On the corner of Wrightsville Avenue and Kerr Avenue, in the middle of Wilmington, North Carolina, stands Winter Park Presbyterian Church. A congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Winter Park has been sharing faith in its mid-town neighborhood since 1913. The building sits near the intersection of College Road and Wrightsville Avenue, sharing its block with a GoGas station on South College Road, and a gravel parking lot across Kerr Avenue supplements the on-site spaces. The church's identity is shaped by two strong threads: a broadly traditional sanctuary music program built around organ, piano, and three choirs, and a ukulele ministry that has grown, since 2011, into something of a regional curiosity.
Loving, Inclusive, and Reformed
The congregation describes itself, simply, as a loving and inclusive church community. Its mission statement reads: "Celebrating God's presence through Jesus Christ, we are a loving, inclusive church community seeking truth, justice and peace." That sentence, and the broader vision adopted by the Session on November 6, 2013 after a congregational retreat, organizes the church's life around five commitments.
The first pillar is Education, "providing a quality program through a variety of Christian educational activities, meeting the needs of all ages, so we can be a congregation of disciples and teachers." The second, Fellowship and Church Life, aims to "create a warm, caring and accepting atmosphere enriching each person's spiritual experience" through meaningful connections. The third, Service and Stewardship, challenges the congregation "to give of their time and talents, creating sanctuary, caring for each other as well as for the hungry, the lonely and the oppressed in our neighborhood and throughout the world." The fourth, Outreach and Evangelism, is about "proclaiming the love of Christ by word and deed, expanding the walls of our church to be more visible throughout our community and world." The fifth, Worship and Prayer, seeks "to encounter God's truth through biblical teaching, prayer, music and art while honoring traditions but accepting nontraditional worship experiences."
Theologically, Winter Park sits firmly within the Reformed tradition. The congregation is part of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and its faith page quotes Romans 8 at length as a kind of creedal reminder: nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. The church also makes regular use of two broader Reformed statements of faith: the Brief Statement of Faith written for the PCUSA in 1990, and a statement adapted from a sister church, the United Church of Canada. Together those texts shape a worship life that confesses belief in one triune God, in Jesus Christ fully human and fully God, in the work of the Holy Spirit through Scripture and the sacraments, and in a church called to justice, freedom, and peace.
Sunday Morning Worship at 10am
Worship gathers at 10am on Sunday mornings in the Sanctuary. The service is livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel every Sunday, and current and past streams remain available there for those who cannot attend in person. The atmosphere inside the Sanctuary is described by the congregation as "broadly traditional" and centered on hymns sung from the hymnal Glory to God, accompanied by organ and piano.
Worship is also shaped by the liturgical seasons of the Christian year. Advent is observed with midweek services and a Christmas Cantata sung by the Chancel Choir; Lent brings a Wednesday prayer time followed by lunch at a local restaurant called Katy's; Holy Week includes Maundy Thursday worship with communion, a Good Friday service, and an Easter celebration that has included brunch after worship and an Easter Cross decorated by the children. Christmas Eve features two services, a 4pm glowstick service designed for children and all ages, and a 7pm traditional candlelight service.
The congregation practices an open communion. Communion visits to homebound members are a regular part of pastoral life, and the pastor is regularly accompanied by church members on those visits. After worship on many Sundays the church shares a fellowship meal in Chadbourn Hall, the church's large gathering space, and a range of anniversary, graduation, and birthday celebrations happen around those tables.
A Sanctuary Full of Sound: Music at WPPC
Music is, by the church's own description, "central to our church family's worship of God." Three choirs carry most of that weight, and each one rehearses and serves on its own rhythm.
The Chancel Choir is the vocal choir. It sings in worship regularly and presents an annual Christmas Cantata each Advent. In spring and fall the choirs rehearse weekly.
Jubilee Bells is the handbell choir. The bells add their voice to worship on a rotating schedule and have welcomed visiting handbell groups for special concerts, including a notable appearance by the Presbyterian College Ringers.
The Ukulele Choir is the church's signature musical instrument. Founded in 2011, the ukulele choir helps lead worship once a month, takes its music on the road to local nursing homes and community events, and gathers for fellowship sing-alongs in between. The group meets on Friday mornings at 9am and welcomes newcomers of every skill level, including complete beginners. Ukuleles are available to borrow for anyone who wants to try one out. In summer 2015 the church launched Ukulele Camp, a free, three-evening event that has grown to include children's, youth, adult beginner, and adult intermediate classes, plus an adult Bible Study, all wrapped around a shared dinner.
The music program also opens its doors to guest ensembles. Small groups form frequently for a single Sunday to share a few songs, and the instruments and styles can vary widely; the church welcomes them as a complement to the choirs. Once a year, in the spring, the sanctuary fills with strings for Ukuleles Unite, a free community concert that brings together four or five ukulele groups from across the region for an evening of songs and a closing sing-along.
