Two Sunday Services in a Sanctuary Built for the Stage
First Presbyterian Church of Annapolis sits at the corner of Duke of Gloucester and Conduit Streets, one block from Main Street in the historic center of Maryland's capital. The congregation has worshipped on the site since 1846, but the building itself goes back further: it was constructed in 1828 as the Hallam Theater. After the new Presbyterian community bought the theater and transformed it into a sanctuary, the room was enlarged and reworked in 1948, when a steeple was added and the ceiling lifted. The congregation describes the result as a place where old architecture, sacred music, and thoughtful preaching come together each Sunday morning.
That Sunday shape is simple and recognizable. From September through May, two services are held in the sanctuary, at 8:30 am and 11:00 am. The early service is meant to be quiet and contemplative. The late service includes the Chancel Choir, a children's sermon, and the Crossroads program for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade. The Lord's Supper is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month, with both traditional bread and a gluten-free option offered at the table. An Education Hour for adults at 9:30 am and Coffee Hour at 10:30 am fill the space between the two services. In summer, from Memorial Day to Labor Day weekends, worship shifts outdoors to 8:00 am in the courtyard, with a second service at 9:30 am in the sanctuary. Dogs are welcome at the outdoor service.
The church welcomes everyone who walks through the doors. The congregation is open and affirming of LGBTQ+ persons, fully accepts same-sex marriages, and describes itself as a patchwork church where former Catholics, Lutherans, Baptists, and Methodists now worship together. Communion is offered to all, regardless of denomination.
A Building Shaped by Use: The Theater, the Houses, and the Kinhart Center
Over the last eighteen decades, the campus has grown up around the original building. The 1958 addition brought the McBee Fellowship Hall and the education wing. Three houses on Duke of Gloucester Street and the Zimmerman-Wilson House, a restored Victorian sitting on Conduit Street behind the sanctuary, have been absorbed into the campus one by one for ministry and mission. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, more than four hundred members renovated what is now called the Kinhart Center, which houses offices, storage, and meeting rooms for youth, Sunday school, and other church groups. A small chapel, the Shaw Chapel, was dedicated on campus in the Celtic tradition and is open daily for public prayer. A smaller building on the campus, the Red House, has become a permanent meeting place for Alcoholics Anonymous groups in Annapolis.
Visitors coming for the first time need to know that there are two entrances. The main sanctuary doors face Duke of Gloucester Street; an accessible entrance with an elevator sits at the Conduit Street end of Fellowship Hall. Six handicapped parking spaces are available in the church driveway off Conduit Street.
Music as a Form of Worship
Music is central to life at First Presbyterian. The Chancel Choir sings at the 11:00 am service from September to May and has built a reputation for performing major choral works during Advent and Lent, including Gabriel Fauré's Requiem, John Rutter's Magnificat and Requiem, Benjamin Britten's Ceremony of Carols, George Frideric Handel's Messiah, and Felix Mendelssohn's Elijah. These are often accompanied by instrumental ensembles. The choir has also traveled: a nine-day European tour took the singers to Prague, the Czech city of Letohrad, Eisenstadt, Klosterneuburg, and Salzburg for concerts in historic churches and abbeys.
The Handbell Choir, an active member of the Handbell Musicians of America, joins the regional conference circuit for classes and massed ringing events. The Director of Music, Jill Woodward, has decades of experience as a soprano soloist, theater director, choral conductor, and music educator. She also serves as Director of Performing Arts at Indian Creek School, where she has built a music program with award-winning choirs and theater productions. She shares the program with Grace EunHye Oh, the church's organist, who came to First Presbyterian in 2022 after studies at Keimyung University in Korea, Westminster Choir College, and Peabody Institute, and a Konzertexamen at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf. The choir produced virtual anthems during the pandemic that remain online.
Sunday morning worship draws on organ-based hymns, African-American spirituals, Taizé choruses, New Orleans brass vespers, and responsive psalms. On the first Sundays of the month, Jill Woodward leads the Crossroads Choir for children in kindergarten through fifth grade before escorting them back to worship to receive communion.
Children and the Crossroads Program
For families with young children, the church operates two nurseries on the ground floor of the education building, one for infants and one for toddlers and preschoolers through age four. Care is offered from 8:30 am until the conclusion of the 11 am service each Sunday, and is staffed by trained caregivers. Children are welcome in either service, and a children's table in the front of the sanctuary holds worship bags and quiet activities for those who would rather stay with their families.
