First Presbyterian Church of Smyrna, Tennessee gathers each Sunday morning at 540 Sam Ridley Parkway West in the Tennessee town that takes its name from the congregation itself. The church's motto, "Sharing God's Love and Grace," captures the simple welcome that has marked this community of faith since 1810, when its first members met in a square log building on Harts Branch, ten years before the town of Smyrna existed. Two centuries later, the same congregation - still affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) - keeps the Reformed tradition alive in a brick sanctuary ringed with stained glass drawn from earlier buildings and partner congregations.
From Harts Branch to Sam Ridley Parkway
Smyrna Presbyterian Church was established in 1810 in Rutherford County, seven years after the county itself was formed. Its earliest members came from a Jefferson congregation thought to have been called Mt. Pisgah, and they built a hand-hewn log meetinghouse on land donated by William H. Davis along Old Jones Mill Road. The site can still be seen today along the Smyrna Greenway, on the west side of the walking bridge over Harts Branch. In 1820, the congregation was officially recognized by the presbytery, with the Rev. Samuel Hodge serving as pastor.
The town of Smyrna did not yet exist. In 1851, the Nashville-Chattanooga Railroad built a depot on land owned by Silas Tucker, an elder of the Smyrna church, who suggested the "way station" be named after his congregation. The name comes from the Book of Revelation, where Smyrna is one of the seven churches of Asia Minor.
Federal forces seized the log building in January 1863 and used its materials for winter quarters, suspending public worship in Rutherford County for years. In 1867, with crops and livestock destroyed and members' resources exhausted, the congregation voted to erect a new brick building on Old Jones Mill Road, finished at a cost of $2,700. Five years had passed without regular preaching. Reparations of $1,250, awarded by the Federal Court of Claims in 1905, came long after the rebuilding had begun. The church still owns one of the original pews from this period.
As the town grew up around the depot, the church moved in 1913 to a building on Maple Street, becoming incorporated that same year as First Presbyterian Church of Smyrna. On a March morning in 1924, that building caught fire during worship; in Lucille McDonald's later account, teenagers unbolted and carried the heavy pews across the street to safety as flames climbed the high ceiling. A second brick church rose on the same Maple Street site in 1925 and served the congregation for nearly seventy-five years.
The 1990s brought another move. Growth along the parkway corridor prompted members to purchase 12.75 acres on Sam Ridley Parkway in May 1996, and that same month South Trinity Presbyterian Church of Nashville merged with the Smyrna congregation, with proceeds from the sale underwriting the new building. A groundbreaking worship service was held September 13, 1998, and on July 18, 1999, the church moved into its present home.
A Sanctuary Woven from Earlier Buildings and Congregations
The stained glass at Sam Ridley Parkway came together from four distinct sources. The narthex holds a 1977 memorial window given by the family of Dr. Brainard B. Gracy, a physician who served Smyrna from the 1870s until his retirement in the 1920s and was ordained a Ruling Elder in 1898. A white dove with wings outspread dominates the center of the window, with seven flames across the lower portion representing the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The doors of the sanctuary carry windows installed in the 1980s in the Maple Street building, depicting Bible stories and Christian symbols. The oblong windows with floral motifs along the sanctuary walls were made in 1967 from German glass shipped to Tennessee in 1890; the glass passed from Garden Street Presbyterian Church in Columbia to South Trinity, then to Smyrna. The octagonal sanctuary windows, installed in 1999, display the Presbyterian Church (USA) symbol.
A line from "Hymn of Promise" runs through the congregation's story: "From the past will come the future, what it holds a mystery." The church marks four themes from its two centuries - assurance and hope, faithfulness and perseverance, generosity (including the bequest of Smyrna banker Walter C. Hibbett, whose estate continues to underwrite ministries), and the ongoing witness of those who came before.
Sunday Mornings at First Pres
Worship at First Presbyterian Church is a blend of traditional and contemporary. Each Sunday at 10:00 AM, the congregation gathers in the sanctuary for a service running about an hour. Music moves from traditional hymns to praise songs, with the chancel choir and organ supporting the liturgical flow. Sam DeGeorge, Director of Music, Organist and Choir Director for more than forty years, frequently arranges new settings for familiar hymns and writes choral pieces for the choir. The pastor preaches the gospel in ways intended to engage listeners of all ages, and worship is participatory rather than spectator-driven.
The service follows the Revised Common Lectionary, the three-year cycle of biblical texts used across many mainline Protestant denominations. The Celebration of the Lord's Supper is observed on the first Sunday of each month, and all are welcome at Christ's table to share in the Bread of Life and the Cup of Salvation.
From 9:00 to 9:45 AM each Sunday, the church gathers for S.A.L.T. - Serving and Learning Together. Adults meet every week for study and conversation, while children in kindergarten through fifth grade meet on the first and third Sundays. Together the two-hour Sunday rhythm has shaped the congregation's identity for years. Services are also livestreamed on YouTube, with previous messages archived there.
