At the crossroads of Buffalo's Allentown and West Side neighborhoods, on a circle threaded by the Olmsted parkway system, First Presbyterian Church of Buffalo has been a continuous presence since February 2, 1812. Its current home, an E. B. Green-designed Romanesque landmark completed in 1897, is anchored by a 168-foot tower of medina sandstone that mirrors the Richardson Olmsted Complex towers across the way. Today the congregation, a member of the Presbyterian Church (USA), describes itself as a worshipping community, a gathering place, and a cultural landmark whose doors stay open to all Buffalonians, of every belief, identity, and neighborhood.
Two Centuries of Buffalo's "Mother Church"
The story of First Church is in many ways the story of Buffalo itself. Founded during the War of 1812, the original congregation worshipped in private homes and taverns. One of the most enduring tales from those years is that of Deacon Amos Callender, who escaped with the church records on horseback to Batavia as British forces burned Buffalo in January 1813.
The first permanent home was a small lecture hall built in 1823 on land at Church, Pearl, and Main Streets, costing $874 and measuring 40 by 50 feet, heated only by pans of coals brought in by parishioners. The first pastor was the austere Rev. Miles P. Squier, who served from 1816 to 1824.
After the Erie Canal opened, Buffalo's population swelled and so did First Church. A second building, the "Brick Church," was built at Shelton Square (the site of today's Main Place Tower) and dedicated in March 1827. It featured a clock and bell tower beneath a golden ball that blazed in the sun and served as a landmark for mariners, and was the largest church west of the Genesee River at the time.
By the mid-nineteenth century, businesses surrounded the Brick Church in the busy downtown and many parishioners had moved to outlying neighborhoods. Under the leadership of Rev. Samuel S. Mitchell, the trustees decided it was time to move. After a court resolved the disagreement, Mrs. Truman Avery donated land at the corner of Pennsylvania and Wadsworth Streets in memory of her parents. E. B. Green designed the new building as the southern bookend of Richmond Avenue, deliberately mirroring the Richardson Complex towers to the north. Completed in 1897, the 168-foot tower remains one of Buffalo's architectural treasures.
For more than 200 years, First Church members have shaped institutions that have enriched the whole city. The third pastor, Rev. Sylvester Eaton, helped organize both the Buffalo Female Academy (now Buffalo Seminary) and the first city high school, the Western Literary and Scientific Academy. In 1885, member Elizabeth C. Marshall founded the Visiting Nurses Association, today the largest home health service in Western New York. In 1894, the church built and operated Welcome Hall on Seneca and Cedar Streets, which housed refugee resettlement and other mission projects until the city took it over during the Great Depression.
The twentieth century brought ministers like Rev. Ralph Blake Hindman, who led the congregation in civic causes and social movements. The church supported a medical mission in China in the early 1900s and has responded to world wars, natural disasters, and urban poverty throughout its history. Among its pastors was Rev. Geri Lyon, the church's first female pastor, who served from 2001 to 2010 and for whom the food pantry is named.
Inside the Sanctuary at One Symphony Circle
The Romanesque building with rounded arches and roughly three-foot-thick walls is one of Buffalo's most photographed landmarks. The sanctuary, completed in 1891, was designed with a Byzantine-influenced interior by William C. Francis, a member of the congregation and friend of Green, whose stenciled mosaics were installed over two months in the mid-1920s. The barrel-vaulted ceiling is suspended from the roof through a system of hinged steel beams so the building breathes with the wind; chandeliers rattle when heavy trucks rumble past.
A low front portico called a narthex is deliberately earthbound by design, a reminder of the lowliness of mankind, before worshippers move into the nave where the sudden expanse of the barrel vault lifts the eyes upward toward the central cross at the edge of the apse. The Romanesque style calls for very thick walls to support the roof and rounded arches for additional stability. At the four corners of the crossing, four lanterns with arches are built into the walls to support the central dome. Steel medallions and rods are fastened into the structural steel to keep the walls from spreading outward from the weight of the dome and roof.
Three stained-glass companies are represented in the sanctuary. Tiffany studios created the "New Jerusalem" window in the gallery, installed in 1916, along with several others. Mary Tillinghast, a pupil and one-time partner of John La Farge, made the "Resurrection" lancets in 1894, with richly layered glass giving the figures an almost three-dimensional effect. The Ford Company of Boston installed mercury mosaic windows depicting "The Ascension" in the gallery in 1892. Behind the organ hangs an excellent example of Louis Comfort Tiffany's use of color and favrile glass, installed in 1925, with a large cross formed by yellow and gold spreading throughout the window.