Crossroads is the Sunday school program for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. During the program year, children begin worship with their parents, are called forward for a brief children's sermon, and then move to the third floor for their own program. On the fourth Sunday of each month, the adults and children gather instead for an intergenerational event called Hands and Feet at 9:30 am in Fellowship Hall. The Gups, a meal and activity group for children in kindergarten through fifth grade, meets periodically through the year. Each summer the church hosts a Vacation Bible Camp for preschool through fifth grade in collaboration with other Annapolis churches.
The Director of Youth + Family Ministry, Melissa "Miss" Good, oversees Crossroads and the youth fellowship. Miss joined the congregation in 1999, took on children's ministry in 2003, and became the full-time director in 2014.
Youth, Confirmation, and Summer Conferences
Youth ministry at First Presbyterian reaches students in grades six through twelve. Fellowship events run year-round, including recreational gatherings, service projects, and meetings with other teenagers from across the area. On designated Sundays, the Youth Leadership Team, a small group of committed teenagers, plans and leads the service.
Confirmation meets on Sunday mornings from 9:30 to 10:30 am and runs across roughly a year. Students engage with service, build a relationship with an adult mentor, and craft a faith statement. They are received as full members of the church on Confirmation Sunday. The experience is typically open to ninth and tenth graders but is open to all high school students who have not yet been confirmed.
Summer conferences are a centerpiece of the program. High schoolers head to the Montreat Youth Conference or Triennium, while middle schoolers travel to the Massanetta Middle School Conference. Past mission trips have included Broad Street Ministries in Philadelphia, Heifer Shepherd's Springs in Arkansas, English tutoring in the Czech Republic, and the Iona Youth Festival.
Adult Faith Formation Around the Bean
Adults have several weekly and yearly touchpoints for learning. The Fellowship of the Bean meets at 9:30 am on Sunday mornings in the Zimmerman-Wilson House for casual conversation and coffee. Each week a fresh topic is on the table, and the regulars describe it as a place for questions, disagreement, and curiosity across generations. KC4A Sunday School, led by church member Debbie Mitchell in the Kinhart Center on the fourth floor, digs deeper into scripture and theology; past topics have included Karen Armstrong's The Battle for God, the 1908 Social Creed, and Francis Taylor Gench's Back to the Well.
On Wednesdays, one of the pastors leads a Bible study on Zoom at 11:30 am, generally following the lectionary. No preparation is required, and the church office adds newcomers to the listserv for the link. Lenten Circles each spring offer more focused discussions: a hiking circle, a parenting circle, an antiracism circle, and One Church One Book, a recent reading of Rachel Held Evans and Jeff Chu's Wholehearted Faith. A yearly field trip to a Washington-area museum has included the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
The Courtenay Wright Bass and R. William Bass Lecture Series, established in 2010, brings distinguished speakers to Annapolis each year to explore Christian faith in conversation with contemporary issues. Recent guests have included Robert P. Jones, founder of the Public Religion Research Institute and author of The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy; the Rev. Jeff Chu; the Rev. Dr. Jonathan Walton, now president of Princeton Theological Seminary; the Rev. Dr. Heather Vacek; and the Rev. Denise Anderson.
Local Mission: Handholds Across Anne Arundel County
First Presbyterian's local mission work is organized around partnerships with public schools and programs that address food, housing, employment, and homelessness.
Anne Arundel Connecting Together (ACT) - The church is part of ACT, a coalition that brings listening sessions and advocacy to county and state issues. ACT became an affiliate of the Maryland Just Power Alliance in 2026 and has helped win state funds for energy affordability, has pushed back against the sale of private resident data, and was pivotal in passing the County Housing Attainability Act.
Winter Relief - Each winter, Fellowship Hall becomes the host site for twenty-five men experiencing homelessness as part of Arundel House of Hope's Winter Relief program. Rows of cots, hot meals, showers, clean linens, haircuts, and Bingo nights come together through seventy-plus volunteers who describe the week as transformative.
FPC Foodshare - A small group of adults and youth meet at a local Whole Foods each Wednesday morning to pick up slightly damaged or unsellable fresh produce and nonperishables, then deliver them to two food pantries on West Street. Volunteers commit to one hour a week, a month, or a season.
Backpack Buddies - Started in 2011 at the request of Annapolis Elementary School, this program is co-run with neighboring St. Anne's Episcopal Church at a cost of about $11,000 per year. FPC contributes roughly $3,000 plus weekly volunteers. In one recent school year the team filled forty backpacks for fifty-three children each Friday with fruit, juice, muffins, breakfast bars, tuna, macaroni and cheese, and other simple items children could prepare themselves.
STAIR-Annapolis - Start the Adventure In Reading began at First Presbyterian in 2006 and has since become its own nonprofit. It provides one-on-one tutoring for second graders, with FPC contributing volunteers, office space, bookkeeping, and monetary gifts. STAIR resumed onsite tutoring in 2022.
