On a quiet corner where Greenacres Avenue meets Walworth Avenue in Scarsdale, New York, Hitchcock Presbyterian Church has gathered people for worship, music, justice and fellowship since 1913. The congregation lives by a simple motto: "We come to be in the presence of God, so that we can be the presence of God, in the world around us." Visitors today encounter a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-generational community that is "rather unique among Presbyterian churches," proud of its diversity, its long tradition of musical excellence, and its hands-on work for neighbors near and far.
A Congregation Built Over More Than a Century
Hitchcock Presbyterian Church traces its beginnings to 1913, when a small group of nineteen people gathered to worship in a portable chapel borrowed from the Presbytery of Hudson River. The chapel stood at the corner of Walworth Avenue and Fenimore Road, and the Reverend George Smyth helped the group organize as a congregation. Under his leadership they built a sanctuary, started a Sunday School, and founded a Women's Guild, a Missionary Society and a Women's Prayer Group. Dr. Smyth retired in 1949, the same year the Reverend Dr. Robert W. Youngs was installed as senior pastor.
The sanctuary grew along with the congregation. In 1954 the Memorial Building was completed, joining the enlarged sanctuary with the Children's House. A fire destroyed the sanctuary building on June 5, 1986, but the rebuild was completed and the new sanctuary dedicated on October 7, 1990. Successive pastors shaped the church's identity in different ways: the Reverend James S. Stewart (1959-1972) launched the Weekday School and merged the women's organizations into what became Presbyterian Women; the Reverend J. Scottie Griffin (1975-1982) helped the church partner with the Counseling Center of Southern Westchester and begin the Living in America program for the growing Asian community; and the Reverend Robert S. MacLennan (1983-1992) deepened ties with the local Jewish community and helped bring the Union Japanese Church of Westchester to the Hitchcock campus. Later pastors, the Reverend Donald J. Steele (1995-2005) and the Reverend Dr. John W. Miller (2008-2013), expanded the church's mission work and renovated the chapel and sanctuary patio, where a labyrinth was added.
Today the Rev. Pete D. Jones, D. Min., serves as Pastor. The associate pastor is the Rev. Chris Burton, D. Min., and the Rev. William (Bill) Weisenbach, D. D., serves as Parish Associate.
Sunday Worship at Hitchcock
Worship is the heart of life at Hitchcock. The congregation gathers each Sunday in person and online at 10:30 AM from September through June. During the summer, from late June through early September, the service begins at 10:00 AM. Services consist of scripture readings, prayers, the sermon, singing songs of faith, and other forms of liturgy and music. The sacrament of communion is celebrated once a month, and baptism is offered as requested. The service is livestreamed on YouTube, and recordings are organized by year so members and visitors can catch up on past services at any time.
The sanctuary seats up to 300 people and is fully wheelchair accessible, with an elevator inside the building. Assistive audio devices and large print hymnals are available for those who need them. Visitors are warmly welcomed at the door, masks are not required, and "everyone is welcome here." As a More Light Congregation, Hitchcock works toward the full participation of LGBTQIA+ people in the life, ministry and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and in society.
A Tradition of Musical Excellence
Music sits at the center of the worship experience. Hitchcock is blessed with "a long-standing tradition of musical excellence," and the music ministry engages "the youngest voices to the oldest" in making "a joyful noise to the Lord." The work is led by Dr. John T. King, Minister of Music, with Cecily DeMarco serving as Music Intern and Organ Scholar.
The flagship ensemble is the Chancel Choir, a mix of volunteers and professionals open to adults of all ages. It rehearses Sundays after worship from noon to 1:30 PM and sings every Sunday from September through June, presenting major choral works throughout the year: an Advent Choral Service, a Christmas Eve Choral Prelude followed by Lessons and Carols, a Lenten Choral Service, a Good Friday Tenebrae Service, and an annual Choir Festival Service, all with orchestra. The Adult Handbell Choir, open to adults with no prior musical experience required, rehearses on Thursday afternoons from 12:30 to 1:15 PM.
Young people have a place of their own. The Cherub Choir welcomes preschool children ages 3 and 4 on Wednesdays at 4:20 PM. The Primary Choir (grades K-2) rehearses Wednesdays at 4:00 PM, the Junior Choir (grades 3-5) at 4:30 PM, and the Youth Choir (grades 6-9) at 5:15 PM. Each choir sings in worship about once a month and joins in special services throughout the year, including the Children's Sabbath Service and the Christmas Eve Pageant.
