A Congregation Anchored on Putnam Avenue Since 1881
First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich sits at 1 West Putnam Avenue, a short walk from the center of Greenwich, Connecticut. The congregation's roots go back to Easter Sunday 1881, when its very first service was held in a public hall. The early members left a written record of that moment: "The first service was held in a public hall on Easter Sunday. From the first service the divine blessing has followed and directed the work. Its members have consecrated themselves to Him who has thus far led them, and they go forward in the confidence that whatever else is needed, He, by His children, will supply...." That confident, hopeful faith still shapes the life of the church today.
Six years after its founding, in 1887, the congregation dedicated a sanctuary whose renovated structure continues to serve as the principal worship space. A succession of distinguished ministers and esteemed ministers of music have filled the building with worship, Bible teaching, choral singing, and organ music. A reporter at the first services wrote that "it is quite safe to say that rarely, if ever, has such church music been heard in Greenwich," a remark that still echoes in the congregation's commitment to excellent music.
The church belongs to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), commonly called the PCUSA, and its denominational life is shaped by the Reformed tradition that has guided Presbyterians since the Reformation.
Senior Pastor Seth Weeldreyer and the Ministry Team
The Rev. Dr. Seth Weeldreyer is the Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich. He came to Greenwich from First Presbyterian Church of Kalamazoo, where he spent sixteen years as Senior Pastor. He has held leadership roles in the Presbytery and the General Assembly of the PCUSA, and has served with CREDO, a body in which ministers focus on nurturing their peers and strengthening the wider Presbyterian Church.
Dr. Weeldreyer holds a BA in Secondary Education, History, and German from Hope College, an MA in College and University Administration from Michigan State University, and a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min) in Preaching from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. He is the parent of three grown children. He describes himself as a reader, youth sports coach and referee, hiker, cyclist, and lover of movies, music, and theater, and he notes that he has traveled widely and designed and built three homes.
Of his sense of call to Greenwich he has written: "I am deeply grateful for the grace of a call to serve among First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich. At a central intersection of the community, from the junction of our individual hopes and fears, into the crossroads of our world's concerns, we share a strong capacity to touch others with Holy Love."
The Rev. Andre Castillo serves as Associate Pastor, with particular responsibility for youth ministry. Dr. Caroline Worra leads the music ministry as Minister of Music and choral director. Heather Antonissen directs the handbell program, and Jesse Pieper serves as Organ Associate. Kreg Gotschall leads the All-Age Family Choir and the Steeple Band with his guitar. Tara Church is the Director of Children's Ministry, and the larger staff supports operations, the building, and the nursery school.
Traditional Worship, Contemporary Worship, and Summer at the Shore
Worship lies at the heart of life at First Presbyterian Church. The principal Sunday service is Traditional Worship at 10:00 a.m., held every Sunday of the year in the main Sanctuary. Stained glass windows, choral anthems, congregational hymns, organ and piano accompaniment, traditional prayers, and thought-provoking sermons give the service its character. The 10:00 a.m. service is livestreamed, and a printed bulletin is available online.
A Contemporary Worship service is held at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoons. The service is intentionally casual and reflective, with prayer, contemplation, and uplifting singing led by talented musicians. In warmer months the contemporary gathering meets on the Collyer Center lawn; when the weather turns cold or stormy, it moves into the Sanctuary.
During the summer months the congregation also gathers at 8:30 a.m. for Summer Beach Worship in the Seaside Garden at Tod's Point, a beloved town park on Long Island Sound. Worshipers bring a chair and enjoy the same traditional liturgy in casual outdoor comfort. A children's church is offered for the youngsters. No passes or permits are needed; guests simply tell the gate attendant they are heading to church.
Sacraments and Pastoral Care
Baptisms are performed during the 10:00 a.m. Sunday worship service in the Sanctuary, involving the whole congregation in the promise to support the Christian nurture of the baptized. Many Presbyterians are baptized as infants as a sign of God's love and welcome into the church family, and adults are baptized following instruction on their profession of faith. Young people who were baptized as children speak for themselves and confirm their baptisms in the Confirmation program during their teen years.
The pastoral staff and the Board of Deacons share a caring ministry with members and friends in times of grief. Memorial services are provided for both members and non-members and can be scheduled through the church office. The Session, the body of elected ruling elders who oversee the spiritual life of the congregation, together with the pastors, walk with families through illness, loss, and end-of-life decisions.
The Deacons also organize practical care: hospital visits, meal deliveries, an altar flower to celebrate a birth, and rides to worship on the first Sunday of each month. A program called FIRST 4 FOOD prepares and delivers meals to members recovering from surgery, illness, or other challenging circumstances.