Music direction is in the hands of Amber Faulhaber, a music educator who grew up playing piano in her home church in Pennsylvania, taught for twelve years in Charlotte, and now works in the Wilmington area. She came to Winter Park after a period of transition for the music program and has overseen the search for the church's next chapter in musical leadership. Her predecessor, Taylor Morton, who also served as organist, was honored with a photo scavenger hunt organized by the youth group before his departure, and other former music directors have returned as guest musicians.
The Ukulele Tradition, From Choir to Camp
Few mid-sized PCUSA congregations can claim a ukulele ministry of this depth. The Ukulele Choir of Winter Park Presbyterian began in 2011, in part to make music-making accessible to people who did not consider themselves "musical." The Friday morning rehearsal is intentionally welcoming: players of every level are present, the group borrows ukuleles to newcomers, and the music ranges across styles. The choir leads worship once a month, travels to local nursing homes and senior living communities like The Kempton, and shows up at community events.
Ukulele Camp, the church's annual summer program since 2015, extends that welcome beyond the congregation. The camp runs over three evenings in August, from 5:30 to 7:30pm, with a shared dinner at 5:30, classes at 6:10, and a closing sing-along in the Sanctuary at 7:10. A typical year offers a children's class for ages 5 and up (registration is capped at sixteen), a youth class, an adult beginner class, an adult intermediate class, and an adult Bible Study. The event is free, with donations welcome to cover dinner. The most recent camps have drawn more than fifty participants, including church members and guests from the wider community.
Ukulele Fellowship Sing-Alongs happen throughout the year, often in the Sanctuary, and are open to anyone with a ukulele and a willingness to strum along. The annual Ukuleles Unite concert in May has become a regional draw, featuring groups like the Unresolved String Band, the Ukulele Strummers of the Cape Fear, and Sacred Rhythms, alongside the WPPC Ukulele Choir.
Service and Outreach: Working Alongside the Neighborhood
The congregation is deeply active in service work, much of it coordinated by the Board of Deacons. "Jesus calls us to love our neighbors," the service page opens. "Responding to God's amazing grace, we hope to do just that!" Several of the church's longstanding ministries reflect that conviction.
A food collection wagon sits near the church parlor year-round. Church members and visitors can drop off nonperishable food items whenever they shop, and the wagon is a simple invitation to remember others while stocking one's own pantry. The collection supports Mother Hubbard's Cupboard, a local food pantry, on days when Deacons organize volunteers to stand outside grocery stores in Wilmington and accept donated food from shoppers. The diaper bank is another regular partner: volunteers help distribute diapers and other essentials through the bank's mobile distributions and its Essentials Hub.
Each year the church hosts Rise Against Hunger, an international meal-packing effort, in its fellowship hall. Volunteers gather on a Sunday afternoon in September or thereabouts, set up assembly stations, and package thousands of meals for distribution overseas. The event draws volunteers of all ages, including whole families, and is consistently one of the most visible service projects on the church calendar. Members also serve meals at First Fruits Ministries in Wilmington, helping to set up, serve, and clean up dinner on a rotating schedule.
Home visits are woven into pastoral life. The pastor is regularly accompanied by church members on visits to homebound, hospitalized, and institutionalized members, and on communion visits, which continue throughout the year. A small but meaningful internal ministry called the Prophet's Chamber Apartment Ministry offers a family in transition a safe, affordable place to live for several months on the church campus; the goal is to help residents stabilize and move on to longer-term housing, and volunteers are needed to renovate and repair the apartment between occupants.
The Presbyterian Women of WPPC, or PW, organize an annual Mission Sewing Day. The ladies of the PW sew clothing and bandages for use in hospitals overseas and assemble care packages for hungry college students. The work is open to anyone willing to lend a hand.
Christian Education Across the Years
Education for all ages is the first pillar of the church's vision statement, and several programs fulfill it. The Tuesday Morning Bible Study meets at 9:30am in the Music Room and walks through books of the Bible in a sustained, conversational way. Recent studies have included the Gospel of Luke, the Acts of the Apostles, and a series on the Psalms that combined readings with sung settings led by church member John Shuster. The study takes a summer break in June and resumes in the fall.
Children are served through the church's close partnership with Winter Park Presbyterian Preschool. The preschool is a half-day program that uses the church's facilities during the week, and its Christian dimension is reinforced by a weekly Chapel Time led by the pastor and the Christian Educator, Rachel, who share simple Biblical stories and model the church's welcome for the children and their teachers. Preschool children also visit the church's Young at Hearts seniors group during the Christmas season to sing carols and meet Mr. and Mrs. Claus, a connection that has become a beloved tradition. Vacation Bible School has run in past summers, with themes built around parables such as the Sower and curriculum written by church members.