Children, Youth, and the Prayer Ground
Children are an essential part of worship at First Pres. In the back of the sanctuary sits a prayer ground, where younger children and their families can sit together, color, and look through books while the service continues. If a family needs to step out, the service is broadcast into the community fellowship room and the lobby. A nursery area is also available for infants through age five from 9:45 to 11:00 AM.
SALT for children uses a curriculum that builds a foundation of faith in Jesus, and all children are welcome on the first and third Sundays. Beyond SALT, children serve as light bearers and liturgists during worship, and the church views intergenerational participation as a teaching practice in its own right.
Youth ministry has long been part of the church's life, though the congregation currently does not maintain a separate youth group. Families with children and youth are encouraged to help shape new ways of growing together as a family-integrated, intergenerational community.
Mother's Day Out and Preschool Since 2001
In 2001, First Presbyterian launched a Mother's Day Out and Preschool program that has since become one of the congregation's largest ministries. The program meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:45 AM to 2:00 PM, beginning the Tuesday after Labor Day in September and running through mid-May. The calendar follows Rutherford County Schools for holidays and weather closures.
Three classes serve children from age two through Pre-K. The two-year-old class introduces uppercase letters, numbers 1-10, colors, and shapes alongside crafts, color sheets, sticker play, and outdoor time, while also nurturing social skills such as listening, taking turns, sharing, and playing together. The three-year-old class dives deeper into phonics, fine motor skills, and conflict resolution, encouraging bathroom independence. The Pre-K class prepares children for kindergarten through letter and number recognition to 20, beginning math concepts, sight words, science experiments, leadership practice, and social-emotional learning.
Directors Darlene Whorton and Julie Castle lead the program. Whorton, originally from Central New York, joined the staff in January 2002 and has served as Christian Education Director of First Presbyterian and now co-director of the program. Castle, originally from East Tennessee, brings more than twenty-five years of experience in children's ministry and early childhood education and became co-director and music director in 2024 while continuing to teach the Pre-K class. The mission statement of the program is to provide a loving, nurturing, and educational Christian care program for preschool-aged children in the community, helping them develop life skills, a sense of self-worth and respect for others, and an excitement for learning.
Presbyterian Women and Wednesday Mornings
Presbyterian Women (PW) at First Pres is open to all women of the church. Guided by a Purpose centered on ministry, resources, and relationships, the group hosts fundraisers such as a chili supper and cake auction, spaghetti supper and silent auction, and an annual breakfast and craft bazaar each November, with proceeds distributed to those in need. A crafty sewing ladies group creates items for the bazaar and for organizations in need, and a yarn club gathers for knitting, crocheting, and fellowship.
On Wednesdays at 10:30 AM, a fellowship and study group meets throughout the year for a simple, short prayer study followed by conversation, laughter, and a lunch outing. The group welcomes retirees and others whose Wednesday mornings are open.
Hunger Ministries Across Smyrna and Beyond
Hunger is the focus of the church's mission outreach. First Presbyterian partners with a network of organizations to feed neighbors locally and farther afield: Mid-Cumberland Meals on Wheels, the Society of St. Andrew, The Journey Home, the Presbyterian Hunger Program, Nourish Food Bank, and The Antioch Partners. The church sees feeding the hungry as a tangible ministry in which all ages can participate, both through direct giving and through service.
Presbyterian Identity and Reformed Beliefs
First Presbyterian Church of Smyrna is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), the national denomination drawn from the Reformed tradition. The church's beliefs are defined by the denomination's Constitution: the Book of Confessions and the Book of Order. Members share a central belief in the Lordship of Jesus Christ and understand themselves as called to serve the living Christ at home, at work, and at play.
The congregation identifies with a tradition described as "reformed and always reforming," guided by Holy Scripture and the essential tenets of the Reformed faith. The church's vision is to live into Jesus' commandment to love by building up the body of Christ through welcoming and serving everyone. The call to "seek justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God" shapes its mission.
Visiting First Presbyterian Church of Smyrna
Visitors are welcomed to come as they are. The congregation's plan-your-visit page is direct: from jeans and a t-shirt to suits and dresses, all are welcome. Worship runs from 10:00 to 11:00 AM, with Sunday school for all ages at 9:00 AM and nursery available from 9:45 to 11:00 AM. The church office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM and on Sundays from 9:00 to 11:00 AM.
Beyond Sunday worship, two recurring gatherings mark the month. On the first Sunday after worship, the congregation celebrates birthdays and anniversaries together. On the third Sunday after worship, a potluck luncheon brings members to the table, a practice the church traces back to Jesus sitting at table with his followers.
Giving is available online through a secure partnership with the Presbyterian Foundation, and a weekly newsletter keeps subscribers informed of events and ministry news.
First Presbyterian Church of Smyrna sees itself as a faith community for the town that bears its name, more than two centuries after its log building first welcomed worshipers on Harts Branch.