Children's Ministry: From the Nursery to the Fifth Grade
Children's Ministry at First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich serves children from birth through fifth grade and is built around the conviction that children of all ages are safe, engaged, and deeply valued. Through Bible stories, music, hands-on activities, and play, children discover that they are known, loved, and called by God.
On Sunday mornings, children begin in worship with their families and are invited forward for Time for Young Disciples, an interactive message that connects the day's scripture to their everyday lives in an engaging, memorable way. After the children's moment, students in preschool through fifth grade head to their Sunday School classrooms on the third floor in rooms 343 and 344. Childcare is available throughout the service in room 350 for infants through age three.
Community Night, on Wednesdays throughout the program year from September through May at 5:00 p.m., offers children's programming with faith-based lessons, creative activities, music, and fellowship while parents and caregivers participate in other offerings. A family-style dinner is served at 6:00 p.m. Mommy & Me, for children twelve to thirty-six months old and a caregiver, meets on Mondays and Wednesdays during the program year from September through June, with songs, sensory play, movement, and simple activities that lay an early foundation in faith.
Seasonal and family-friendly events enrich the program year. Vacation Bible Camp, the Easter Egg Hunt and Family Service, the Christmas Pageant, Paint Nights, Bonfire Night, and intergenerational worship services led by children and youth round out a packed calendar.
Youth Ministry: Middle School, Confirmation, and High School
Youth ministry is led by the Rev. Andre Castillo, Associate Pastor, and reaches students from fifth grade through high school. Middle School Youth Group, for students in grades five through seven, meets regularly throughout the school year for worship, fellowship, and service. Friday Night Riot is a monthly fellowship and service opportunity open to all fifth through eighth graders, often involving projects for the whole family.
Confirmation Classes begin each October for eighth-grade students. Over the course of the program, students explore the journey of faith and what it means to become a member of the church community. Visitors and friends are welcome to participate, and the Confirmation class of each year is celebrated on Confirmation Sunday in May. High School ministry, for grades nine through twelve, includes regular fellowship events, service projects, internship opportunities, mission trips, ski trips, and a European tour that the youth program has sponsored in past years. Recent trips have included a service journey to the Dominican Republic.
A Music Ministry That Stretches from Choir Loft to Carillon
Music is essential to worship at First Presbyterian Church. The Music Ministry is led by Dr. Caroline Worra, Minister of Music, with Jesse Pieper at the organ and piano, Heather Antonissen directing the handbells, and Kreg Gotschall leading the All-Age Family Music and the Steeple Band.
The Chancel Choir is the core vocal ensemble, rehearsing on Wednesday evenings from 7:15 to 8:45 p.m. on the fourth floor and again on Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. before singing at the 10:00 a.m. service. The Clarion Ringers, the handbell choir, rehearse on Wednesdays from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary and play in worship on a monthly basis at the 8:30 a.m. service. The Steeple Band rehearses on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. on the fourth floor. All-Age Family Music, for children, youth, parents, and any adults who love to sing, meets Wednesdays from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. on the fourth floor.
Concerts and special musical events are part of the church's wider ministry. Recent seasons have included performances of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Duruflé's Requiem on Good Friday 2024, Rutter's Requiem on Good Friday 2025, the All Saints Concert, Carols by Candlelight, Christmas Eve services, the Vacation Bible Camp Concert, the Dinner Theater Extravaganza, and a handbell concert titled The Music Rings On. A steeple and carillon were added with the 2007 building expansion.
Adult Education, Book Group, and the Iona Pilgrimage
Adult Education at First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich engages members, friends, and the wider Greenwich community in the lifelong pursuit of knowledge. The curriculum traditionally follows three themes: The Word, Christian Life, and the Arts. Past classes have been led by professors from Princeton Theological Seminary, Union Theological Seminary, Yale Divinity School, and the church's own clergy, covering topics from current events and the arts to history, gender issues, and parenting.
The Women's Book Discussion Group meets once a month on a Friday morning in the Church Library on the fourth floor. Members gather at 9:15 a.m. for coffee and conversation, and the book discussion runs from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Selections are mostly fiction, with non-fiction works of topical interest interspersed. New members who enjoy reading and discussion are always welcome.
Each year the church offers an Iona Pilgrimage, a journey to the island of Iona off the western coast of Scotland, the historic cradle of Celtic Christianity. The pilgrimage is open to members and friends seeking a deeper experience of prayer, scripture, and community.
