Fairview Presbyterian Church has stood on Avonia Road in Fairview Township, Erie County, for more than two centuries, growing from a small log cabin gathering that Rev. Johnston Eaton started in the early 1800s into a congregation that still meets weekly in the same community it was planted to serve. Tucked near the intersections of Route 20 and Route 98 - about a mile off Interstate 90 and roughly two miles from Lake Erie - the church fills a unique role in the township, blending traditional Presbyterian worship with an unusually broad schedule of community programs that draw people in throughout the week.
Worship on Sunday Mornings
Sunday worship begins at 10:30 a.m. and is the centerpiece of congregational life. The service is traditional in shape, with piano and organ music framing a mix of classic hymns and some more contemporary songs. The congregation describes itself as informal - people come in Sunday best or in comfortable clothes, and children are part of the worshiping community by design. The bulletin each week includes a Children's Time that brings the scripture or Bible story to a developmentally appropriate level, and coloring and activity clipboards are available throughout the service. Two sacraments anchor the liturgical year: communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of every month, and all are welcome at the table, and baptism is offered to anyone from infancy through adulthood.
For those unable to attend in person, the service is broadcast live via Zoom (Meeting ID 905 436 486). A video archive of services is maintained on the church's YouTube channel for anyone who wants to revisit a sermon or catch up after traveling.
First-Time Visitors
Visitors are welcomed warmly. Parking is available along the north side of the building and behind it on the west side, and the main entrance off the back of the building is accessible. Families with young children will find a nursery open during worship staffed by two cleared caregivers and available to children five and under. Children from kindergarten through fourth grade are dismissed after the Children's Time for Junior Church (September through May), where they engage with the lesson through activities and small service projects.
Sunday School for All Ages
Education hour runs before worship each Sunday. Adult Sunday School gathers from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. for study and discussion, often pairing a book with a video component. Children's Sunday School runs from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m., with all ages starting together in song before splitting into two classes: kindergartners and first graders often act out the Bible story, while second through fifth graders read the lesson from their own Bibles. Both programs run September through May.
Children's Ministries
Children's programming goes well beyond Sunday morning. Each May the church presents second graders with their own Bibles, and each December the children perform a Christmas pageant during worship. A week-long Vacation Bible School fills part of the summer with Bible stories, songs, skits, arts and crafts, science experiments, and recreation time. The nursery remains open during worship year-round for infants and children up to age five.
Youth Ministry
The Fairview Youth Group welcomes students from fifth grade through high school, regardless of denomination or religious background. The group meets on Sundays from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the church (except the first Sunday of the month), September through May. Its purpose is to provide a place where adolescents can grow spiritually and in fellowship while focusing on service, with space made for questioning, doubt, and testing beliefs in a safe setting. A mentor-based Confirmation program is offered to students tenth grade and above; each participant is paired with an adult mentor from the congregation for a school year of Bible study, service projects, and learning how the Presbyterian Church worships and governs itself.
Adult Life Together
The adult ministry is anchored by the choir, which rehearses on Monday evenings at 6:30 p.m. and provides an anthem each Sunday from September through May. A series of small groups round out the week. Soul Sisters, the women's fellowship, meets the first Wednesday of each month from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall for food, fun, and conversation. MomStrong brings together mothers - the group began in January 2023 - for monthly devotional study and mutual support. The Golden Girls gather at restaurants around the area. The Men's Group meets the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at Chico's restaurant in Avonia for food, fellowship, and conversation.
The Food Pantry
The Fairview Presbyterian Church Food Pantry opened in November 2002 as a community outreach program for Fairview Township and the surrounding West County area, serving about 60 families a month. The pantry is open the first Saturday of each month from 10:00 a.m. until noon (with occasional shifts to the following Saturday when the weekend falls on or near a holiday). It serves residents of Fairview, Girard, and Lake City. The program is supported by donations and volunteer time from partner congregations and local organizations, including St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Girard, St. James Evangelical Lutheran in Fairview, St. Stephen's Episcopal and Holy Cross Catholic Churches in Fairview, the Fairview School District, local Girl Scout troops, the Fairview Community Council, the Kiwanis Club of West County, and Neuro-Restorative.
Mission Beyond the Township
Mission work extends well beyond Erie County. The church maintains a relationship with Kuxlin Ha, a school in Belize, and with the nonprofit Pathlight International, which works to empower children in Belize through education. The congregation sponsors a student named Liani, currently in eleventh grade, providing a uniform, textbooks, and supplies, and has sent mission teams to Belize for construction projects and community outreach. Each winter the church supports Our Neighbor's Place, a ministry of the First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant in downtown Erie that offers a warm meal and overnight shelter to those experiencing homelessness, and volunteers cook and serve dinner year-round at Sunday Suppers, a free weekly meal in the city. In December, the church partners with the Fairview School District on Angel Tree, providing gifts for more than 50 children each Christmas. The congregation has also partnered with Grady's Decision, a local nonprofit supporting families experiencing premature births, by collecting items for welcome bags delivered to parents staying near Hamot Hospital.
Weddings, Funerals, and a Hall for the Community
The church hosts weddings (a printed Wedding Policies guide covers use of the sanctuary and grounds) and funerals for members and the wider community. Its Banquet Hall, completed in 2011, accommodates up to 180 people with a dance floor, is air conditioned, has Wi-Fi, a professional-grade kitchen, tables and chairs included, restrooms and a coat area nearby, and is fully handicapped accessible with ample parking. The hall is rented out for wedding receptions, rehearsal dinners, bridal and baby showers, graduation and birthday parties, anniversaries, holiday parties, company events, retirement parties, meetings, and award banquets. Caterers of the renter's choice are welcome, and pricing scales from $250 for up to 49 guests to $525 for 100 or more, with a separate lobby or meeting room rate and discounts for nonprofit organizations.
AA Meetings and Tai Chi
Fairview Presbyterian has hosted Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for more than two decades. AA gathers in Mabel Cole Hall - accessible through the ground-level metal door at the back of the church - every day at noon, with additional meetings on Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. The Yellow Dragon School of Taijiquan also uses the building for Tai Chi classes on Tuesdays from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.; the first class is free, with single-class and multi-class packages available.
Leadership and Governance
Rev. Emily Zeig Lindsey serves as pastor. Shannon Sanders is the youth director; Nathan Hess is the church's organist and pianist; Cathy Vogan directs the choir; and Angel Wright serves as sexton. Consistent with Presbyterian Church (USA) polity, women and men from the active membership are elected to serve as elders and ordained to that role. Elders share responsibility for the vision, governance, and mission of the church, while deacons share responsibility for the care and nurture of the congregation. Trustees, drawn from the membership, care for the building and grounds. All three boards serve as volunteers. Maggie Borneman serves as the congregation's administrative assistant and bookkeeper.
Getting Involved and Staying Connected
A weekly newsletter keeps the congregation informed of upcoming activities, sermon series, and one-off volunteer needs. Online giving is available, with options for cash, check, automatic bank draft, online gifts, and disbursements from investments or appreciated securities. Volunteer roles are woven throughout the life of the church: Sunday greeters, the coffee cart, the sound and video team, the nursery, Food Pantry sorters and servers, and the Helping Hands team that provides small practical needs - a ride, a meal, light yard work - to members. The church office is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., reachable by phone at 814-474-3914 or by email at fairpresby@gmail.com.