On lower Fifth Avenue, between 11th and 12th Streets in Greenwich Village, an entire block of architectural treasures belongs to The First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York. Founded in 1716 on Wall Street in the young colonial city, the congregation moved north over the centuries and now anchors what is one of the oldest continuously operating Presbyterian churches in the country. Its sanctuary, with soaring gothic arches and stained-glass walls installed between 1893 and 1916, looks out over the neighborhood as it has for more than a century. Today the church is known as a progressive, inclusive community in the Reformed tradition, with a music program recognized as one of the finest in New York City, a Saturday soup kitchen that has fed hungry New Yorkers for decades, and a calendar of social justice, educational, and fellowship work that ranges from its Greenwich Village front steps to Cuba.
Three Hundred Years in the City
The congregation's first home in 1716 was a modest building on Wall Street in the center of a young New York. From there it grew through the colonial era and the early republic, gathering leaders of America's fight for independence and of the city's commercial life into its pews. A predecessor body, sometimes called Old First, included both Black members (free and enslaved) and slave-owning members; seven of the first nine pastors owned enslaved persons, including founding pastor Rev. James Anderson, who left three slaves to his descendants. That history is documented in an Old First and Slavery report, which the church shares openly as part of its Facing Racism Action Group work. The congregation moved to its present lower Fifth Avenue location and built the gothic central sanctuary in 1846, extending it westward in 1917. The South Wing went up in 1898, the Mellin-Macnab Building on the north side in 1955. The 300th birthday was marked in 2016 with the publication of a second edition of A City Church: The First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York by Dorothy Fowler and Donna Hurley. Throughout its history, the church has positioned itself on the side of tolerance, open-mindedness, and progressive thought, a legacy it still names today as the Church of the Patriots.
Worship on Sundays at 11 AM
The single weekly service is held each Sunday at 11 AM in the sanctuary and is livestreamed for those who prefer to join from home. Rooted in the Reformed Presbyterian tradition, the service follows the familiar rhythm of gathering, hearing the Word, responding, and being sent into the world. The church describes its style as lively traditional: thoughtful preaching, beautiful choral and organ music, and an engaged, welcoming congregation. The Lord's Supper is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month and on special liturgical days. Baptisms for both infants and adults are offered regularly throughout the year, with adult baptisms typically taking place quarterly when new members are received. Worship bulletins are posted in advance and archived going back more than a year, so visitors can follow along at home or sample the liturgies.
Children in Worship and Church School
Children are welcomed as full participants in the life of the congregation. Following the children's prayer during worship, children ages 3 through fifth grade are invited to Church School, which runs from September through June. Youth in grades 6 through 12 meet twice a month for Bibles & Bagels. Children are always welcome to remain in worship with their families; a cart at the back of the sanctuary holds children's bulletins, coloring supplies, quiet activities, and Bibles for that purpose. Childcare is provided for children under three during Sunday worship and adult education. A separate Student Choristers program, directed by Family Music Coordinator Rachel Barker-Asto, brings young singers into worship leadership and intergenerational music-making.
Sacred Spaces: The Sanctuary, the Chapel, the Stained Glass
The complex of three connected buildings occupies a full city block. The central sanctuary, with its soaring gothic architecture, was constructed in 1846 and extended westward in 1917. Its stained-glass windows were installed between 1893 and 1916 under the vision of Dr. Howard Duffield, who wanted to brighten the worship space. The north-side windows depict literary elements in the Holy Scriptures; the south-side windows present historical figures who influenced Protestantism. The South Wing, built in 1898, houses the Alexander Memorial Chapel, a jewel-box Tudor room seating about fifty, with a gilded plaster ceiling, oak-paneled walls, slate floor, and its own pipe organ. The Mellin-Macnab Building on the north side, constructed in 1955, holds church offices, a spacious lobby, and two schools. At the rear of the sanctuary, 102 niches form the church's columbarium, a final resting place for the cremated remains of members maintained as a place of quiet reflection.
The Music Program
Music has long been central to the identity of First Church. The First Church Adult Choir, directed since 2019 by Michael Shake, brings together professional singers and volunteers in a repertoire that runs from Gregorian chant and Renaissance motets to major oratorios and twenty-first-century commissions. Twice a year the choir presents Vesper Services of Music with full orchestra, performing works such as Bach's B Minor Mass, Handel's Messiah, Mozart's Requiem, and Poulenc's Gloria. Several recordings have been released over the years, including Ain't Got Time to Die (spirituals and Southern folk melodies), Songs of Our Savior's Birth (a festival of Christmas music), Grace and God of Glory: Songs of a City Church (a 2015 release commemorating the 300th anniversary), A Small Wonder: Music from Alexander Chapel, and Four Centuries of Color, a recording of the sanctuary organ that debuted at the American Guild of Organists National Convention and has been featured on the nationally syndicated radio program Pipedreams. The instruments themselves were built by Glück Pipe Organs.
Adult Learning and Fellowship
Congregational life is structured around a cycle of learning and connection. Coffee and Theology meets Sundays at 9:30 AM; Bible Study meets Wednesdays at 12:30 PM. Qigong, Presbyterian Women, the Young Adults group, and a Conversational Spanish gathering round out the schedule. Community Groups, the Literary Works Group, and the Kitchen Work Group offer smaller circles for shared interests. Sunday morning is capped by Coffee & Fellowship on the lawn after worship, with an online coffee fellowship option by Zoom. BEE Church, an afternoon program meeting Sundays from 2 to 6 PM, has its own separate life within the congregation.