Hindman Chapel features a ceiling designed to simulate the interior of a ship's hull, in keeping with an Anglican country tradition. The Willett stained-glass windows there depict portions of First Church's history in Western New York, using a medieval approach with figures that are more one-dimensional but with interesting mosaics of color developed through single layers of hand-blown pot-metal glass and Norman slabs. The current Schlicker organ in the chapel replaced the original Roosevelt organ in 1958. In the sanctuary, a Noehren organ was installed in 1970, replacing an earlier Austin (1915) and the original Hilborne Roosevelt. Robert Noehren was a Buffalo native who grew up on Main Street next to what is now the Anchor Bar.
The three Tiffany chandeliers are miniature copies of the great candelabra in Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, originally designed for electric light bulbs but with a small cup under each bulb to simulate the oil well in the originals. A 360-degree virtual tour of the sanctuary and chapel was created by Peter Schiffmacher of the Buffalo-based firm iTours 360VR, and can be explored from a laptop, desktop, tablet, or smartphone.
Sunday Morning Worship
Every Sunday at 10:30 a.m., the congregation gathers for worship, with services also livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook Live. The service typically runs about an hour, sometimes a little longer on Easter, Christmas, and baptisms. An usher greets visitors at the door, who are encouraged to take a worship bulletin that contains every part of the service. Afterwards, the fellowship hall hosts light snacks and refreshments.
Dress at First Church varies. Some members wear jeans and flip-flops, others wear jackets and dresses. Children are always welcome in worship. Kids are invited up during the service for a "Teachable Moment," and there are opportunities for them to help lead parts of the service.
The Presbyterian order of worship at First Church moves through four movements. Gathering includes calls to worship often based on the Psalms, hymns, prayer for the day, prayer of confession, assurance of pardon, and the passing of the peace. The Word includes Old and New Testament readings, a sermon or homily, a prayer for illumination, and musical anthems. Response includes hymns, an affirmation of faith, prayers of intercession, tithes and offerings, and the sacraments. Sending includes commissioning to ministries, farewells, a closing hymn, a charge, and a blessing.
Music is central to the service. The congregation prefers old, familiar hymns but also sings contemporary praise and worship songs, and occasionally hears an individual vocalist or group. The Lord's Supper is celebrated on the first Sunday of every month and is open to everyone, as well as on Maundy Thursday and other special occasions. Baptism is celebrated when an adult, or a parent on behalf of a child, asks for it, has been taught the meaning of the sacrament, and is approved by the Session. Visitors are invited to participate as fully as they feel comfortable. The congregation stands several times, including for singing hymns, certain prayers, the affirmation of faith, and the doxology.
The Reformed tradition understands baptism and the Lord's Supper to be sacraments instituted by God and commended by Christ. They are signs of the real presence and power of Christ in the church, symbols of God's action through which God seals believers in redemption, renews their identity, and marks them for service.
The Liturgical Year
Beyond weekly Sunday worship, the rhythm of the Christian calendar brings the congregation together at distinctive services throughout the year.
On Ash Wednesday, the season of Lent opens with a community fellowship and soup supper at 7 p.m., followed by a reflective worship experience including the Imposition of Ashes and Holy Communion. Lenten study sessions meet on Thursday evenings, both in person and via Zoom, often focusing on the Gospel accounts of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, with attention to textual variations between the Gospels, the different characters present, and the events at the tomb.
Maundy Thursday brings a 7 p.m. service in the sanctuary commemorating the Last Supper. On Good Friday, First Church joins neighboring St. John's-Grace Episcopal Church for an ecumenical service of meditations on the Seven Last Words of Jesus, beginning at 12:30 p.m. with the instruction to come when able and leave when one must.
In Advent, the choir presents a service of Lessons and Carols patterned after the celebrated service from St. John's College in Cambridge, with carols alternating with antiphons and lessons. Christmas Eve brings a festival music prelude at 6:45 p.m. and a candlelit service at 7 p.m. The chancel is decorated with poinsettias, and members are invited to dedicate plants to honor the memory of loved ones or to celebrate someone special. Dedications are printed in the bulletin on the Sundays leading up to Christmas and on Christmas Eve itself.
The Lyon Food Pantry
The Lyon Food Pantry is the heartbeat of First Church's mission. Operating entirely through volunteers and funded by donations to the Lyon Fund, the pantry distributes 30 bags of non-perishable grocery items every Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. from the courtyard entrance on Symphony Circle. No referral is needed and no questions are asked. Patrons are counted only for statistical purposes.