The youth group is active and intergenerational. The church has sent its high schoolers to the Montreat Youth Conference in North Carolina and its middle schoolers to the Massanetta Middle School Conference in Virginia, and youth have organized local outings like paddle-boating at Greenfield Lake and photo scavenger hunts downtown. A youth-supported church yard sale, held several times a year, raises funds for the group's activities and fills Chadbourn Hall with donated furniture, kitchenware, clothing, art, and housewares.
Young at Hearts is the church's seniors fellowship, meeting at 11:30am on the second Thursday of each month for a covered-dish luncheon in Chadbourn Hall. Programs mix information and entertainment: the SHIP program (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) has presented on Medicare options, John Shuster has led sing-alongs, and the preschool children visit during Advent. The luncheons are open to anyone who wants to come, with dessert provided and a phone call to the church office helpful for setup.
Fellowship Through the Week
Beyond the regular Sunday gathering, fellowship at Winter Park happens in several smaller forms throughout the week. A Chair Fitness Class meets in the Journey Classroom on Tuesday mornings and is open to all. Fellowship Bus Trips are scheduled roughly once a month, with recent destinations including Fort Fisher and the Cape Fear Museum, Conway's Kingston Presbyterian Church, the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital in Surf City, the Lake Waccamaw Depot Museum, and a tour of historic sites in Elizabethtown. The church owns its own bus, which is driven by the pastor and other volunteers; one recent upgrade to the bus involved repairs after a squirrel had made an unexpected meal of the wiring.
The Tuesday Morning Bible Study, the Wednesday mid-day prayer services, the Friday morning Ukulele Choir, and the monthly Young at Hearts luncheon together create a rhythm of mid-week gatherings that draws regulars and visitors alike. Pastor Emile Harley often shares a devotional reflection and short video Bible Study on the Gospel of Matthew through the church's Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube channels during the week, inviting anyone interested to follow along.
The Sanctuary itself was, in 2025, treated to a long-needed new roof, with new flashing and replaced decking sections addressing leaks that had appeared after heavy rain. The Session voted to pay for the project primarily from the Memorial Fund. A new fascia board was also installed on the front of the church. The steeple, the church notes, still needs painting and other maintenance, and the on-site apartment used by the Prophet's Chamber ministry is being evaluated for its own roof and a fresh coat of paint before the next rental.
A Building That Welcomes the Neighborhood
The church shares its buildings with many outside groups. Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous meet on the church campus every day of the week, with a full daily schedule of recovery meetings held in the Fellowship Hall and other rooms. Several Girl Scout troops meet at Winter Park, and Boy Scout Troop 218 has called WPPC home for many years. The Fellowship Hall and Gym is used by children's sports groups, and the church also opens its spaces to outside nonprofit and community organizations seeking a place to gather. The presence of these groups, along with the preschool, the recovery meetings, the scouts, and the sports leagues, means that the WPPC building is rarely empty on any given day.
Supporting the Mission: Giving at WPPC
Members and supporters can give in several ways. The most traditional is the offering plate on Sunday mornings, but checks may also be mailed to the church office at 4501 Wrightsville Avenue, Wilmington, NC 28403. A secure online option is offered through Vanco in partnership with the Presbyterian Foundation, available both on the giving page and through the GivePlus app for iOS and Android. The church is charged a flat 2% fee for donations processed through these digital channels, and donors may choose to add that amount to their gift to cover it.
Gifts may be directed to the Operating Fund, the Capital Improvement Fund, the Memorial Fund, or the Mission Fund. The Operating Fund underwrites nearly all of the church's worship, Bible Study, children's programs, staff, building, insurance, and utilities, plus a significant portion of its mission support. The other three funds are reserved for special projects, including the recent sanctuary roof replacement, future capital improvements, and named mission work in memory of loved ones.
Getting to Winter Park
The church sits at 4501 Wrightsville Avenue, Wilmington, NC 28403, on the corner of Wrightsville Avenue and Kerr Avenue, sharing its block with the GoGas station on South College Road. The main entrance faces Wrightsville Avenue. In addition to the on-site parking, a gravel lot across Kerr Avenue supplements Sunday morning capacity.
Most Monday afternoons, the church sends an email to the congregation with announcements about the coming week, reflections from the pastor, photos from recent gatherings, and a calendar of upcoming events. A link on the church's home page allows visitors to sign up. A Google Calendar of church events is also embedded in the calendar page. Worship services are livestreamed every Sunday on the church's YouTube channel, and recorded streams remain available for those who cannot attend in person.
Winter Park Presbyterian Church traces its story in Wilmington back more than a century. Three choirs, a ukulele tradition now in its second decade, a half-day preschool, a food wagon, an annual Rise Against Hunger afternoon, and a Sunday worship that fills the Sanctuary at ten in the morning continue to define what that story looks like today.