A Building That Has Grown with the Congregation
The campus of First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich has expanded steadily over more than a century. The Sanctuary, dedicated in 1887, was renovated and continues to seat 350 worshipers. Classrooms adjacent to the Sanctuary were added in 1924 and 1955. Space at the Collyer Center, across Lafayette Place, was added in 1964 and 1975, and includes the Edna M. Anderson Chapel, which seats 65 and is popular for small weddings. In 2007 the church completed a four-story addition that added classrooms for education, fellowship, community outreach, and the nursery school, along with a steeple and carillon.
The building is wheelchair accessible from Lafayette Place, the Sanctuary can accommodate worshipers with walkers and wheelchairs, and a sound system is available for those with hearing difficulties. ADA bathrooms are on site. For worshipers who prefer the outdoors, the Seaside Garden at nearby Tod's Point hosts the summer beach service.
Service and Outreach: Local, Regional, and Global
First Presbyterian Church describes its outreach this way: "the highest form of gratitude to God is to serve the life of our neighbors." Members and friends are involved in a wide range of local, regional, and global mission partnerships through the Mission Engagement Committee.
Locally, the church supports Kids in Crisis, which protects children from birth through age seventeen from family crisis and abuse across Fairfield County and operates a 24-hour hotline, a 20-bed shelter, the Teen Talk program, and a juvenile delinquency guidance program. On the second Thursday of every month, FPCG cooks a meal in the church kitchen from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. and serves it at Pacific House, the regional shelter for men and young adults in lower Fairfield County. The congregation also serves the Boys and Girls Club of Stamford Yerwood Center throughout the year at events like Thanksgiving Dinner and the Holiday Feast, and provides hundreds of service hours annually to Neighbor to Neighbor, a nonsectarian food pantry and clothing exchange serving Greenwich residents in need. A significant gift from the Edna Anderson Fund helped Neighbor to Neighbor's proposed new building, and Call-A-Ride, the free door-to-door transportation service for ambulatory Greenwich seniors, was essentially founded with FPCG support and still keeps its office at the Nursery School Collyer Center property.
Other local efforts include volunteer support for Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County, four annual Red Cross blood drives hosted in Fellowship Hall, and F-ORB, or Faith and Overcoming Racial Bias, an initiative that raises awareness of racial attitudes and supports organizations like Horizons and Student Sponsor Partners.
Globally, the church has long-standing commitments in Haiti, where members helped build the first structurally sound school in the village of St. Marc's, a building that now serves more than three hundred children and doubles as a hurricane shelter. The congregation is also part of the Set Free Church Coalition with five other local churches and supports the Global Partnership to End Human Trafficking (PHET). FPCG's youth group adopted the third-floor vocational room of a Bridgeport residence run with Thistle Farms, where volunteers have spent hundreds of hours cleaning, painting, and decorating the space for support groups, yoga, and therapeutic art programs serving four to six women survivors at a time.
Weddings, Memorials, and the Sanctuary and Chapel
The Sanctuary, with its stained glass, organ, and seating for 350, hosts most weddings at First Presbyterian Church, while the Edna M. Anderson Chapel, seating 65, is a popular choice for smaller ceremonies. Weddings traditionally take place on Saturdays, although Sunday afternoons and weekdays can sometimes be arranged when other church programs are not using the spaces. The Service of Marriage from the Book of Common Worship of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is the official liturgy used at FPCG, with the officiating pastor supervising the content. Couples may personalize the service with scripture readings, hymns, vocal and instrumental soloists, and the celebration of the Lord's Supper if both partners are professing Christians.
Pre-marriage preparation is required and consists of several conferences with the officiating pastor. Rehearsals are typically held at 5:00 p.m. the evening before the wedding. A non-refundable deposit of $500 secures the date and space for non-members, and a comprehensive invoice for staff and facility fees is provided one week before the service. The Fellowship Hall is available for receptions of any size.
Memorial services are offered to both members and non-members and can be scheduled through the front desk. Baptisms are performed in the Sanctuary during Sunday worship.
The FPCG Nursery School
First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich is home to a Nursery School, which occupies classrooms in the 2007 building expansion and continues a long tradition of Christian education that goes back to the Sunday School established immediately after the congregation's founding in 1881. The Nursery School shares the campus with worship, Sunday School, music rehearsals, and outreach programs, linking the daily life of the school with the wider rhythms of the church.
Becoming Part of the Congregation
All are welcome to become members at First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich. The church welcomes new members on a regular basis, and the pastor and elders walk with those exploring membership through a series of conversations about faith, the Presbyterian tradition, and the life of the congregation. Visitors can subscribe to the weekly First Press newsletter, follow the church on Facebook and Instagram, watch worship on the livestream, or stop by the front office at 1 West Putnam Avenue to learn more. Sundays at 10:00 a.m., with traditional worship in the Sanctuary and a warm welcome from the congregation, remain the best introduction to the life of this historic Greenwich church.