The pantry is named in honor of Rev. Geri Lyon, the church's first female pastor, who served from 2001 to 2010. Seasonal items such as gloves and toiletries are collected and distributed on an ad hoc basis. Donations of cereal, pasta, pasta sauce, tuna fish, macaroni and cheese, rice, canned beans, canned vegetables, canned soup, ramen noodles, and toilet paper are always welcome (no expired products, please).
In a tradition reaching back to 1894, when First Church members organized the immigrant settlement house called Welcome Hall, the congregation has long been committed to people in need. As Dr. William McLennon, a later director of Welcome Hall, described its inspiration: "My ideal for this institution has always been that of the good Samaritan. Anyone in the neighborhood has been allowed to use Welcome Hall for any purpose not contrary to the law of the land. We never asked the people to sacrifice any of their own beliefs. Thus, have men, women, and children of many different races and religions met and mingled at Welcome Hall as members of a common humanity." The physical Welcome Hall no longer exists, but its spirit animates the work of the Lyon Food Pantry and other mission activities.
First Church also supports the construction of a shower and laundry facility at the nearby Pilgrim St. Luke's UCC church for refugees who stop in Buffalo en route to permanent residence in Canada.
Resident Partners: A Building Open to Buffalo
First Church has become what its leaders call a commons for the common good, with about half of its physical plant in use by area nonprofits. Several partner organizations rent space in the building, sharing space with the congregation and adding to the rhythms of daily life on Symphony Circle.
Explore Buffalo, a nonprofit that offers tours and educational opportunities to discover Buffalo's architecture, history, and neighborhoods, rents a large portion of the second floor and now has seven employees.
F BITES (Food Based Interventions with Technology, Energy, & Science) is an after-school nutrition education program that has grown from its 2009 start in the Niagara Falls City School District to more than 60 institutions across Erie, Niagara, and Monroe counties. Founded by Chef Bobby Anderson, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and former "Hell's Kitchen" contestant who went on to cook in Gordon Ramsay's restaurants in Manchester and London, F BITES leases an office in the basement. About 85 percent of participants who graduate from F BITES' programs are employed or enrolled in higher education. F BITES also provides meals twice a week to Houghton College Buffalo students when classes are in session.
Friends of Harmony, founded in 1983, is an a cappella singing group that has provided some of the finest a cappella entertainment in Western New York. Directed by Marshall Kelkenberg with Meredith Zimmer as assistant director, the group rehearses weekly in Hindman Chapel, and singers regularly perform in the sanctuary.
Native Offerings Farm, located in Little Valley and farmed by Stew and Deb Ritchie, is USDA Certified Organic. First Church is one of four pick-up locations for the farm's Community Supported Agriculture shares.
The Serendipity Shoppe, a thrift store operated by the Buffalo AIDS Plus Fund of WNY, is located in the church's basement and accessed via the Wadsworth Street entrance. Profits support people living with HIV/AIDS. The shop is open Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. and houses an ever-changing inventory of art, books, dishes, fine china, furniture, jewelry, and collectibles.
Houghton College operates a special associate of arts degree program for first-generation immigrants and refugees out of First Church. One Symphony Circle, Inc., a separate nonprofit, oversees the long-term preservation of the historic building. Buffalo Gay Bingo, the wildly popular fundraiser of the Buffalo AIDS Plus Fund, also calls the church home.
Pastoral Care and the Deacons
Pastoral care at First Church is often practiced out of public sight. Pastors and the board of deacons serve as first responders to crisis, emergencies, and ongoing needs in the congregation, helping people navigate grief, marital tensions, illness, family disputes, job loss, debt, and loneliness with empathy and the ministry of presence. Where helpful, this can translate into material support through financial aid arrangements or referrals for professional counseling and medical services.
Pastors regularly visit members who are hospitalized, praying before surgery or with families in waiting rooms, and offering prayers in hospital rooms during recovery or while awaiting a diagnosis. Short-term pastoral counseling and referrals for longer-term help are available by appointment at the church, in members' homes, or wherever would be welcome.
The board of deacons is often called the heart of the church. Deacons serve communion to homebound members, often accompanied by a pastor, and also extend the church's care through cards, phone calls, and visits to those unable to attend. They greet the congregation and visitors before worship services as ushers and participate in worship.
