First Presbyterian Church of Marietta sits at 189 Church Street, in the heart of Marietta, Georgia, surrounded by historic homes, museums, and the Marietta Square. Its 1854 Greek Revival Sanctuary, remodeled in the early 1900s to a colonial revival style, is a landmark in its own right. Members and visitors have worshipped in that Sanctuary for more than a century and a half, and the congregation today still gathers for an 8:30am traditional service inside it. Across the parking lot, the Great Hall hosts a second Sunday service at 11:00am, with additional room for the church's children, youth, and weekday ministries. FPC, as the congregation calls itself, is at once a long-time neighborhood church and a working hub for the wider Cobb County community, with a food pantry serving 400 families a week and an elementary after-school program that has run for more than three decades.
A Church on the Square Since 1835
First Presbyterian Church began its life in 1835 when four families formed Marietta Presbyterian Church. Their early meetings moved into a small frame structure on the corner of Lawrence and Waddell Streets. The church's fifth pastor, Dr. John Jones, bequeathed the land on which the present church building stands. In that same era, a Greek Revival-style structure was built in 1854; it was remodeled between 1903 and 1905 to its present colonial revival style and given the name First Presbyterian Church. Today the Sanctuary is joined by four adjacent structures that house Sunday school classrooms, the Great Hall, the youth room, the nursery, and the preschool.
Generations of families who have grown up in this church now worship alongside members who have joined from all over the country and the world. The congregation is committed to a unified church family that lives out the wisdom of previous generations while listening intently for how to move forward in new ways. FPC identifies itself as a PC(USA) congregation, a Hunger Action Congregation, and a Stephen Ministry Congregation.
Two Sunday Mornings on Church Street
Worship on Sunday morning happens twice, in two distinct settings. The 8:30am service is held in the historic Sanctuary and offers a more intimate worship experience. The 11:00am service is held in the Great Hall and features a few additional elements, including a Children's Message. Screens project hymn lyrics and spoken words during the service. During June and July, both services move into the Sanctuary, and Sunday school for children and youth takes a break.
Communion is served the first Sunday of every month and during special services throughout the year. Anyone is welcome to participate, members and visitors alike. Baptism is offered to people of all ages; while parents typically have their infants or young children baptized, youth and adults are also welcomed into the sacrament. Those interested in baptism fill out a request form before the service.
On a typical Sunday, children can pick up worship items from the blue cart at the entrance to the Sanctuary and Great Hall. During the 11:00am service, children are invited up front for a Children's Message, and children in pre-K through third grade may then leave for Children's Church with children's ministry leaders. Older children in fourth through twelfth grade are encouraged to serve as scripture readers in one or both services, with support offered to those new to public speaking. Children in second through fifth grade may also serve as acolytes, processing in to light the candles at the front of the Sanctuary or Great Hall and carrying the light out at the end of worship.
Dress at FPC is welcoming. Visitors will find the majority of the congregation in traditional Sunday dress, while younger generations often choose jeans or slacks. The church has several parking lots, with reserved parking closest to the building for visitors, those needing handicap access, and elderly members. Services are livestreamed on Vimeo, and a full archive of recent services is available.
Between Services: Sunday School and a Hot Breakfast
From 9:45 to 10:45am, Sunday school is in session for adults, youth, and children. Children's classes meet in the Patten, Speed, and Cotton Buildings; youth gather in the Youth Room; and adults choose from several long-running classes. Adult offerings include Salt and Pepper, Scripture Seekers, New Seasons, Faith Builders, and Rooted. Children's Sunday school runs from PreK through fifth grade, with dedicated rooms for 3- and 4-year-olds, K-1, second and third grade, and fourth and fifth grade.
A fellowship breakfast is served on the second Sunday of each month, September through May, from 9:15 to 10:30am in Holland Hall. Volunteers prepare a hot meal, served for $7 per person or $28 per family at the maximum. In November, the breakfast doubles as a celebration of Kirkin of the Tartan. Between services on Sundays, a Stephen Minister is on call for one-on-one confidential support. Visitors can find a Stephen Minister by asking the front desk attendant or one of the deacons on duty.
Children, Birth Through Fifth Grade
FPC's children's ministry begins in the nursery, which is open Sunday mornings from 9:30am to 12:15pm for children from six weeks old through age four. Little ones are greeted by name and cared for by carefully chosen staff in a safe environment of joy, play, song, and hugs.
