Halfway between the urban centers of Washington DC and Baltimore, First Presbyterian Church of Howard County sits on Presbyterian Circle in Columbia, Maryland, where a covenant group of twenty-three people first gathered as a congregation in 1839. Today the church numbers more than five hundred members, runs a long-standing partnership with a Mayan presbytery in southwestern Guatemala, has identified itself as a Matthew 25 church committed to dismantling structural racism and eradicating systemic poverty, and welcomes each Sunday a community that the church itself describes as diverse in lifestyle, ethnicity, and perspective.
The congregation is a member of the Presbytery of Baltimore within the Presbyterian Church (USA), and its motto, repeated across its own descriptions of itself, is that being welcoming goes deeper than friendly faces and warm handshakes. To the people of First Pres, as they put it, being a welcoming community means loving you and loving those you love and seeing them as you do, without exception.
Sunday Mornings in Branch Hall and the Sanctuary
The weekly rhythm of the church moves around three Sunday gatherings. An early worship service is held at 8:30 in the morning in Branch Hall, a more intimate space for those who prefer a smaller setting. At 9:30 the Education Hour opens for all ages, with classrooms for children, a youth Sunday school class, and adult courses that rotate through Bible study, big questions, spirituality, mission, and themes chosen for the twenty-first century. Coffee and tea are available at the Wake-Up Station before class, and classes end by 10:25 so attendees can make their way to the principal service.
The 10:30 worship service takes place in the Sanctuary and is livestreamed for those at home. Communion is shared the first Sunday of the month and on significant church holidays. Worship is described by the church as relaxed and reverent, growing through listening and responding to God with scripture and song, liturgy, music, art, and dance. The music draws on English choral anthems, Latin motets, spirituals, Gospel music, hymn settings, and praise and worship songs, and is led by the Chancel Choir and, several times a year, the Handbell Choir. A Fellowship Hour follows at 11:30.
The Sanctuary itself carries a recent story. A fire in the summer of 2025 damaged the worship space, and the congregation spent months worshiping in other parts of the building while the room was rebuilt. A rededication concert, Within These Walls: Music of Calling, Faith, and Hope, marked the return of the Chancel Choir and Handbell Choir to the restored space, with works by Vaughan Williams, Parry, Hagenberg, Choplin, Powell, Bruckner, and Trenney under the direction of Music Director Dr. Margaret McGillivray.
Children and Youth
Children of all ages are welcome in any worship service. The Nursery is open throughout the morning for infants and toddlers up to age three, and during the 10:30 service older children may leave after the Children's Prayer for Godly Play (ages four through first grade) or Worship Bridge (second through fifth grade), age-appropriate worship and learning experiences. Children's bulletins, activity bags, and story bibles are available in the pews, and children are encouraged to read scripture, help take the offering, hand out bulletins, and sing with the Ark and LIFE Singers.
Sunday School for children begins at 9:30 with music in the Sanctuary and then moves to age-level classes called Ark and L.I.F.E. (Learning in Faithful Exploration). Vacation Bible School is held during the last full week in July for children age three through fifth grade, with Bible lessons, crafts, music, science, and games. Other annual events include Trunk or Treat, Wheel Day, Children's Corner, the Christmas Pageant, and Water Day. Virginia Callegary, the Director of Christian Education, oversees these ministries and has served the congregation since 2010.
Youth in grades five through twelve meet on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month during the school year from 6:00 to 7:30 for supper and fellowship, with retreats, summer trips, and weekend activities throughout the year. The program is designed to give teenagers continuity and spiritual support in a county where school boundaries often shift. A Confirmation class is offered each year, usually meeting on Wednesdays or Thursdays from October through March for eighth graders and older students who have not yet been confirmed, with study of the Bible and church history, mission engagement, and a public profession of faith on Confirmation Sunday.
Adults, Bible Study, and Quiet Days
Adults at First Pres find a menu of ongoing formation. The Wednesday Morning Study Group meets at 9:30 in person, and the Wednesday Evening Study Group meets at 7:00 on Zoom, with the two groups taking up different biblical topics. A periodic Big Read invites participants to read a single book and gather for informal conversation. Quiet Days are held during Advent and Lent, when the Sanctuary is set up with a labyrinth and prayer stations for a meditative hour or two of prayer and worship.
Short-term Sunday morning classes run three or four weeks at a time, while longer courses may extend across several months. Recent themes have included Bible study, big questions, equipping the saints, life and nurture, mission, and spirituality. Adult formation is overseen by Callegary together with the Christian Education Elders, who can be reached through the church office.
Music, Art, and Dance
Music and the arts are described by the church as vital and vibrant parts of congregational life. The Chancel Choir sings at the 10:30 service from September to mid-June and for special services across the church year. It is open to adults and high school students who read music, with no audition required, and rehearses on Thursdays from 7:30 to 9:00 in the evening. The First Pres Bell Choir plays on Malmark handbells, offering music about once a month and rehearsing on Wednesdays from 7:30 to 8:30.