Christian Education for All Ages
Christian education at First Church spans the very young to longtime Bible scholars. Sunday school classes for the youngest members emphasize multimedia instruction with visuals and song, while Bible courses for adults run from introductory overviews to specialized explorations of single books or clusters of scripture.
Recent courses have included "Presbyterian 101," which delved into basic theology, and a course on ethics in the workplace, addressing how to survive and thrive in jobs with conscience and ideals intact. "The Bible from the Roots Up" traced how scripture formed over centuries, and "Gospel & Culture" explored how the gospel engages with politics, economics, social issues, and cultural trends of the present moment.
The Adult Forum series, held on Sundays following worship, invites community leaders to speak on a wide range of topics. Recent presentations have included updates on recovery missions in Puerto Rico following the 2017 hurricane, the effects of the Protestant Reformation 500 years on, hunger-relief efforts of West Side and Allentown ministry Friends of Night People, and water security and well-drilling projects in Tanzania inspired and led by local high school students. Adult Forums have also addressed end-of-life issues, the operations of the Western New York women and children's shelter, and the refugee relief activities of Pilgrim St. Luke's UCC.
A Book Club meets periodically, and Bible study opportunities run throughout the year, with weekday and Zoom options offered for those who cannot attend in person. A summer worship series, "The Art of Gathering," drew on Priya Parker's book of the same name for six weeks of interactive, scripture-based worship with small homework assignments to deepen engagement.
Music at First Church
The congregation's strong music tradition includes old, familiar hymns and contemporary praise songs, with occasional soloists or groups. The choir presents anthems during worship and takes a central role in seasonal services such as Lessons and Carols in Advent. Music selections sometimes include individual vocalists or instrumentalists.
The Schlicker organ in Hindman Chapel and the Noehren organ in the sanctuary anchor the church's musical life. Use of the organs or pianos for outside events requires permission from the organist and choirmaster, Dr. David Bond.
Weddings, Concerts, and Building Use
The chapel is a flexible space that can be transformed for a variety of purposes for up to 100 people. The sanctuary, accessible for persons who use wheelchairs, comfortably seats up to 800 including the upper balconies. Screens and a projector are available when coordinated in advance. Neither space is air conditioned. Events open to the public require a security guard on premises at a rate of $20 per hour, provided by the church.
The chapel and sanctuary are available to rent for weddings, baby showers, book discussions, concerts, classes, community meetings, and lectures. Weddings are performed by a minister of the church after sufficient time for exploring the meaning of Christian marriage and the significance of the wedding service. Restrictions may apply to use of the parking lot. Alcohol is not permitted without specific approval from the Session and appropriate state licenses. Building use requests require approval from the Session and proof of liability insurance may be requested.
Ten long-term tenant organizations lease space at First Church to conduct work in service of the common good. While the campus is near full capacity, inquiries about leasing are always welcome. The commercial kitchen is not currently available for lease.
Outside groups have brought performances into the sanctuary, including a production of Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor" by Sotto Voce, which used the Romanesque interior to stage singers throughout the hall. The Buffalo Opera Unlimited has also held auditions in the building.
Leadership
The Reverend Leslie Latham serves as Pastor and Head of Staff. The Reverend John Long, D.D., serves as Parish Associate for Community Outreach. Dr. David Bond serves as Organist and Choirmaster. Kurt Froese is Director of Family Ministries.
The Session, the governing body of elders, is composed of women and men elected by the congregation to three-year terms. Its responsibilities are broad, ranging from oversight of finances and property to ongoing ministries of worship, Christian education, and service to the community. A corporate board advises on matters related to property and grounds, investments, and endowments. The board of deacons, often called the heart of the church, serves the congregation through visitation, communion to homebound members, and greeting worshipers.
Visiting First Church
First Presbyterian Church of Buffalo is located at One Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY 14201, near Kleinhans Music Hall. The church office can be reached at (716) 884-7250. Sunday worship begins at 10:30 a.m. and is also livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook Live. Parking is available in the church lot, entered from Pennsylvania Street across from Kleinhans Music Hall, with exit onto St. John's Place.
Visitors can take a worship bulletin at the door, sit anywhere, and stay for refreshments in the fellowship hall afterwards. Children of all ages are welcome throughout the service, including for the "Teachable Moment." The Lyon Food Pantry is open to anyone every Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. from the courtyard entrance on Symphony Circle. The Serendipity Shoppe thrift store is open Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. Donations to the food pantry and other funds are accepted online and through the offering plate.