Older children move into Children's Church during the 11:00am service after the Children's Message. There they receive an age-appropriate Bible lesson and fellowship time with kids their own age and adult leaders. Sunday school for PreK through fifth grade runs from 9:45 to 10:45am on Sundays. Children's Fellowship gathers monthly for games, crafts, service projects, and seasonal celebrations that strengthen friendships and connections to God. A Scouting program for K through fifth grade meets monthly, building character, confidence, and leadership through outdoor adventures, service projects, and hands-on activities.
Families with infants through kindergarten can also take part in Parents Day Out, a weekday program held Monday through Friday from 9am to 1pm for children ages 8 weeks through 5 years. Parents Day Out is designed to give parents a break while their children are cared for in a safe, loving environment. Registration is by reservation only, with a $42 daily fee per child.
The Weekday Preschool
FPC Weekday Preschool has been in operation since 1963, providing a faith-based foundation for Marietta children. The play-based program blends tradition with contemporary learning styles and uses Georgia Early Learning and Development Standards as its foundation. Teachers tailor units to meet the needs and interests of their children through learning centers, small and large group activities, and individual instruction.
Classes meet from 9am to noon, with an optional Lunch Bunch until 1pm. One-year-olds attend two days a week, two-year-olds two or three days a week, three-year-olds three, four, or five days a week, and four-year-olds four or five days. A kindergarten class for children turning five by September 1 meets five days a week. Zoo-phonics is used in the three-year-old classes, and three- and four-year-olds and kindergarteners use Heggerty Phonemic Awareness. The program takes a holistic approach, helping children grow socially, emotionally, spiritually, academically, creatively, and physically. Director Betsy Sherwood can be reached at 770-427-2166 for questions.
Youth in Grades 6 Through 12
Youth Group meets on Sunday evenings from 5 to 7pm, September through May, for students in grades 6 through 12. Adult members are encouraged to volunteer with the youth and to bring dinner for the Sunday meetings, with the church covering the cost of food. Youth have opportunities to serve alongside adults in worship and other aspects of leadership, including reading scripture, leading Children's Church, and serving as Youth Deacons for a one-year term.
Many youth engage in service through Club 3:30 and the Pantry on Church, and single-event opportunities throughout the year keep them involved in mission work. They are also regular volunteers in the nursery, helping care for the church's youngest members. Shelby Baxter-Andrews serves as Youth and Young Adult Coordinator, and Jana Chesney is the Youth Ministry Coordinator.
Music and Fine Arts
Music at FPC is led by Director of Music and Fine Arts Dr. Jeffrey Meeks and Assistant Director of Music and Principal Organist Daram Song. The Chancel Choir welcomes singers of all experience levels to share their gifts through a blend of traditional, contemporary, jazz, and gospel music, and has collaborated with groups such as the Georgia Youth Choir and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Rehearsals are on Wednesdays from 7 to 8:30pm. The Kirk Ringers bell choir meets Mondays at 7pm for more experienced musicians who can sight read; the group has performed throughout the U.S. and Europe and frequently plans mission and concert tours.
A Children's Choir and Youth Choir are also part of the program. FPC Fine Arts invites artists of all ages and disciplines - visual art, sculpture, textiles, literature, culinary, and performing - to share their talents with the congregation. FPC On Demand is a newer program that brings music and ministry to care facility residents, the homebound, and the imprisoned, with musical entertainment, jail ministry, livestreaming assistance, and birthday ministry.
The Pantry on Church: 400 Families a Week
The Pantry on Church packs and distributes food in the Marietta community every Tuesday in partnership with Sweetwater Mission in Austell. The pantry serves 400 families each week. Adult volunteers pack food at Sweetwater between 9 and 11:30am, while volunteers of high school age and older distribute food in the church parking lot on Tuesday evenings from 5 to 7pm. Pickup runs as a drive-through line that forms in the West Parking Lot, across the tracks from the church on Kennesaw Avenue. Information about the pantry is shared in both English and Spanish.
Donations of diapers, baby wipes, non-perishable food, peanut butter and jelly, canned tuna and chicken, microwaveable meals, dried fruit, and Purina dog and cat food are accepted at 189 Church Street, with items marked for The Pantry on Church or placed in the green bin in the main lobby. An Amazon Wish List is also maintained. The pantry partners with Sweetwater Mission, Acts 6 Ministry, the Atlanta Braves Foundation, Atlanta GLOW, Burger's & Berry's Pop Up Market, First Baptist Church of Marietta, Helping Mamas, Macland Presbyterian Church, Marietta City Schools, PORCH Communities, Project U First, and St. James Episcopal Church. Numerous local restaurants and businesses also support the work.
