In the Heart of Uptown
First Presbyterian Church of Charlotte sits at 200 West Trade Street, in the heart of Uptown Charlotte. The PC(USA) congregation of about 2,000 members has called this corner home since 1821, when Charlotte was still a small town, and has grown alongside the city into one of the most visible centers of Reformed worship in the Carolinas. Its motto, "For Christ in the Heart of Charlotte," first printed in a 1960 church bulletin, still names what the congregation believes it is for.
Free parking is available on Sunday mornings in the lot at the corner of Trade and Poplar Streets; visitors enter from Poplar Street directly across from the church. Accessible parking sits on the driveway in front of the Sanctuary, with entry from the Church Street entrance. On Sundays, ushers greet worshippers at the doors to the Chapel and the Sanctuary, hand out bulletins, and help newcomers find seats. The Uptown campus is shared with the Child Development Center and the Weekday School, with a Counseling Center that offers appointments to members and non-members. A campus map is posted near the outdoor TV screen at the head of the brick pathway.
Two Services on Sunday Morning
From September through May, the congregation gathers twice on Sunday. At 9 a.m., the Contemplative Service fills the Chapel with scripture, prayer, sermon, weekly communion, and longer stretches of silence. At 11 a.m., the Traditional Service fills the same order of worship with prayer, hymns, a choir, and a sermon that runs about an hour. The 11 a.m. service continues year-round, while the 9 a.m. contemplative service takes a summer break and resumes each September. The Traditional Service is also livestreamed and broadcast live on WAXN-Channel 64, with a rebroadcast the following Saturday at 9 a.m.; the broadcast is closed-captioned.
Visitors who would like a greeter to meet them on their first visit can fill out a "Tell Us You're Coming" form. Membership Coordinator Jane Ives can answer questions about joining the church.
A History Beginning in 1821
The church's story begins the year Charlotte set aside land for a town church. Robert Hall Morrison, a graduate of the University of North Carolina and Princeton, was called in 1827 and served a third of his time at the Charlotte congregation while pastoring Sugar Creek Church the rest. In 1833, Abner Johnson Leavenworth accepted the call to become the Charlotte church's first full-time pastor. By 1855, Cyrus Johnston was growing a church of 28 members into one of 164. The Civil War brought division and an itinerant ministry; Arnold DeWelles Miller served twice, from 1855 to 1857 and again from 1866 to 1892. The sanctuary building was almost completely rebuilt in the 1890s under John Alexander Preston; the Preston Memorial Window, given by commercial travelers he had befriended, hangs near the front of the sanctuary.
In the early twentieth century, James Robert Howerton expanded the music program; William Morris Kincaid added 400 members during his four-year pastorate; and David Hopkins Rolston brought 10,000 people to the churchyard for the close of the 1915 Chapman-Alexander revival. Albert Sidney Johnson organized Charlotte's 1924 Billy Sunday revival and the great 1929 Confederate Reunion. Charles Kraemer, arriving in 1945, started the Child Development Center for the children of downtown workers and preached the December 30, 1951 sermon "We Do Not Plan to Move," making the case for staying in the center city when other downtown congregations were leaving.
Ernest Lee Stoffel's 1955 to 1972 pastorate brought the motto into print and launched the television ministry in 1961, broadcasting the 11 a.m. service live for the first time; he also opened tutoring at First Ward Elementary, and when Judge James McMillan came under threat during the Swann school-integration case, Stoffel sheltered him in the Stoffel home. George Carswell Hughs led the church through the revitalization of Fourth Ward and, for the first time in its history, the election of women to the class of elders and deacons in 1979. William P. Wood purchased the Poplar and Pine Street property, oversaw construction of the Church Street and Poplar Street buildings, expanded the Loaves and Fishes food pantry into the largest in Charlotte, hosted the Room in the Inn winter shelter, and commissioned the artist Ben Long to create the Good Samaritan fresco in the entrance hall of the fellowship building, now named the Wood Fellowship Hall. Pendleton Peery, pastor from 2012 to 2025, led the 2020 Opening Doors capital campaign that funded sanctuary renovations, a new organ, a Welcome Center, a Counseling Center, and the expansion of outreach. With Rev. Dr. Lewis Galloway serving as Transitional Pastor since November 30, 2025, a Pastor Nominating Committee is searching for the next senior pastor.
The History Hallway and a Triptych of Repentance
Along a hallway near the sanctuary, photographs and short biographies for each senior minister tell the story honestly, including the failures. The church's first pastor, Robert Hall Morrison, also founded and served as the first president of Davidson College while he was a slaveholder whose family enslaved as many as 66 people at Cottage Home plantation. Cyrus Johnston, who joined the Charlotte church in 1846, brought an enslaved woman named Maria into the church's membership. Arnold DeWelles Miller, who served twice in the second half of the nineteenth century, was known to believe "in the Divine origin of slavery," and oral and written histories record that the Ku Klux Klan likely met in the church basement during his pastorate.