The instrument anchoring the program is the J. W. Walker & Sons pipe organ, installed in 1990 when the rebuilt sanctuary was dedicated. It is recognized as one of the finest tracker-action pipe organs in the Northeast: a two-manual and pedal instrument with 29 stops, 36 ranks and 1,798 pipes, voiced and designed by Mark Lively and Paul Fulcher in a style that comfortably embraces all schools of music. The organ case was designed by Peter L. Gluck and Partners, the architect of the new sanctuary. Hitchcock's acoustic and the Walker together make the church a natural home for organ concerts and choral events.
Concerts are a regular outreach of the music ministry. Recent and upcoming seasons have included Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Purchase College Performing Arts Center, a Lenten Organ Recital Series, an evening of chamber music with the New Choral Society, an Advent Choral Service with Schubert's Magnificat in C, the Christmas portion of Handel's Messiah, the Annual Community Christmas Carol Sing-Along, and Songs of America 250, a celebration of America's 250th birthday featuring Bernstein's Chichester Psalms and a world premiere.
Wednesdays at Hitchcock
Wednesdays are the church's busiest night of the week. "Wednesdays at Hitchcock" runs from September to June, with choirs rehearsing through the afternoon and youth programs following dinner. The schedule is built around a family-style meal served from 5:15 to 6:15 PM in the Lower Children's House. The dinner is open to everyone in the community, costs $10 per person or $30 per family, and is meant as much for fellowship as for nourishment.
After dinner, the Youth Forum (grades 6-8) and Senior Highs (grades 9-12) meet from 5:30 to 7:00 PM. Youth Forum combines games and discussions about faith, with activities like a lock-in, bowling, and service projects layered throughout the year. Senior Highs focuses on faith, social justice and advocacy, with opportunities for service, learning about mental health, and off-site adventures. Confirmation for 9th and 10th graders is offered in the spring, with registration in January.
Adults have their own midweek options. The Kerygma Program is an adult education initiative held each Tuesday at 11:00 AM in the Lower Children's House from September to June. Participants dive into books and themes ranging from Bible study to contemporary Christian writing, including recent studies on Jonah and Ruth and on Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The Book Group meets on Sunday afternoons at 4:00 PM via Zoom, covering a wide range of topics and led by Lee Maiden.
Children and the Hitchcock School
Children are woven into the life of the whole church. Carol Lavis directs the Children's Ministry, which partners with parents, caregivers and volunteers to teach the love of Christ and encourage children to share that love in the wider community. During the school year, children join their families in worship at the beginning of the service and are then excused to Sunday School following the Time with Children. Younger classes (K-3) follow the "WHIRL" curriculum and meet in age-appropriate clusters; 4th and 5th graders are welcome to attend as mentors or remain in worship as part of their faith formation. On the first Sunday of the month, K-3 children gather for a short Chapel lesson and return to worship for Communion.
Childcare is offered every Sunday during worship for children from 6 months through 4 years old, including all preschoolers, staffed by paid childcare attendants in the nursery on the third floor of the Memorial Building. Older children, teens and adults are welcome at Wednesday Dinners, Sunday School classes, and youth programs.
Adjacent to the church runs The Hitchcock School, a non-denominational preschool for children ages 12 months to 4 years. The school welcomes families of any religious affiliation and shares the church's campus at 6 Greenacres Avenue.
Outreach and Justice
Outreach is one of the marks the congregation wears most proudly. Hitchcock's Outreach and Justice ministry organizes opportunities for individuals and families to learn about a theology of doing justice, educate themselves about problems affecting the community and world, and participate in building the kingdom of God through acts of compassion and solidarity. The church also continues to support partners in this work both financially and through direct material support.
Midnight Run has been a long-standing commitment. For more than 24 years, Hitchcock has joined this dedicated effort to find common ground between the housed and the homeless. The Hitchcock Church Thrift Shop is a ministry of Presbyterian Women, run Mondays from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM in the Lower Children's House. Proceeds support organizations benefitting women and children, and the shop has become a place for sustainable shopping, intergenerational volunteering, and learning, with volunteers drawn from all faiths, including special needs students from the Pleasantville School District's F.A.S.T. program and SUNY WCC Fashion Department interns.
Hitchcock also partners with Congregation Kol Ami and Hearts & Homes for Refugees to resettle refugee families from Afghanistan. Reverend Pete Jones oversees opportunities for involvement with refugees and asylum seekers in the area. The church is working to become an Earth Care Congregation, having committed to the Presbyterian Church (USA) Earth Care Pledge and begun gathering points across worship, education, facilities, and outreach. The Health Ministry team, chaired by Jennifer Smith, promotes health and wholeness (body, mind and spirit) through health education, counseling, advocacy, referrals, and pastoral visits in homes, hospitals and nursing homes. Several staff members have been trained in the administration of Narcan, which is available on site.