An Ark and LIFE Singers choir introduces children to vocal and musical basics during Sunday School. Twice a year an intergenerational Instrumental Ensemble gathers musicians from high school age and up to lead worship. A small group of liturgical dancers partners with the music ministry a few times a year.
The Sanctuary is adorned with banners, quilts, and decorations created by members of the congregation, refreshed for each liturgical season. Recent art installations include more than sixteen hundred folded Cranes of Peace, starry night banners for Advent, and a hanging Pentecost installation of tongues of fire. The church's facilities are ADA compliant and have hosted groups including the Ukrainian Ballet Orchestra, the Columbia Music Teachers' Association, and the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, and are available for concert, recital, and rehearsal rentals.
A Twenty-Year Companionship with Boca Costa
Since 2003, First Pres has shared a formal Covenant of Support and Fellowship with la Presbiterio Union Maya Quiché Boca Costa, an association of eight Presbyterian churches in the rural southwestern part of Guatemala. The relationship, called the compañerismo, is built on the shared belief that all people have equal standing in God's eyes and that needs and opportunities are best identified by the partner community itself.
Four interlocking projects have grown from the partnership. Coffee Microgrants of approximately $415, the equivalent of about two months wages for the average man in rural Guatemala, help Mayan families turn small plots of land into productive coffee fields. Through 2025, 345 families have received grants, and a typical grant reaches beyond the recipient family because workers are hired to help clear land and harvest. ONIL Stoves, efficient and vented wood-burning cookstoves, are installed by First Pres teams working side by side with local church leaders; the stoves cut wood consumption by seventy percent, save women sixteen to twenty hours a week in firewood gathering, and reduce smoke-related illness. Through 2026 the church has purchased and installed 308 stoves.
Education is supported through a scholarship program that began in 2005 with one student per church and now supports roughly ninety students in grades seven through twelve, plus a growing roster of university students, each at $550 for secondary and $1,500 for university. By 2025 at least 193 students had graduated from high school through the program, in a region where government-supported education ends after sixth grade. A pilot university scholarship program began in 2024. First Pres delegations travel to Guatemala at least annually and often twice a year, with a January stove installation trip and additional visits for worship, fellowship, scholarship student gatherings, and Bible study with the women.
Local Partners in Howard County
The church's local mission work centers on three anchor partnerships. Bridges to Housing Stability works to prevent homelessness in Howard County, and First Pres members repair, refurbish, furnish, and remodel townhomes and condominiums for families at risk of becoming homeless; the church also supports Bridges fundraisers including a charity golf tournament and a chili cook-off. Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center provides free twenty-four-hour access to behavioral health, crisis intervention, and homeless services, and First Pres annually sponsors a day of the Grassroots call center, where staff handle calls about suicide, shelter, mental health, substance use, and domestic violence; for seventeen years the church has helped operate the Cold Weather Shelter that provides safety and warmth for unhoused families during the coldest months of the year. Luminus Network for New Americans empowers immigrants, refugees, asylees, and other foreign-born individuals, and First Pres hosts the Warm for Winter event for immigrant families, providing hundreds of children's and adult coats, blankets, books, and household items.
Other local partners receiving financial and volunteer support include the Community Action Council of Howard County, Baltimore Station, and Turnaround Inc. The Board of Deacons, a fifteen-member elected body with five members rotating on and off each year plus one youth deacon, runs year-round programs: Just One Can collects non-perishable food for the Howard County Food Bank and supports the Howard Community College Food Pantry; a School Supply Drive each summer gathers back-to-school items distributed through a local elementary school and partners; Thanksgiving Baskets provide food and gift cards to dozens of families in November; Christmas Stockings collect gifts shared with the local community through Luminus and The Salvation Army; and the Mitten Tree provides hats, gloves, scarves, and socks during the winter months.
A Matthew 25 Church and Public Witness
First Pres has identified itself as a Matthew 25 church, joining other Presbyterian congregations committed to building congregational vitality, dismantling structural racism, and eradicating systemic poverty. The Peacemaking and Social Justice (PSJ) Committee coordinates the congregation's response across three priority areas: full participation of LGBTQIA+ people in the life of the church, racial and ethnic justice and reconciliation, and disability awareness.
During Black History Month the church celebrates with timelines of Black voting rights history and a study of A Letter from Birmingham Jail, and has held many MLK days of service. May brings Asia Pacific observances, including Bollywood dancing and Urdu-language prayer. June is LGBTQ Pride Month, with a multi-week program that includes Drag Queen Story Hour, a Sponsor a Book program, Pronoun Sunday, and Pride Sunday with guest LGBTQIA+ preachers; the congregation has sponsored the Howard County Pride Festival and has issued a public statement opposing Florida's so-called Don't Say Gay law. The Transgender Day of Remembrance is observed on November 20 with the lighting of a candle during a service. October focuses on disability awareness, and the PSJ Committee has provided scholarships for children and youth with physical and developmental disabilities to attend Camp Greentop, a summer program of the League for People with Disabilities.