The Triptych Repentance and Resurrection Statement, displayed in a prominent place near the sanctuary, acknowledges "examples of exclusion, racism, sexism, and other affronts to the promise of God's inseparable love for all people" and confesses that "FPC and its members have condoned, sanctioned, and given moral legitimacy to slavery and white supremacy." The statement remembers, by name, those who entered and worshipped at First Presbyterian as enslaved or otherwise subordinated people: Marie, Joe, Charity, Sophia, Charles, and Alexander. The accompanying artwork, created by former FPC choir member Amy E. Gray, was made from a door to the former choir loft and features an oak tree in silver leaf that will oxidize and darken over time. The congregation also explores its connections to slavery and its work of repair through events such as the Racial Justice Tour at Davidson College.
Music at Every Stage of Life
The Music Ministry is woven into worship, with ensembles for every age. The Sanctuary Choir rehearses on Wednesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and sings for the 11 a.m. service, special services, and an annual choir tour; a recent tour took the choir to England for concerts in Bath, Stratford-upon-Avon, Oxford, and London. Adult Handbells rehearse on Tuesdays from noon to 1 p.m. and ring in worship throughout the year. Children's choirs include Carol Choir for ages four-and-a-half through first grade, which rehearses Wednesdays from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m.; Kirk Choir for second through fifth graders, which rehearses Sundays from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. and presents a spring musical; and Beginning Handbells, which rehearses Sundays from 6:45 to 7:05 p.m. and rings in worship once per semester. Youth ensembles include Ivey Ringers for middle and high school handbell ringers, rehearsing Sundays from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m., and the Youth Choir, rehearsing Sundays from 5:15 to 6 p.m. Both youth ensembles go on summer and weekend ministry tours.
Seasonal highlights include Singing in the Season, an early December intergenerational program with orchestra; Lessons and Carols on the fourth Sunday of Advent with guest instrumentalists from the Charlotte Symphony; and Music Sunday in late May. Will Young serves as Director of Music Ministries, Kaitlyn Davros as Associate Director of Music, and Trevor Cook as Carol Choir Director.
Children and Families
Children's Ministry operates year-round with the theme for 2026 to 2027 being "God's Tiny Champions: Doing Big Things for God!" woven through six units: BEE a Friend, BEE Thankful, BEE Ready, BEE Brave, BEE Hopeful, and BEE the Church. On Sundays the nursery is staffed from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for children birth through 36 months, in C101 for infants through 17 months and C202 for 18- to 36-month-olds. Children age three through fifth grade attend Sunday School from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m., dropping off in the gym before heading to classrooms for Preschool (P311), K-1 (P307), and Older Sunday School for second through fifth grade (P205). During the 11 a.m. service, First Church offers an age-appropriate worship experience for children age three through first grade: following a Time with Children, they leave the sanctuary to explore the same Scripture, pray, sing, give an offering, and celebrate Communion when the congregation does, rejoining their families during the final hymn. The Chapel is also available as a family-friendly space with audio from the sanctuary piped in.
The church operates two preschool programs: the Child Development Center, a full-day program that has been on the campus since the 1940s, and the Weekday School, a half-day preschool founded in 1990. Crystal Sellers serves as Director of Children and Family Ministry.
Youth: Donuts, Dialogue, and Summer Trips
Youth Ministry welcomes middle and high schoolers with fellowship, Bible study, small groups, and service. Donuts and Dialogue Sunday School meets from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. for grades six through twelve in Room P-321, with breakfast and conversation before Bible study. Youth Group meets from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Sundays for a meal, games, Bible study, and mission work. Confirmation is a year-round commitment for eighth graders, who are paired with an adult sponsor from outside their family to explore their faith. Each summer, middle schoolers attend Massanetta Middle School Mission and Conference in the Shenandoah Valley, and high schoolers travel to the Montreat Youth Conference in North Carolina. A summer youth civil rights trip takes middle and high schoolers to Alabama, including a walking tour in Selma. Audrey Webb Kahrs serves as Director of Youth Ministry.
Adults, Young Adults, and Presbyterian Women
Adult Formation offers Sunday morning classes at 9:45 a.m. from September through May, including The Village for parents of elementary-aged children in P212; Lifting Up the Lowly, a Bible-focused study of the Gospel of Luke taught by Parish Associate Rob Spach in P206; and Passages, a rotating-teacher class with topics ranging from Amish and Mennonite traditions to contemporary ethical issues. Pathways to Discipleship, an online database of recordings and resources, supports formation throughout the week. Weekday Bible studies include the Tuesday Morning Bible Study from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Zoom and in P206 on the first Tuesday of each month, and the Thursday Morning Men's Bible Study from 8 to 9 a.m. in P206, led by Parish Associate Chuck Williamson using the ancient practice of lectio continua. FPC Travels organizes pilgrimages such as a thirteen-day "Reformed and Always Reforming" trip to Germany, France, and Switzerland in September 2027, following the footsteps of Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli. Spiritual Direction is offered by appointment at no cost to members and staff.
Young Adult Ministry welcomes people in their twenties and thirties through a Bible study that meets in homes on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m.; First Drafts of Faith at local breweries on the first Wednesday at 7 p.m.; a Young Adult Service opportunity at Crisis Assistance Ministry on the second Saturday; a monthly social gathering at 7 p.m.; and the Young Adult Lunch Bunch, a walk to a local restaurant on the first Sunday at noon. Presbyterian Women, an organization within the PC(USA), offers Circles, small groups that meet in homes, at the church, at The Sharon, or via Zoom for fellowship, study, and outreach.
