A Welcoming Congregation on Center Street
First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem sits at 2344 Center Street, near the heart of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, with four identifying words: Christ-Centered, An Inquiring Faith, An Active Faith, and Expansively Welcoming. The congregation belongs to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Lehigh Presbytery and is a community that prides itself on trying new things to deepen worship, nurture intergenerational relationships, cultivate spiritual growth, and build meaningful connections in the wider community.
The church's mission is to welcome an inclusive and joyful community of Christ's followers into actively exploring how God's gracious love gives meaning to life and faith, and inspires the congregation to address the needs of a changing world through service and grateful worship. Under that banner, the church runs two distinct Sunday services, an established weekday preschool, a substantial music ministry, robust adult learning, an outreach ministry carried out by its Deacons, and a far-reaching campus redevelopment initiative that is reshaping the congregation's identity in the city.
Worship on Sunday Mornings
From September through May, two Sunday services are offered to suit different preferences. At 9:00 a.m., Holy Ground fills the Fellowship Hall with an informal, interactive, intergenerational, coffee house-style worship experience. At 11:15 a.m., the Traditional service takes place in the Sanctuary, supported by the Chancel Choir and Director of Music Ministries David Macbeth; it is also livestreamed on Facebook and the church's Watch page so that members and friends can join from home. Viewers are invited to prepare their own bread and cup at home for the monthly observance of Communion, which falls on the first Sunday of each month.
During the warmer months the schedule shifts to a single 10:00 a.m. Summer Worship Service in the Sanctuary, also livestreamed, followed by a Lemonade on the Lawn social time. The schedule occasionally changes to offer one combined Sunday service.
Child care is available during the services; ushers can direct families to it. Children are welcomed as part of the congregation, and kid bags are on hand should a young worshiper need them. Communion at home is also available through the Deacon ministry for those who cannot attend in person.
Music That Has Long Marked the Congregation
Music has been a long-standing element of worship life at First Pres. The Chancel Choir, a mixed-voice ensemble, provides vocal leadership for the Traditional service and has continued to meet and record music even when the congregation was worshiping only digitally. A Handbell Choir was started in the fall of 2018 with instruments purchased from Saint Paul's Lutheran ELCA in Allentown; the intergenerational group includes many members with no previous instrumental background and performs at Easter and Christmas services. The Contemporary Ensemble brings together vocalists and musicians who provide music for Holy Ground and, in seasons of digital-only worship, prerecorded selections for the livestream. Guest musicians regularly step in when the Chancel Choir is on hiatus, and the Sanctuary has long served as a venue for community performances by groups including the Bach Choir and the Concord Chamber Singers, the latter led by David Macbeth in his role as Artistic Director.
Learning at Every Stage of Life
Faith formation is a cornerstone of the church's identity, rooted in the value of An Inquiring Faith. Children's and youth ministries return each fall after a summer hiatus and include programs for middle school and high school youth, with an emphasis on including young people in the planning of events and learning opportunities. Adult education takes several forms: Hearts N Minds, an adult class held Sundays from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. in the Library, uses a group-read model where participants read a book in common; Discipleship Classes and Series have recently included Constructive Conversations, sessions on spiritual resilience, a history of hymns, focused study of Bible stories and characters, and a 21-Day Racial Justice Immersion Project. Occasional book talks invite learners to read a shared title and discuss it together. Periodically, Inquirers classes are offered for youth and adults exploring membership.
A Preschool Rooted in Play
The Weekday Preschool and Extended Care Program has served local families for more than sixty years and remains open to all children regardless of religious affiliation. Morning preschool classes are offered for two-, three-, four-, and five-year-olds, with afternoon Extended Care available for three-, four-, and five-year-olds. Each teacher is certified in early childhood or elementary education, classes are staffed by two teachers, and class sizes are kept at or below state maximums. The curriculum covers motor skills, art activities focused on process over product, language development, early reading and pre-math skills, social skills, and a classroom Chapel twice a month; holiday Chapels for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter are held in the Sanctuary and are open to all. The facility is bright and secure, with child-sized bathrooms inside each room, low windows, one-way observation windows for parents, a fenced playground, an indoor gym in the Kirk Center, and a large lending library. All preschool and church staff carry State Police, Child Abuse, and FBI fingerprint clearances as required by Pennsylvania law. Families can contact Preschool Director Lisa Todd by email or phone at 610-867-2956.
An Expansively Welcoming Community
The congregation's core values are spelled out plainly. Christ-Centered life calls members to follow Jesus faithfully through the authority and insight of God's Word and Spirit. Expansively Welcoming reflects an explicit commitment that because unity is in Christ, the church strives to be a community where people of all backgrounds, identities, and orientations are welcomed, supported, engaged, and empowered in their individual faith and in the common life and ministry of the church. LGBTQ+ individuals are affirmed and celebrated in the life and leadership of the congregation. An Inquiring Faith holds that curiosity and questioning are essential practices of faith, and An Active Faith holds that faith is lived out through concrete actions of love, justice, mercy, kindness, repentance, reconciliation, and peace.
A Campus Vision for Bethlehem
One of the most distinctive efforts underway at First Pres is the Campus Vision initiative, an intentional effort to rethink how the congregation's substantial building and surrounding property can serve the city's most vulnerable neighbors. Rooted in 1 John 3:17-18, the vision frames the work as an expression of love in deed and truth. Two projects are advancing in parallel.
The first, Building Community, is a housing vision that emerged from a seven-month visioning process that included a community Open House in May. The final Housing Vision document captures the full arc of that work and is available through the church.