Coats for Kids - Since 2013, this program has used Endowment Fund grants to outfit elementary school children in warm, properly sized new coats. As of 2022, two hundred coats had been given out. The program is funded each year through the Advent Gift Fair.
Light House - Once a month, Mission Committee volunteers prepare and serve meals at the Light House shelter (10 Hudson Street, Annapolis) and at a local hotel. The congregation also runs an August food drive to stock the Light House pantry and a Share the Warmth Drive each winter for hats, gloves, socks, and boots.
Stanton Center Homework Club - Volunteers are needed Monday through Thursday from 3 to 4 pm to help local elementary students with homework.
A Global Reach: Czech Republic, Cuba, Haiti, and Guatemala
The Mission Committee nurtures longstanding relationships overseas. The longest-running of these is with the Evangelical Church of the Czech Brethren (ECCB), a PC(USA) partner since 1993. First Presbyterian specifically has collaborated with the ECCB church in Letohrad since the late 1990s, beginning with a group of laborers helping to build the church, then expanding into a summer English-teaching camp called English to the Church (ETTC), a choir tour, sabbatical exchanges, adult service trips, and prayer. A new partnership agreement was signed in September 2024 and runs through November 2030.
The church also partnered with a small congregation in Caibarién, Cuba, from 2017 to 2022, contributing cell phone minutes for pastors, helping subsidize Cuban Presbyterian ministers, and arranging, through the PC(USA), for a shipping container of rice, coffee, sugar, and syringes. The work continues through occasional visits and gifts to Pastor Edelberto Valdés.
In Haiti, First Presbyterian supports the Haiti Reforestation Partnership, an organization that assists CODEP, a community of 750 Haitians that since 1990 has planted some fifteen million trees on previously barren mountains. The trees provide fruit and coffee, build topsoil, slow runoff, and consume carbon dioxide. Members are invited to sponsor trees to offset their own carbon footprint.
In Guatemala, First Presbyterian has worked for more than fifteen years through Baltimore Presbytery with CEDEPCA, a nonprofit in Guatemala City with a thirty-five-year history of helping oppressed communities. FPC members visit the Cultural Program, sell scarves and other handcrafted items at the Advent Gift Fair, and participate in trainings between the churches.
A Refugee Committee supported a family from Iraq for its first five years in Anne Arundel County, with tutoring, housing, employment training, transportation, music and sports lessons, and driver's education. The committee has expanded its work to support a family from Afghanistan.
The Mission Fair and Alternative Gift Market takes over Fellowship Hall on the first Sunday of Advent each year. Stuffed toys and ornaments from Heifer International, coffee from Connect Rwanda, and handcrafted scarves from Guatemala are among the items sold, with proceeds subsidizing the Mission Committee's work for the coming year.
A Matthew 25 Church and the Work of CARE
First Presbyterian has committed to the Presbyterian Church (USA)'s Matthew 25 vision, a churchwide initiative focused on building congregational vitality, dismantling structural racism, and eradicating systemic poverty. In 2023, the Antiracism Team (ART) was renamed the Committee on Antiracism and Racial Equity (CARE). CARE initiates theological conversations about intersectionality and antiracism, hosts Lenten Circles on the topic, brings in speakers, and gathers resources. The committee's work is anchored by a 2024 Session statement that names racism as a system that grants privilege and sustains a dominant group, and asserts that antiracist effort is not optional for Christians but is an essential aspect of Christian discipleship.
In 2025, First Presbyterian was a sponsor of the Parren J. Mitchell Memorial at the Pip Moyer Recreation Center. Co-Pastor Rev. Dr. Mihee Kim-Kort provided the opening remarks and invocation at the dedication, which drew Governor Moore, County Executive Pittman, Mayor Buckley, and members of the Mitchell family. The church has also spoken publicly about national threats to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs and has tied its advocacy to its Matthew 25 commitments.
Two Pastors, One Parish
Andrew and Mihee Kim-Kort serve as co-pastors. Andrew, who graduated from Appalachian State University, holds a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary (2003) and a Doctor of Ministry from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He was Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Bloomington, Indiana, before arriving in Annapolis, and has also served churches in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, and Larchmont, New York. Andy is on sabbatical from July through October 2026; he is reachable through the church office during that time.
Mihee Kim-Kort, a former Associate Pastor in Flanders, New Jersey (2005-2006) and College Hill Presbyterian in Easton, Pennsylvania (2006-2011), co-founded and directed the UKirk campus ministry at Indiana University from 2012 to 2017. She holds a Master of Divinity (2004), a Master of Theology (2008), and a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Indiana University (2025).
