A Steeple on East Market Street Since the 1700s
First Presbyterian Church of York has stood on the corner of East Market and South Queen Streets in downtown York, Pennsylvania, for well over two hundred years. The congregation that gathers there today traces its beginnings to the years just before the Revolutionary War, when Colonial Presbyterians met informally in homes and were supplied by ministers from the Carlisle and Donegal Presbyteries. The Carlisle records from that era were lost, but a circuit rider named William Hanna is named in the records as early as 1761. In 1785, the congregation purchased a tract of land from the grandsons of William Penn for five shillings, with the deed written "for a house of religious worship and burial ground" for a "Society of English Presbyterians." Building began on that lot in 1789, and the original small brick church was finished in 1793, three years after the installation of the first minister, Dr. Robert Cathcart. Among the signers of his call was Colonel James Smith, York's signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Dr. Cathcart served the congregation for forty-four years, until his death in 1849 at the age of ninety. The church's nineteenth century was marked by pastoral figures such as Dr. Henry E. Niles, whose ministry from 1865 to 1900 helped establish the Children's Home, York Collegiate Institute (now York College), and York Hospital. FPC's outreach during this period planted three daughter churches: Calvary in 1883, Westminster in 1887, and Faith in 1895. Faith later merged back into First Presbyterian in 1965, and Calvary followed in 1996.
By 1860 the original sanctuary had become unsafe. Its roof caved in that year and the building was demolished, but the cornerstone of a new Victorian church - an Italian-inspired structure with rounded Gothic arches - was laid the same year. Builder Nathaniel Weigle completed the present sanctuary on September 6, 1861, at a cost of $20,000. The building was remodeled in 1930-31 and again in the mid-1950s, but its Civil War-era walls still rise above downtown York. The Billmeyer House, which now houses the church offices, was acquired from the York County Historical Society in 1959 and remodeled in the 1970s. A Calvin Memorial Chapel was added on the present site in the early 1960s, and the Kerr Education Building grew around the Sabbath School that had outgrown its lecture room by 1867. In the historic churchyard, roughly 175 persons from the 18th and 19th centuries are buried, including Colonel Smith. A Memorial Garden was added in 1993 for the inurnment of members. The present-day motto of First Presbyterian Church - "Following Jesus. Everywhere." - sits squarely in this long tradition of rooted ministry.
Two Sunday Worship Styles Under One Roof
First Presbyterian offers two weekly Sunday services that could hardly look more different from one another, even though they are held in adjacent buildings on the same downtown campus.
At 10:00 a.m. the Traditional Worship service fills the Victorian Sanctuary with the sound of the large pipe organ, the Chancel Choir, and the Bell Choir throughout the program year. Children remain in the service, where a Children's Blessing and a "Wiggle and Rock" area give the youngest worshippers space to color or quietly play. The hour-long service includes communion twice a month.
At 12:30 p.m. the Contemporary Worship service takes over Café 225, the church's mid-sized gathering space, in a deliberately intergenerational, hands-on, circle-seated format. Music comes from the Contemporary Band rather than the organ, food and Play-Doh are part of the room, and the morning includes a hands-on activity, a Bible-story reflection time, and communion every week. The church describes this service as "uniquely creative, intentionally intergenerational, LGBTQ+-friendly, and neurodivergent-affirming," and as a good fit for those who enjoy processing faith through art and conversation, who prefer a laid-back setting, or who have felt unwelcome at other churches.
Both services are livestreamed on YouTube each Sunday, and recordings are also posted on the church's YouTube channel and Facebook page. Adult education classes are streamed on the same channels between services. For those unable to attend or watch on Sunday morning, a telephone "Sundial Ministry" carries both services from the organ prelude onward at 267-807-9601, with meeting ID 301 402 434.
Visitors should know that the church complex includes several connected buildings, but maps and signs are posted once inside. Sunday entrances are accessible from the main parking lot off Market Street. Handicapped parking is available in front of the church and along the chapel fence, and wheelchairs can reach the Sanctuary, the Chapel, and Café 225 through level entrances. The dress code ranges widely, from ripped jeans or a cotton dress at Café 225 to suits and ties in the Sanctuary, with most people dressing casually or in business-casual middle ground.
Music, Organs, and the Abendmusik Concert Series
Music is one of the most visible marks of First Presbyterian's ministry both inside and outside its walls. The Music Ministry - led by organist Daniel Brownell - centers on the Sanctuary's instruments (pipes, handbells, pianos, and a harpsichord), three ensembles, and a long-running public concert series called Abendmusik.