Care for One Another
The pastoral team is available for home and hospital visits and short-term meetings, with a pastoral emergency voicemail available outside office hours. Stephen Ministers are laypeople trained in confidential, structured, one-on-one care during difficult times such as grief, job loss, illness, divorce, or loneliness. First Visitors pairs two church members with a senior adult for monthly visits. The Prayer Ministry has five teams that pray daily for prayer requests generated by ministerial staff. The Meal Ministry delivers meals when members experience difficult situations. The Flower Ministry turns sanctuary flowers into small bouquets to share with members who need a visit. Senior Adult Ministry gathers regularly at retirement communities. Home Communion is extended twice a year, in March and November. The Caregiver Support Group meets in a member's home on the first Monday of each month from 5 to 6:15 p.m. and welcomes non-members. Alcoholics Anonymous meets at the church on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Local Outreach: Hunger, Shelter, and Tutoring
Local Outreach connects members' passions to the needs of the world. The food pantry in the bottom floor of the Poplar Street building, formerly Loaves and Fishes and now part of Nourish Up, accepts volunteer teams who stock shelves, receive deliveries, and assist referred clients on Wednesday and Friday afternoons and the second and third Saturday mornings of each month. A new Home Delivery program drops pre-packaged boxes of food directly to families in the 28208 neighborhood surrounding the church. Operation Sandwich assembles up to 600 sandwiches once a month for the College Street Day Center of Roof Above. Second Saturday for Service sends teams to the Crisis Assistance Ministry FreeStore, open to ages ten and up. Room in the Inn, a winter overnight shelter organized by Roof Above, brings ten guests to the church each Monday and Tuesday evening in December, January, February, and March for dinner, beds, breakfast, and a brown bag lunch. The church has partnered with Westerly Hills Academy in the 28208 zip code since 2000, supporting the Fall Festival Block Party, Holiday Winterfest, Second Harvest Mobile Food Pantry, and the Eagle Bucks School Store, as well as tutoring through the Augustine Literacy Project and Heart Math Tutoring. Heidi Squires serves as Interim Director of Outreach and Dan Ogburn as Outreach Coordinator.
Walking Alongside Cuba, Mexico, Haiti, and Western North Carolina
Global Outreach keeps the congregation's life tied to four partnerships. In Cuba, the church has supported the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Matanzas since 2017, with an upcoming mission trip from January 12 to 17, 2027, focused on relationship and presence rather than construction. In Mexico, the church has supported Accion Ministries since 1989, including student housing at the Merida Student Houses, the Mayan Children's Village, construction, emergency relief, and trips to the Yucatan peninsula. In Haiti, the church partners with Konpayon to support the school, medical clinic, agronomy program, and special projects in Bayonnais; political unrest has paused in-person travel but financial and prayer support continue. After Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina in September 2024, the church dedicated resources to recovery, including a fall trip led by David Burton to repair homes.
Advocacy on Racial Justice, Climate, and More
The Advocacy ministry organizes the congregation's voice around five areas. The Anti-Racism Subcommittee leads an annual Racial Justice Tour at Davidson College and supports the partnership with First United Presbyterian Church. The Earth Care Task Force meets quarterly to share climate-change education and leads advocacy actions including the Eco-Justice Connection Monthly Forum on the fourth Tuesday at 4 p.m. on Zoom and stream clean-ups at Little Sugar Creek. Equity and Education focuses on tutoring and literacy support. Gun Violence Prevention explores ways to support initiatives to reduce gun violence in Charlotte. Housing Homelessness addresses the lack of affordable housing through an Affordable Housing Strategy Team that the Session created in March 2023. The Plowshares Book Club reads together on topics of peace and justice.
The TV Ministry, Counseling Center, and Schools
For more than sixty years, First Presbyterian has brought worship into homes through the TV Ministry. The 11 a.m. service is broadcast live on WAXN-Channel 64 and rebroadcast the following Saturday at 9 a.m., closed-captioned. Worship is also livestreamed, with sermons posted to a podcast on Tuesdays. The on-site Counseling Center, established as part of the 2020 Opening Doors capital campaign, houses two therapists from Presby Psych serving members and non-members. The church's two preschool programs, the Child Development Center and the Weekday School, share the campus and have served Charlotte children since Charles Kraemer began the daycare in the 1940s.
Life Events, Membership, and Giving
The church facilitates baptisms for infants, children, and adults; weddings for active members and the children of active members, with the chapel for intimate ceremonies and the sanctuary for larger services; and funerals and memorial services, with the Bradford Memorial Columbarium on campus for the cremated remains of members and their immediate family members. Membership begins with a conversation with Jane Ives, Membership Coordinator. The congregation gives in person in Sunday offering plates, online through the church's giving portal, or by texting "givetofpc" to 73256. Planned gifts, including bequests, beneficiary designations, charitable gift annuities, and donor-advised fund contributions, sustain the church's ministry and mission for future generations.