Richard Jones serves as Parish Associate. A graduate of Alderson-Broaddus University, he holds a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and is pursuing a Doctor of Ministry at Union Theological Seminary in New York. He has served churches in Iowa, Minnesota, and Michigan, and since 2013 has been Chaplain at Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center. He lives in Annapolis with his wife, Adrienne Spirt, and their children.
Presbyterian Women in the Congregation
Presbyterian Women in the Congregation (PWC) is open to every woman in the church. Its board manages Circles - small groups for fellowship, study, and support - and several ongoing ministries. The CLAMS group (Creative Ladies Aiding Missions, also styled Creative Ladies and Men Stitching) produces prayer shawls, hats, scarves, gloves, and baby hats for the church's members and partner missions, including Winter Relief, the Light House, and the NICU at Anne Arundel Medical Center. PWC members tend the Memorial Garden and oversee the first floor of the Zimmerman-Wilson House. They also host funeral and memorial receptions in McBee Fellowship Hall.
Deacons, Care, and the Meal Train
The Board of Deacons - twelve adults and two youth members - meets the second Tuesday of every month. Deacons visit the homebound, bring communion once a month, and host the Sunday coffee hour at 10:30 in Fellowship Hall. The FPC Meal Train, coordinated by Deacon Todd Pekel and the Deacons, organizes home-cooked meals for members recovering from illness, welcoming a new baby, or in a busy season. The Deacons also support a grief group that is open to anyone who wants to join.
Weddings, Funerals, Baptisms, and the Columbarium
First Presbyterian is a popular setting for weddings in Annapolis. The sanctuary seats up to 350, with two gardens suitable for outdoor photographs or small gatherings. Couples can also host a rehearsal dinner or reception on the first floor of the historic Zimmerman-Wilson House, a Victorian home with a parlor, kitchen, dining room that seats eighteen, and a front porch. In keeping with the PC(USA) General Assembly's decision and the church's affirming stance, First Presbyterian welcomes and performs same-sex marriages. Prospective couples begin by filling out the Wedding Application Form online; their inquiry is handled by the office administrator.
Funerals may take place either in the main sanctuary or the smaller Winslow Shaw Chapel. Memorial receptions can be hosted in McBee Fellowship Hall and coordinated through the Presbyterian Women of the Congregation. The Columbarium on campus provides inurnment, and memorial plaques are also available.
Baptisms are held for infants, children, and adults upon approval by the Session and consultation with a pastor. At least one parent must be an active member of a Christian church when an infant or child is baptized. The baptism service is a joyous occasion, with the pastor presenting each child to the congregation and the congregation pledging to help raise that child in love for Jesus and love for others.
Fellowship and the Rhythm of the Week
Beyond worship and formation, the church runs an active social calendar. Dinners for 8 bring small groups together in members' homes. Pickleball and softball games run in warmer weather. Other gatherings include Christmas Caroling, the Youth Auction, and Advent and Palm Sunday Holy Week Festivals. A Silent Book Club, a women's book group, a Sacred in the Secular discussion series, a Monday-to-Thursday homework club at the Stanton Center, a Wednesday Bible study, and caregivers and grief support groups round out the week. Newcomers are welcomed at the twice-yearly New Members Class, which meets during the Education Hour on two consecutive Sundays in the fall.
A Capital Campaign to Care for the Buildings
In 2026, First Presbyterian launched a capital campaign running through 2029 to maintain and renew the campus as a tool for ministry. The campaign has already passed its initial $850,000 goal, with 104 pledges totaling $915,000 and $202,000 received and put to work. The first project, replacing the HVAC system on the fourth floor of the Kinhart Center, is complete. Repairs to the sanctuary steeple are next on the list. Gifts can be made online or confidentially to the business office.
Where to Find the Church
First Presbyterian Church of Annapolis is located at 171 Duke of Gloucester Street, Annapolis, Maryland 21401, at the intersection of Duke of Gloucester and Conduit Streets. Sunday parking is free at the Hillman Garage (150 Gorman Street), which has two entrances, one from Main Street and a second from Duke of Gloucester Street across from the sanctuary doors. Parking is free until 1:00 pm on Sunday mornings, with payment information collected at entry for cars that stay beyond that hour. Six handicapped-accessible spaces are available in the church driveway off Conduit Street, adjacent to the main building elevator. The office is open Monday through Thursday, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, at (410) 267-8705 or office@annapolis-presbyterian.com. Worship services are livestreamed on YouTube for those who cannot attend in person.