The second, the Creating Partnership project, focuses on adaptive re-use of the South Building to co-locate a long-standing local nonprofit partner with the church. The goal is to give the nonprofit a consolidated home where it can offer support services and housing security for the families it serves. A feasibility study began in October 2023 with a local architecture firm to assess fit, mechanical and engineering needs, and construction costs. The nonprofit's strategic plans identify 2026 as a relocation goal, so the timeline allows room for fundraising, renovations, and the move itself.
Together, these two projects are intended both to address critical housing needs in the Lehigh Valley and to give the church long-term financial sustainability for the ongoing ministries of expansive welcome, intergenerational community, and service to neighbors.
Engagement Beyond the Building
The Engage ministry carries the Active Faith value out into the wider community. Men's groups meet for mutual support; Overcomer's Outreach hosts a Christian 12 Step Recovery Group weekly via Zoom. Wellness initiatives that have included monthly blood pressure screenings and weekly fitness classes are currently on hiatus. The Deacon ministry is the caregiving arm of the congregation, providing home communion, prayers, hospital visits, prayer cards, meals, shopping assistance, and local transportation for medical appointments or voting.
Volunteer opportunities within the church include lectors for both services, on-call Sunday morning child care substitutes, ushers and greeters, and main office receptionists who staff morning and afternoon shifts Monday through Thursday. Community partnerships include the Summer Harvest Food Drive, which addresses empty summer pantry shelves across the Lehigh Valley, the Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley, which annually connects over 25,000 volunteers with more than 450 nonprofits, and Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley, which delivers meals and provides other supports to homebound seniors and adults with disabilities.
Governance and Pastoral Team
First Presbyterian is a member-driven congregation. The Session, made up of twelve elected Elders, serves as the decision-making body and oversees Finance, Endowment, Nominating, Personnel, Worship, and Community Life Program. The current Clerk of Session is Jennifer Cole; Rev. Karen Kinney serves as Moderator. The Class of 2026 includes Kari Keyock, Kim Miner, Rich Hjorth, and JoAnne Turcotte; the Class of 2027 includes Jennifer Cole, Jean Hunsicker, Allison Masters, and Donna Taggart; and the Class of 2028 includes Linda Filipovits, Ted Masthay, and Aileen Williams.
The Board of Deacons, the ordained caregivers of the congregation, ministers to individual members through home communion, visits, hospital and prayer ministries, and practical support. Jane Masters serves as Moderator, with classes of Deacons rotating on three-year terms. Committees of Session cover Finance, Discipleship, Nominating, Stewardship, Personnel, Worship, Property, Mission, Endowment, Engagement, Congregational Life, Treasurer, Trustees, Deacons, and Session, and confidential concerns can be sent to info@fpc-bethlehem.org for routing.
The pastoral team is currently in the care of Rev. Karen Kinney, who serves as Transitional Pastor. An ordained Teaching Elder in the PCUSA since 2014 and a former nonprofit leader with three decades of work in housing, economic development, and racial justice, Karen previously served Christ Presbyterian Church of the Slate Belt in Roseto, PA, and most recently wrapped up a year-long position as Merger Coordinator for the Lehigh and Lackawanna presbyteries. Rev. Lindsey Altvater Clifton, Associate Pastor for Justice and Community Impact, has served the congregation since being called in March 2021; she came from Forest Hills Presbyterian Church in High Point, NC, is an alum of Elon University and Wake Forest University's School of Divinity, and is passionate about creative intergenerational ministry, community engagement, faith formation, and missional outreach.
Music Ministries are led by David Macbeth, who holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in music education, vocal performance, and choral conducting from West Chester University, where he graduated magna cum laude; he achieved the American Guild of Organists Choir Master certification in 2013 and the AGO Associate certification in 2025, and serves as Artistic Director of the Concord Chamber Singers. Lisa Todd leads the Weekday Preschool, Carol Burns serves as Communications Manager and Rentals Coordinator, Brenda Robinson serves as Office Manager, and Kevin Konczyk serves as Facilities Maintenance Manager.
A Home for Life's Milestones
The church welcomes inquiries about baptism, weddings, funerals, and membership. Couples and families interested in a wedding, parents seeking baptism for a child, and those navigating the loss of a loved one are invited to reach out to the church office at info@fpc-bethlehem.org or to contact Rev. Lindsey Altvater Clifton directly. Inquirers classes are held periodically for youth and adults who wish to explore membership. The church also accepts baptism and new member requests through a simple online connection card.
Getting Connected
Weekly email newsletters are produced each Friday, with archives going back years and available online; both email and print subscriptions are available by request. The full-service calendar is accessible online, and connection cards can be submitted through a Google Form for prayer requests, inquiries, and follow-up. Donations can be made online through a secure portal, with one-time gifts and recurring schedules both supported; checks and pledge forms can be mailed to the Business Office at the church address.
A Continuing Story on Center Street
First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem is a congregation in motion, shaped by a particular moment of pastoral transition, by an ambitious effort to put its campus at the service of neighbors in need of housing, by a long-running preschool that has welcomed thousands of local children, by a music program that fills the Sanctuary with choir, handbells, and guest artists, and by a deep commitment to welcoming every person as they are. Whether one is drawn by Holy Ground's coffee house feel, by the Chancel Choir's leadership of the Traditional service, by the chance to dig into a good book with other learners, by the opportunity to volunteer in the wider Lehigh Valley, or by the invitation to share in a congregation that is intentionally making room for what God seems to be doing next, First Pres Bethlehem offers a place at the table on Center Street.