

For questions about any of the ministries described here, or to get connected with a small group, the church office can be reached at (215) 357-4277 or at ourhope@addisville.org. The church is active on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, with a daily calendar and online registrations available through Church Center.