Club 3:30: Thirty Students, Every Weekday
Club 3:30 is the longest continually running elementary afterschool program in the state of Georgia. Each weekday afternoon from 4 to 6pm, the program brings 30 students to the church to receive homework help and a host of other support services. It has operated for more than 30 years under the leadership of Mary Groves and now Kelly Dewar, working with the Marietta School System to identify the elementary students who could most benefit from extra support. Many of the program's students speak English as a second language. Many Club 3:30 graduates have gone on to obtain college degrees, and every student admitted to college or trade school receives a scholarship from the Peggy Bullard Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Volunteers are needed Monday through Thursday from 4:15 to 5:45 for homework help and mentoring. Retirees, high schoolers, stay-at-home parents, and people who work from home are all welcome. Each child enrolled is assigned a Guardian Angel who donates a specified amount each year for the program's annual Christmas shopping excursion, purchases a small birthday gift, and writes notes and cards throughout the year. The program follows the Marietta City Schools calendar.
Care and Support
FPC's congregational care ministry reaches members in a wide variety of circumstances. Stephen Ministry provides one-on-one, Christ-centered care for people in transition or going through a difficult time, with Stephen Ministers on call every Sunday from 10am to noon. My Handy Friend is a team of qualified volunteers who provide free, safe, and reliable repairs or assistance to members with limited ability due to physical or economic circumstances, with volunteers reimbursed for any supplies. The Extension, a comprehensive addiction treatment program with separate facilities for men and women, is supported with donations, meals, repairs, and life-skills teaching.
The church hosts two weekly NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) evening support group meetings on Mondays and a drop-in center for peer support. An Autism Spectrum Disorder Family Support Group meets on the third Thursday of each month from 7 to 8:30pm in Room 51. Going Forward, a group for widows and widowers, meets on the fourth Thursday of each month from 1 to 3pm in the Glover Room. An Adoption and Foster Support Group identifies and meets the needs of foster and adoptive families within the congregation. In-Home Communion is offered on the first Sunday afternoons by ordained elders visiting members who are unable to attend worship.
Pastors are available to visit those who have difficulty coming to worship. Prayer requests are kept confidential unless permission is given for them to be printed in the weekly prayer email. The church partners with Tapestry Associates for counseling services and works alongside Good Samaritan Health Center of Cobb, MUST Ministries, The Extension, and The Zone (a recovery community organization).
Governance: Run by the People
First Presbyterian Church is not a staff-run church; it is run by members of the congregation, with a staff to assist them. The democratic system of governance instituted by the founders of the Presbyterian Church remains the foundation of how FPC operates today.
The Session is the governing body of the church and is made up of members elected to three-year terms as elders. Elders oversee personnel, mission, worship, congregational programs, evangelism, new-member orientation, receiving and dismissing members, nurture of the congregation, and educational curriculum. Some elders also serve on committees of the Cherokee Presbytery. Three classes of deacons serve at any given time, and the congregation also nominates and elects youth deacons for one-year terms. Deacons may greet guests, collect the offering, answer questions at the Front Desk, secure the parking lot and facilities during worship services, and serve on at least two committees.
The process of electing officers is outlined in the Presbyterian Book of Order. In the first quarter of each year, members are elected to a two-year term on the Officer Nominating Committee. In April, the congregation suggests names for the new deacon and elder classes; in September, the ONC proposes a slate of nominees. Above the Session sits the Presbytery, made up of several churches; FPC belongs to the Cherokee Presbytery, and through it to the South Atlantic Synod. The next level is the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Adults: Sunday School, Bible Studies, and Fellowship
FPC offers a full menu of small groups and fellowship opportunities for adults. Presbyterian Women meets in two circles: the Sunday Circle on second Sundays from 5 to 6:30pm in the Glover Room, and the Monday Circle on second Mondays from 10am to noon in Holland Hall. The Tuesday Morning Ladies Bible Study meets from 9:30am to noon in Room 55, working through a Bible-based book with discussion, video, and refreshments. The FPC Men's Group gathers on fourth Mondays at 6pm in the Glover Room for Bible study, discussion, prayer, and fellowship. A Thursday Bible Study led by pastors meets over lunch from noon to 1pm in Holland Hall, with plates provided for $7.
Jubilee is a social group for adults 55 and older, with lunches and outings at least once a month on first Wednesdays. The FPC Book Club meets on second Wednesdays at 6pm in the Library and on Zoom. Dinner Groups meet monthly in members' homes, with hosting rotating among eight to twelve participants. A Wine Tasting group follows a similar format. FPC Pedalers is a cycling group that rides a mostly shaded trail, usually an hour out and an hour back. The Green Team identifies ways to reduce the church's environmental footprint. The History Committee catalogs and archives documents from FPC's past and plans gatherings for members and the public. A Card Group, a young-adult Bible study called Anchored, and the YA Evenings social gatherings round out the offerings.