The church also engages in social justice advocacy as a matter of spiritual practice. Public statements are approved by the Session and posted in keeping with the congregation's own guidelines for conveying public policy positions. Recent actions have included an open letter to Maryland policymakers supporting immigrant neighbors, regular updates to the congregation through Tidings and First Day, the Ash Wednesday Ecumenical Declaration, and educational forums on Ukraine and other topics with speakers from the Presbyterian Church (USA)'s Office of Public Witness. Information on contacting federal, state, and county policymakers is shared with members through the Mission ministry area.
Pastoral Care, Small Groups, and Congregational Life
Pastoral care is woven into the life of the congregation in practical ways: transportation in times of need, hospital and home visits, weekly flower delivery to a member who could use extra support, poinsettias at Christmas and lilies at Easter for those facing challenges, cards of encouragement, meals through difficult times, home communion, and support during funerals and memorial services. Rev. Rosemary Noga Welton serves as Bridge Pastor for Pastoral Care.
Small groups gather around shared interests. Presbyterian Women's Circles include the Deborah Circle, the Ruth Circle (meeting once a month on Sunday evenings), and the Lydia Circle (meeting the second Saturday of each month at 10:00). The Presbyterian Men's Group, known as Poe Circle and named in honor of Edgar Allan Poe, meets on the first Monday of the month and cooks meals for Baltimore Station and takes on handyman construction projects. ROMEOs, Retired Old Men Eating Out, meet for breakfast every other Thursday at Bob Evans. A Knitting Group brings together stitchers of all kinds.
The Session, the governing body of the congregation, is made up of the pastors and eighteen elders elected to staggered three-year terms, with six elders rotating on and off each year and one youth elder elected for a one-year term. The Board of Deacons, a ministry of caring, love, compassion, and community service, also has staggered three-year terms.
From Ellicott City to Columbia
The church's history stretches back nearly two centuries. In 1837 George Kerr, a Presbyterian elder who managed the Thistle Mill in what is now the Ilchester area, established a Sunday school for mill workers along the Patapsco River. Two years later, in 1839, the Presbytery of Baltimore organized the Ellicott City Presbyterian church with twenty-three members, drawing worshipers from Thistle Mills, Ellicott Mills, and Union Mills (Oella), as well as from communities along Frederick Road. A small stone building served the congregation from the 1840s until a larger building was constructed in 1894; that 1894 building still stands next to the Howard County Court House in Ellicott City and today is home to the Howard County Historical Society.
As Howard County grew, the church relocated to Route 108 near what was then a rural stretch of Route 29 leading to Washington, dedicating the new building on Christmas 1959 and changing its name to The First Presbyterian Church of Howard County to reflect the wider ministry area. The founding of Columbia in 1967 brought new members, and building programs in 1969, 1980 (the Sanctuary), 2000, and 2011 (the Harris Commons) shaped the present facility. The Memorial Garden in front of the church was added in 2016.
Pastoral Leadership and Giving
Rev. gretchen N. Sausville serves as Pastor and Head of Staff, joining the congregation in 2026. A graduate pathway that includes a Master of Arts in Christian Education from Union Presbyterian Seminary informs the work of Virginia Callegary, Director of Christian Education, while Dr. Margaret McGillivray, an active soloist, orchestral musician, educator, and advocate for historically excluded composers, directs the music program. The staff is rounded out by Church Administrator Megan Bondhus, Godly Play Coordinator Kathy Moore, Nursery Coordinator Marla Youkers (a member since 1989 who has worked with the youth and now tends the littlest disciples), Nursery Assistant Sarah Reinhardt, and Bookkeeper Pat Travers.
Members and friends support the church through an annual Response Program and an annual commitment form, with online giving available, by mail, and through the offering plate. The church participates in the four special offerings of the Presbyterian Church (USA): One Great Hour of Sharing (supporting hunger programs, Self-Development of People, and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance), the Pentecost Offering (supporting at-risk youth), the Peace and Global Witness Offering, and the Christmas Joy Offering (supporting current and retired church workers in need and racial and ethnic education programs). A portion of each special offering stays at First Pres for local mission work. The annual Alternative Gift Fair, held the first weekend in December, channels support to a long list of charitable partners and to the Guatemala project.
From its beginnings as a covenant group of twenty-three in a stone building along the Patapsco River to its present life as a five-hundred-member congregation in the middle of Howard County, First Presbyterian Church of Howard County has stayed close to the goals of its founders: to worship and to serve the God it loves. In a county that has changed dramatically around it, the congregation continues to mark itself by the breadth of its welcome, the depth of its long-distance partnerships, the steadiness of its choir and bells, the patience of its Bible studies and quiet days, and a willingness to stand up and speak out in the company of its neighbors.