Ridglea Presbyterian Church has stood on the west side of Fort Worth since 1942, carrying a simple motto that runs through everything it does: "Reaching up to God. Reaching out to others." Three values give that motto texture: Heartfelt Compassion, Intelligent Faith, and Welcoming Hospitality. The congregation now gathers at 5000 Southwest Boulevard, where Sunday worship begins at 10:30 a.m. and livestreams at the same hour on Facebook.
A Church That Helped Build Its City
The story of Ridglea Presbyterian is inseparable from the story of Fort Worth's western neighborhoods. Founded in 1942, the church quickly turned outward. Together with twelve other congregations, Ridglea Presbyterian helped found WestAid, a food pantry that still feeds families across Tarrant County. With two other Presbyterian congregations, it co-founded the Presbyterian Night Shelter, one of the most visible homeless ministries in the city. Programs known simply as "Just Bring It" and other hands-on outreach efforts grew out of that same impulse to meet people where they are.
For years the church met on Camp Bowie Boulevard, the busy commercial spine of west Fort Worth. It has since relocated to 5000 Southwest Boulevard, where it continues to sponsor Scouting and a wide range of youth activities and to maintain its long-standing commitment to the neighborhood around it.
Sunday Morning at RPC
Worship is the anchor of the week. The congregation gathers at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday in the sanctuary at 5000 Southwest Blvd, and the service is also broadcast live on the church's Facebook page for those who want to join from home. Recent livestreams have walked through books of the Bible including Romans, 1 Corinthians, and Matthew, and have included Sundays marked for communion and for welcoming new members.
Music is woven into the service from the very start. The Chancel Praise Band, a multi-generational ensemble of singers and instrumentalists, leads the opening praise music. The Chancel Choir provides anthems and leads hymns throughout worship, while the Chancel Bells, an intermediate-level handbell group, adds another layer to special services. Three-year-olds through first graders can join the Cherub Choir, which sings monthly.
Children, Youth, and Sunday School
Ridglea Presbyterian takes seriously its role as an intergenerational community. Sunday School meets at 9:15 a.m. on Sunday mornings and is open to all ages, from Pre-K through high school. A professionally staffed nursery for children ages 0 to 3 is available from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. during both Sunday School and worship, and can be reserved for other church events as well.
Children and youth ministry is led by Emily Everts, who grew up at Ridglea Presbyterian and returned in October 2023 as Children and Youth Ministries Coordinator after seminary at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Vacation Bible School is a regular part of the summer calendar, with online registration for participants and volunteers.
Adults: Sunday School, Lunch Bunch, and the FISH Class
Adults have several places to dig deeper each week. Three Sunday School classes meet between the worship hour and the start of the service:
- Eclectic Café studies and discusses contemporary issues in light of the Gospel.
- Berean Class takes a traditional approach to Bible study and discussion.
- FISH Class welcomes adults with special needs who want a deeper knowledge of Jesus Christ and his Church, and is known for the warm companionship among its members.
On Thursday mornings at 11:00 a.m., the Lunch Bunch gathers to discuss the topics and scriptures from the previous Sunday's sermon. The Men's Prayer Breakfast meets Wednesdays at 8:00 a.m. for fellowship and prayer.
Outreach That Touches Fort Worth
Reaching outward has always been part of Ridglea Presbyterian's identity. Each month the congregation collects items for organizations that serve people in need, including Meals on Wheels, Ronald McDonald House, and WestAid Food Pantry. Each quarter, members take part in a hands-on service project, often with the Tarrant Area Food Bank. The church has formally committed to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s Matthew 25 initiative, which calls congregations to act boldly and compassionately to serve people who are hungry, oppressed, imprisoned, or poor.
Presbyterian Women and Fellowship
Presbyterian Women of Ridglea (PWR) gives women of different ages and backgrounds a place to study, serve, support one another, and fellowship together in both large and small groups. Membership is open to any woman who wants to participate. The Fellowship Committee keeps the wider congregation fed and connected, hosting luncheons and gatherings that turn worship days into full days of conversation.
What RPC Believes
Ridglea Presbyterian is a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), within Grace Presbytery (which covers the DFW Metroplex and much of northeast Texas) and the Synod of the Sun (Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas).
The church describes itself as spiritually alive and inclusive, an intergenerational community of believers who serve God and their neighbors in a variety of ways throughout the year. Rooted in the opening of the PC(USA)'s Book of Order, the congregation confesses that the triune God creates, redeems, sustains, rules, and transforms all things and all people. By the power of the Holy Spirit, this one living God is made known in Jesus Christ, who came to live in the world, to die for it, and to be raised to new life. Within the Synod of the Sun, within Grace Presbytery, and within its neighborhood, RPC seeks to be a community of faith, of hope, of love, and of witness, pointing beyond itself through both word and work to the good news of God's transforming grace.
The People Who Lead
The Reverend Roger A. Harwerth has been pastor of Ridglea Presbyterian. A graduate of San Francisco Theological Seminary, he has served churches in Missouri, Kansas, Texas, Oregon, and Washington, and has been active in Presbytery life as chair of the Committee on Ministry and as an Ordination Exam Reader, as well as a commissioner to General Assembly. He and Brenda, his high school sweetheart and wife since 1980, have three grown children and two grandchildren. Roger sings in choral groups, snow-skis, and plays Bluegrass and Gospel on the upright bass.
John Sauvey has been Director of Music since 2007. Trained in opera performance, he sings at Bass Hall when he is not leading RPC's music ministries and shares his life with his husband and their two sons.
Dr. Maritza Caceres serves as organist, and Patricia Taber has been Office Manager since 2016, handling the steady rhythm of communication, records, and hospitality that keeps the congregation running.
Planning a Visit
Sunday morning visitors will find parking at 5000 Southwest Blvd, with the main entrance opening well before the 10:30 a.m. service. Coffee and fellowship follow worship, and families with infants through Pre-K are welcome to use the professionally staffed nursery from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Sunday School for children, youth, and adults begins at 9:15 a.m.
Those who cannot attend in person can join the service via Facebook Livestream at 10:30 a.m., or catch recordings afterward. Giving is available online through the church's Realm Giving page. Anyone with questions, a prayer request, or a need for directions can reach the office at office@ridgleapres.org or 817-732-3388, or send a message through the church's Facebook page.
A Congregation Still Reaching
From its founding in 1942 to its present home on Southwest Boulevard, Ridglea Presbyterian Church has kept its compass set on two directions at once: toward God in worship, study, and prayer, and outward toward a Fort Worth that still needs food, shelter, welcome, and hope. The Sunday service, the Sunday School classes, the choirs and handbells, the food drives, the Vacation Bible School, the Men's Prayer Breakfast, and the Presbyterian Women circles all flow from the same conviction that faith grows when it is shared.