Social Justice and Mission
The Social Justice and Mission Ministry grounds itself in the PC(USA) call to reveal God's grace in places of suffering and need, to resist the forces that tyrannize, and to support the forces that restore the dignity of all. Five action groups shape this work: Cuba, maintaining a long-standing partnership with the Tagusco Presbyterian Reformed Church; Earth Care, which publishes a weekly Down to Earth reflection in the church newsletter and pursues sustainability upgrades to the historic buildings; Facing Racism, founded in 2018 to study the church's own slaveholding past and to engage current racial justice concerns; LGBTQ advocacy; and Refugees & Immigration, supporting asylum seekers through groups like the Refugee and Immigrant Fund. Each year the church awards grants of typically $2,000 to $10,000 to PC(USA)-related agencies and New York City nonprofits working in these areas. Recent and past partners include the Blanton Peale Institute, Church of Gethsemane, Church World Service, Complete Playground, GMHC/AIDS Walk New York, Hetrick-Martin Institute, Holmes Camp and Retreat Center, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and the Refugee and Immigrant Fund.
St. Joe's Soup Kitchen and Just ReEntry
For decades the church has hosted St. Joe's Soup Kitchen, which serves meals to hungry New Yorkers every Saturday. Volunteer meal preparers and servers are welcome, with the kitchen active from 10 AM to 3 PM and meals served from 1 to 3 PM. Just ReEntry extends the same spirit of accompaniment to people returning from incarceration, supporting their re-entry into community life.
Caring Ministry
The pastoral staff is available for in-person, phone, and video appointments during life transitions and other difficult moments. An elected Board of Deacons ministers with compassion to anyone in need, whether members, visitors, neighbors, or other community members. Two Deacons for the Month serve as specific points of contact for prayer and care requests, with referrals to the pastoral staff for pastoral concerns. The church also offers Advance Planning support for end-of-life directives, keeps those papers on file, and welcomes conversations about living wills, health care proxies, and memorial service wishes.
Membership
The Session, the church's governing body, is made up of elders elected by the congregation to three-year terms, reflecting the Presbyterian commitment to representative governance. Those considering membership are invited to an Inquirers' Class, held several times a year on a Saturday morning. The class introduces the history and organization of the church, what the church believes, what membership involves, and what service and learning opportunities are available. There is no obligation to join. Those who decide to do so enter by confession of faith (with baptism if not already baptized), reaffirmation of faith, or transfer of letter from another church, and are welcomed the following Sunday.
Weddings, Baptisms, and End of Life
The church joyfully celebrates weddings for members and their families, treating a marriage ceremony as an act of worship. The wedding coordinator, Aileen Caba, walks couples through the wedding application, scheduling, rehearsal, and a Wedding booklet that helps them prepare for the ceremony. Baptisms for infants and children are generally scheduled one Sunday each month during worship, with at least one parent or guardian required to be a church member and to meet with a pastor in preparation. For end-of-life matters, the Christian funeral or memorial service is itself considered an act of worship. The church maintains the columbarium, and the Deacons are assembling a Book of Remembrance with photographs and stories to bring the names recorded there back to life.
Art at First
Art at First opens the church's doors as a community venue for artists and a space for arts-based spiritual formation, education, and fellowship. The program connects Greenwich Village's artistic life with the church's social justice and mission focus, hosting exhibitions and events that bring the congregation and the wider neighborhood together at the intersections of art, faith, peace, and justice.
The Building as a Shared Resource
Beyond Sunday worship, several spaces are available for rent, suitable for small intimate gatherings and large corporate events alike. The Roof Lounge, the Library, and the Great Hall anchor the rental offerings, with the entire block on Fifth Avenue at 12th Street forming a backdrop for film shoots, meetings, and parties.
Governance and Leadership
The Session is the governing body. Elders are elected from and by the congregation for three-year terms. The Board of Trustees holds and manages church properties and oversees investments in coordination with the Session and Joint Finance Committee. The Board of Deacons ministers with compassion to anyone in need, with two Deacons for the Month serving as points of contact. The pastoral staff includes Head of Staff Rev. Dr. Greg Stovell, who came to the church in 2020 after serving as Lead Pastor of First Presbyterian in West Chester, Pennsylvania; Executive Minister Rev. Dr. Barbara E. Davis, who has served the church since 1998 and oversees spiritual formation and pastoral care; and Associate Pastor for Stewardship and Mission to the Corporate World Rev. Dr. Mark Hostetter, who serves part-time and is also Moderator of the Way Forward Commission of the PC(USA) General Assembly. The Director of Music is Michael Shake. The Director of Youth and Family Ministries is Jenny Bennett. The Family Music Coordinator is Rachel Barker-Asto. The Director of Communications and Media is MaryLennox Halfacre. The Director of Finance and Operations is Folafunmi Odukoya. The Mission and Social Justice Consultant is Sally Collins.
Affiliation
The congregation is a member of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and belongs to the Presbytery of New York City, the regional body representing PC(USA) churches across the city's five boroughs. From its first home on Wall Street in 1716 to its present block on lower Fifth Avenue, the church has sought to live out the Reformed conviction that God's grace is for all people, and to serve the changing city that has grown up around it.