The flagship ensemble is the Chancel Choir, open to anyone age fourteen and up, which sings most Sundays at the 10:00 a.m. service and rehearses on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. The Jubilate Ringers, FPC's bell choir, perform on handbells and chimes at select 10:00 a.m. services and rehearse on Wednesday evenings. The Contemporary Band leads music at the 12:30 p.m. service most weeks, and welcomes players of any experience level; rehearsals are Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m.
Abendmusik is FPC's annual public concert series, split between an Organ Series and a Performance Series. The organ program includes signature evenings such as Fantasia Live (organist Daniel Brownell accompanying clips from the Fantasia films live), the Annual Hoover Memorial Concert honoring Anne C. Hoover, and a pair of Student Spotlight recitals. The performance program has hosted the Blue Note Jazztet, the Annual Jazz Vespers, the Spring Garden Band's Christmas Concert, the Cantata, and a ticketed Valentine's Dinner Dance that doubles as a fundraiser for FPC and Abendmusik. Most of these concerts are open to the public, and the Abendmusik calendar is published on the church's events page.
Food, Clothing, and a Forty-Block Mission
First Presbyterian describes its geography of compassion almost as carefully as its history. The 1785 deed, the nineteenth-century planting of Calvary, Westminster, and Faith, and the present-day mission statement "Following Jesus. Everywhere." are all parts of one story: a downtown congregation whose reach extends directly into the surrounding neighborhoods of York.
At the center of that outreach is the Caring Ministry, directed by Elizabeth Lauer and staffed by two Caring Ministry Associates, a Volunteer Coordinator, and the church's Neighborhood Outreach Coordinator, Amy Brownell. The Caring Ministry does not provide financial assistance, but it operates a food pantry open during normal church office hours (Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.), a senior food box program, utility relief, a job-assistance program, a bus pass program, prescription medication assistance, and general resource referrals. The same office accepts food and baby-product donations (diapers, baby clothes) on weekdays.
Just beyond the doors, FPC supports Chrystal's Place, a food and clothing pantry on Chestnut Street that is open Mondays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and Wednesdays from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. with no appointment needed. Right next door, the NENA Garden lets neighbors sign up to grow their own food in raised beds, with volunteers helping to weed and water. House items like kitchenware and decor flow to Chrystal's Place, and clothing donations are routed to Trinity Church through Amy Brownell.
Several yearly events turn the church itself into a neighborhood resource. FPC's annual Thanksgiving Community Dinner serves more than 500 meals to people from across the area. Trunk or Treat opens the parking lot on a fall Saturday afternoon. Small Wonders hosts free creative-arts events for children ages 5 to 12 throughout the year. Free NENA Yoga in the City classes meet on Wednesday evenings with mats and snacks provided. FPC also channels emergency support to partners such as the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Disaster Relief when regional flooding or other crises occur.
From Nursery to Senior High and Beyond
First Presbyterian's formation work begins in the church nursery, which is open on Sunday mornings from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for children from birth through age five. Nursery staff and volunteers offer play, crafts, Bible stories, and snacks upstairs in the Kerr building. Children in kindergarten through fourth grade move into Godly Play each Sunday from 9:40 to 10:30 a.m., a Montessori-style Sunday school program that pairs music, stories, art, and prayer and is intentionally coordinated with the lectionary used in worship. Children's Sunday School is run by Amy Brownell, who also directs the neighborhood outreach program.
Students in sixth through eighth grade gather for Junior High Sunday School on Sunday mornings from 9:40 to 10:30 a.m. The class is designed as a bridge between Godly Play's play-and-wonder approach and the more conversational Senior High class; students watch brief Bible videos, journal independently, and explore how scriptural stories connect to their own lives. Senior High Sunday School follows a Socratic format for students in ninth through twelfth grade, weaving together biblical readings, philosophy, and psychology to support students as they examine their faith and doubt.
Youth Fellowship brings middle and high school students back together on Sunday evenings from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the Youth Lounge on the second floor of the Kerr building. The youth ministry's stated mission is to "Nurture and Equip the Next Generation" to follow Jesus in every part of life.