Two scouting programs call Hitchcock home. Cub Scout Pack 440, a non-denominational pack of about 50 girls and boys in grades K-5 from Scarsdale and adjacent towns, meets at the church with the support of parent volunteers. BSA Scout Troop 4, with linked girls' and boys' troops, has met at Hitchcock since 2006 and gathers on Sunday evenings at 6:00 PM in the Upper Children's House.
Presbyterian Women and the Living in America Program
All women members of Hitchcock are automatically members of Presbyterian Women of Hitchcock Church (PW), which continues a tradition stretching back to the founding of the Women's Guild. PW pursues mission, outreach and fellowship through the Thrift Shop, a Book Group, programs for women and their friends, and grants to organizations supporting women, children and families both locally and abroad. The board also recognizes youth in the congregation with gifts for Fifth Grade Bible recipients, Confirmands and High School graduates.
Living in America is one of Hitchcock's signature outreach programs. It was begun in response to the growing international population in the area and offers support and connection to newcomers adjusting to life in the United States. Hitchcock is also home to the Union Japanese Church of Westchester, an ecumenical Japanese-language congregation formed in 1989 that meets weekly at 10:30 AM in the Hancock Room and receives support from Methodist, Reformed and Presbyterian partners.
The Sanctuary, the Chapel, and Weddings
Beyond Sunday worship, the church's spaces host weddings, baptisms, and concerts throughout the year. Couples interested in being married at Hitchcock are welcomed with an explicit commitment to marriage equality. The sanctuary seats up to 300 and is equipped with an A/V room capable of recording the ceremony or livestreaming it to friends and family who cannot attend in person. Live translation software is available so that guests from any linguistic background can fully participate. For smaller ceremonies, the chapel offers a more intimate setting with historic architecture and a tranquil feel.
Wedding receptions and rehearsal dinners are also possible on site. The Lower Children's House, on the ground floor, has a full-size kitchen and seats up to 150 with tables; the Upper Children's House, on the second floor, also seats up to 150 and works well for gatherings. Caterers are asked to provide a certificate of liability insurance.
Baptism, Prayer, and Pastoral Care
Hitchcock embraces the sacrament of baptism as a joyful and sacred tradition and offers baptisms at any stage of life: infants welcomed with the loving support of family and congregation, youth as a foundational milestone in their spiritual journey (often connected to confirmation), and adults who choose to make the commitment at any point. Baptisms are performed during regular Sunday services, with the whole congregation taking part in the celebration.
Pastoral care runs through several channels. A prayer group meets by Zoom on scheduled Saturday mornings at 9:00 AM to pray for the church community, its leadership and ministries, the country and the world. Anyone can submit a prayer request to Pastor Jones by phone or by email to prayerrequest@hitchcockpresby.org. The Health Ministry team, the Deacons, and volunteers work closely with the pastor to provide a caring community for those who need it.
Affiliations and Stewardship
Hitchcock Presbyterian Church is a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the larger Reformed body that traces its history to 16th-century Geneva and John Calvin, with roots in the British Isles and early American Presbyteries organized in Philadelphia in 1706. Locally, the church belongs to the Presbytery of Hudson River, a regional body of more than 85 churches in seven counties in the lower Hudson River Valley, which itself is part of the Synod of the Northeast. Hitchcock is also a member of More Light Presbyterians, a network working toward the full participation of LGBTQIA+ people in the life, ministry and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and in society. The church partners in mission and dialogue with a wide circle, including Congregation Kol Ami in the local Jewish community and Hearts & Homes for Refugees.
The church is supported by the pledges, gifts, and time of its members. Online giving is available through PayPal and Venmo (@Hitchcock_Presbyterian), checks can be mailed to the church office, and arrangements can be made for stocks, mutual funds and estate giving. The church also celebrates "Discipleship Hours," the volunteer time that powers its mission, alongside monetary pledges.
Practicalities for First-Time Visitors
The church sits at the intersection of Greenacres Avenue and Walworth Avenue in Scarsdale, New York, just across the Bronx River Parkway from the Hartsdale Train Station on Metro North's Harlem Line, a one- to two-minute walk from the platform. A parking lot sits at the bottom of the hill off Greenacres Avenue, with additional on-street parking along Greenacres and Walworth. The building is fully wheelchair accessible, with an elevator, assistive audio devices, and large print hymnals available in the sanctuary. Worshipers dress in everything from suits and ties to jeans; whatever you wear is welcome. Childcare for children ages 1 through 4 is offered during the service on the third floor of the Memorial Building, and Sunday School for children in grades K through 5 follows the Time with Children during the school year. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM, and the staff can be reached at (914) 723-3311 or by email at hitchcockpresby@msn.com.