Young Adults
Young adults at FPC find community through Rooted, a Sunday School gathering at 9:45am in Room 231; Anchored, a Bible study that meets on alternating Thursdays in the home of two FPC Marietta members, with young families and kids encouraged to attend; and YA Evenings, a monthly social gathering hosted in members' homes, with potluck-style dinner. The young-adult ministry is led by Shelby Baxter-Andrews and Pastor Meri Kate Marcum.
Endowments, the Memorial Garden, and Giving
Stewardship at FPC is grounded in a vision of members as partners in God's life-changing work. Contributions can be made online through Realm, by mail to the finance office at 189 Church Street, in person on Sundays, by automatic bank draft, or by donating securities. The church participates in the PC(USA) Special Offerings: One Great Hour of Sharing, the Pentecost Offering, Peace and Global Witness, and Christmas Joy.
The Gift Trust Fund, established in 1994, is FPC's unrestricted endowment. Subsequent endowment funds are restricted and managed by the Gift Trust Fund Committee. They include the James O. Speed, Jr., D.Min. and Flora MacDonald Speed Legacy Fund for Seminarians, which provides financial assistance to FPC Marietta-supported individuals pursuing full-time Christian ministry; the Ralph and Sarah Farrar Education Fund, which supports continuing education for pastors and lay leaders; and the Capital Replacement Fund, which supports the long-term maintenance of the church's grounds and property.
The 1835 Legacy Society recognizes any person who has designated FPC Marietta as a beneficiary in their life insurance, IRA or 401(k), will, trust, or estate plan. Members interested in legacy giving can begin by completing a Letter of Intent for a Planned Gift.
The FPC Memorial Garden, dedicated on Sunday, May 19, 2024, provides an outdoor setting for the interment of ashes and a place of remembrance, thanksgiving, prayer, and reflection. Members of the church, their spouses, minor children, clergy, past clergy, and their spouses are eligible for interment. A fee of $1,000 covers the cost of the nameplate and perpetual care; a space immediately below the deceased may be reserved for a spouse for an additional $1,000.
Becoming a Member
Joining the church is a way of letting the rest of the congregation know that one is committed to the life of FPC, and for the church membership to receive a new member into the family. Those interested in becoming members are asked to watch a series of videos that cover the core beliefs of the church, what it means to be part of a Presbyterian church, and the ministries of FPC. A New Member Information Form is available.
Music, Arts, and Community Outreach
FPC's community outreach ministry includes ongoing and annual opportunities. The Extension is supported with donations, supplies, and volunteers who prepare meals, make repairs, and teach life-skills classes. FPC On Demand serves care facility residents, the homebound, and the imprisoned through musical entertainment, jail ministry, livestreaming assistance, and birthday ministry. Refugee Assistance volunteers share a day of worship, fellowship, and hands-on service to the refugee community in Clarkston, Georgia.
Annual outreach opportunities include MUST Summer Lunch, which delivers meal kits to children who would normally receive free breakfast and lunch at school; Winter Transportation, which provides rides to emergency overflow shelters when temperatures fall below freezing; Habitat for Humanity, partnering with other Cobb County faith groups to fund and build a Habitat house each year; Rise Against Hunger, which packages meals for communities facing high rates of food insecurity; and the Red Cross Blood Drive, hosted twice a year. The church also collects prom gowns, princess dresses, and business attire for foster, adopted, and underprivileged children, and paperback books for the Cobb County Jail Library.
A Faith Grounded in Service
From its founding in 1835 to its present ministry on Church Street, First Presbyterian Church of Marietta has built a strong foundation of faith and practice. The congregation commits itself to the flourishing of all people and welcomes everyone, regardless of race, creed, ability, disability, health-care needs, age, sexuality, or citizenship status. Women are celebrated in leadership roles throughout the church. The Sanctuary remains a landmark in the heart of Marietta, and the Great Hall, the youth room, the preschool, the nursery, Club 3:30, and the Pantry on Church keep the church's wider ministry moving through the week. Today, more than 190 years after those first four families gathered, the congregation continues to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and welcome the stranger - 400 families a week through the pantry, 30 students a day through Club 3:30, and the steady, year-round care of a congregation that has called this corner of Church Street home since 1835.