Adults who want to keep learning have several options. A weekly Adult Sunday School meets in the Chapel from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., past series have included "The Messed-Up Churches of the 1st Century," an extended walk through the New Testament letters. Growth Groups include the Tuesday morning Moms' Bible Study in Café 225, the bi-weekly Pathfinders Bible Study led by Director of Spiritual Formation Wendy Smith, the Wednesday evening Bible Study on Zoom (currently working through the Gospel of Matthew), and afternoon and evening Lectio Prayer Groups that meet in the Prayer Room. Periodic adult-education retreats and book clubs round out the year.
Spiritual Practices for the Long Walk
FPC's framing of Christian formation is unusually explicit. The Spiritual Formation page describes every Christian as being "constantly formed by something or someone" - family, culture, ambitions, the Spirit of God - and treats spiritual practices not as devotional chores but as a way of opening time and space for God to do the shaping. The practices taught and used at FPC include:
- Breath Prayer with Scripture. Slow, deliberate breathing tied to short verses ("The Lord / is my shepherd," "Be still and know / that I am God") to quiet a wandering mind and abide in Christ.
- Examen Prayer. A review of the past few days with two sets of questions - when did I feel loved, when did I not - followed by listening and an open-ended response to God.
- A Healing Practice. A visualization of walking toward someone difficult to love, naming the feeling that blocks the path (anger, fear, shame, bitterness, apathy, hurt, anxiety), and folding it down in prayer until it can be carried in a pocket.
- Lectio Divina. Slow, prayerful reading of a short passage in four movements - read, meditate, respond, rest.
- Stephen Ministry. One-to-one pastoral care in which trained lay ministers walk alongside FPC members through grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, relocation, or other major transitions.
- Sunday Evening Prayer. A weekly Zoom prayer gathering at 9:00 p.m.
A Church With Six Continents on Its Calendar
First Presbyterian's reach also extends well beyond York. The International Mission program supports six long-term partners: the Carmel Matriculation School in Semmandakuppam, India; Eli and Bethany Fader in Adjumani, Uganda; Caleb and Krista Fader and Jason and Heather Fader in Kibuye, Burundi; Jason and Jessica Stanier in Cape Town, South Africa; and Ben and Emily Okello in Kenya. The church provides both prayer support and financial partnership, and it routes disaster relief through Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) channels when catastrophe hits the United States.
Pastors, Staff, and a Church in Transition
The pastoral team at 225 East Market Street is currently in a season of transition. Rev. Leslie Mott serves as Interim Head of Staff. Two Spiritual Care Pastors - Rev. Dr. Betsy McCormick and Rev. Chris Blackford - share responsibility for the church's pastoral care, working alongside Stephen Ministers to walk with members through life's harder seasons. Daniel Brownell directs the Music Ministry. Wendy Smith directs Spiritual Formation and leads the Pathfinders Bible Study. The Caring Ministry is led by Elizabeth Lauer, with Monica Calvin coordinating volunteers and Keishla Luciano and Mitzy Laboy serving as Caring Ministry Associates. Amy Brownell doubles as the Neighborhood Outreach Coordinator and the Children's Sunday School Director.
The church is open to the wider community for weddings and funerals. Couples are not required to be members, and may choose either the Sanctuary or the Chapel for their ceremony. Funerals, memorial services, and interments in the Memorial Garden are typically officiated by a member of the clergy staff, with outside officiants possible at the discretion of the Lead Pastor and Session. A variety of classrooms, cafés, and meeting rooms are available for rental, with the Session making final determinations on outside use. Forms for weddings, funerals, and facility use are listed on the facility rentals page.
Finding First Presbyterian in Downtown York
The church sits on the corner of East Market and South Queen Streets, directly across from the Martin Memorial Public Library. Parking is available behind the church in a lot shared with the library, with overflow parking in the Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff lot at King and Queen Streets. Visitors are asked to use the yellow and purple spots; the white spots belong to residents. The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., reachable at office@fpcyork.org or 717-843-8041. Online giving, livestream services, recordings of past services, the monthly newsletter, weekly bulletins, and the church calendar are all linked from fpcyork.org. The Caring Ministry's blog, calendar of events, and links to the YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram pages (Facebook.com/FPCYork and @FPCYork on Instagram) keep the congregation connected through the week.
For more than two centuries, the steeple of First Presbyterian Church of York has reached above East Market Street as a welcome to the faithful and to those still searching. From that same corner in 2026, the congregation continues to feed its neighbors, accompany its youth, train its singers, support its missionaries, and open its sanctuary doors to anyone who walks in.