A Downtown Church in the Heart of Easton
First Presbyterian Church of Easton sits at 333 Spring Garden Street, just steps from the shops and restaurants of downtown Easton, Pennsylvania. The congregation calls itself a "downtown church," and members take seriously the call to be a neighbor to everyone who lives, works, or wanders through this stretch of the Lehigh Valley. People greet each other by name before worship, the Breaking Bread Lunches feed anyone who walks through the doors after the service, and a small wooden Blessing Box in the front garden on Spring Garden Street offers free, non-perishable food to neighbors who are struggling to put a meal on the table.
The church is part of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and of the Lehigh Presbytery. Its mission is short enough to memorize and long enough to live by: "We strive to be a vital and engaged congregation by increasing our devotion to God, our fellowship with one another, and our outreach to all, so that we may be a witness to Jesus Christ in our community and world." Members and friends describe the atmosphere as warm, lively, and curious, with a Sunday morning that feels like coming home. After the closing hymn, the regulars drift down to Legacy Hall on the lowest level for coffee hour, the Brunch Bunch caravans off to a nearby restaurant, and the choirs and mission teams go about the work of the week.
Sunday Worship at 10:30 AM
Sunday worship is held at 10:30 AM in the sanctuary on Spring Garden Street and runs about sixty minutes. The service follows the Order of Worship from the Book of Common Worship of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and a printed outline is in the bulletin each week so newcomers can follow along without wondering what comes next. Scripture is read, prayers are prayed, a sermon is preached, and the sacrament of communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month. The bulletin, the prayers, the sermon, and the music follow the rhythms of Reformed worship, while a friendlier, more contemporary warmth is woven in through the music and the gathering itself.
Visitors are invited to dress as they are comfortable; on any given Sunday the pews hold everything from jeans and football jerseys to sundresses and suits. Members like to say that after all, Jesus wore sandals to worship. Off-street parking is available in the lot behind the building, with the entrance off Bank Street. Two spaces are reserved for handicapped drivers, and an elevator near the rear stairway gives access from the back parking lot doors to the sanctuary level. Hearing assistance headsets are available; ask an usher, and return the set after the service. Diaper changing stations are on the first floor. Coffee hour follows the service in Legacy Hall on the lowest level, and anyone who wants to talk about becoming a member is welcome to schedule a meeting through the church office.
Worship is also livestreamed each Sunday at 10:30 AM on the church's Facebook page and a recording is added to the YouTube channel and the Online Worship page of the website by 12:30 PM. The two streams are the same service, so people who cannot be in the sanctuary in Easton can still follow the bulletin, hear the sermon, and pray along at home.
Praising God Through Music
Music has long been one of the great joys of worship at First Presbyterian, and the congregation takes seriously the phrase "praising God through music." The Chancel Choir, directed by Elizabeth Campbell, sings most Sundays during the academic year and rehearses on Sunday mornings at 9:30 AM. Soloists from the choir and beyond frequently offer anthems and seasonal music, and on Easter Sunday guest trumpeters have joined to help mark the Resurrection with joyful sound.
The Handbell Choir is directed by Gloria Snyder and rehearses on Sunday mornings at 9:00 AM in the back of the sanctuary. Anyone in fourth grade or older is welcome to come along, whether as a returning ringer or a new one; the choir is intergenerational and always glad to welcome new ringers. Both ensembles serve the Christmas Eve Service of Lessons and Carols, Easter Sunday, and other festival services throughout the church year, and guest instrumentalists and vocalists frequently enrich special services. Pianists and organists, including longtime organist Bud Martin and guest organists Gloria Snyder and Grace Cho, support congregational singing and choral anthems week by week.
Joining Hands to End Hunger
When members describe what the church is known for, the conversation almost always turns to food. The Stop Hunger Campaign, launched in 2021 under the theme "Joining Hands to End Hunger," organizes much of the congregation's outward ministry. The Mission Team, chaired by Nancy Udut, keeps a Mission Bulletin Board across from the church office with current opportunities to serve, and signs up volunteers for the church's many food-related partnerships.
The most visible expression of the campaign is the Blessing Box, a small wooden pantry installed by local Eagle Scout Mason Kessler through the Lehigh Valley Business Group. It stands in the front garden on Spring Garden Street and is open to anyone, any time of day or night. Inside, anyone in the community can find non-perishable food and personal hygiene items, and anyone can add to it; the Mission Team keeps a sign-up sheet so members can take responsibility for stocking it week by week. When the box is full, extra donations can be left inside the church by buzzing the back door or calling the church office.
Each month, members gather after worship for the Breaking Bread Lunches. The lunches are free, open to anyone who wants to attend, and held roughly once a month from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM in the social hall. Volunteers set up, serve, clean up, and bring desserts; in November 2024 the lunches were featured in a WFMZ "Breaking Bread" segment that can still be viewed online. Pasta for ProJeCt runs alongside the campaign: pasta and peanut butter are collected in the sanctuary on the first Sunday of each month and delivered to the ProJeCt of Easton food pantry during the week.
Mission Partners Near and Far
First Presbyterian partners with a wide circle of organizations to care for its neighbors in downtown Easton and beyond. Locally, the church makes monthly food contributions to the Interfaith Food Pantry through ProJeCt of Easton and supports a summer education program called Sizzle. It also participates in the Highmark Walk and contributes back-to-school supplies through the Third Street Alliance's annual No Child Left Behind backpack giveaway, which collects backpacks, lunch boxes, water bottles, crayons, markers, and glue sticks for children in the Easton area.
The church delivers meals once a month to homebound neighbors through Meals on Wheels. The Mission Team also partners with Safe Harbor Easton, contributing cheese, bread, lunchmeat, and chips each month to the Drop-In Lunch program, and it works with the Easton Area Community Center, the Easton Area Neighborhood Center, the Family Connection of Easton, and Youthful Faces, which supports Kenyan children. An annual Troop Support Project Sunday collects toiletries, snacks, and personal thank-you cards that are mailed to service members overseas.
Nationally, the congregation participates in the PCUSA special offerings: the Peacemaking Offering supports peacemaking programs, One Great Hour of Sharing aids hunger relief, disaster response, and refugee assistance, and the Christmas Joy Offering underwrites school scholarships and care for retired church workers. Members support the CROP Hunger Walk each year, with 25% of the funds raised going to local hunger ministries and 75% supporting hunger relief through Church World Service. Internationally, the church has maintained a partnership since 2003 with the Nagyvarad-Ret Hungarian Reformed Church in Oradea, Romania, with mission trips, friendship letters, exchanges of gifts, and signed Christmas cards sent across the ocean.
Inside the congregation, the Barbara and John Lehr Fund provides confidential support to members in crisis, distributed through the pastor.
The 21-Day Race Equity Challenge and the Micah 6 Initiative
First Presbyterian is one of many PCUSA congregations across the country that has committed itself to the work of racial equity as an expression of Christian faith. The Session has grounded this commitment in the words of Micah 6:8, "to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God," and has launched the Micah 6 Initiative to live into that calling. A leadership team, formed with Deacon Mercy Barrows and elder Victoria Opthof-Cordaro, organizes learning and action across the congregation.
The main learning tool is the 21-Day Race Equity Challenge, adapted from the original work of Dr. Eddie S. The challenge asks participants to set aside a few minutes each day for three weeks to learn, listen, watch, read, or notice something about race and justice. The church has gathered a curated library of podcasts, videos, articles, TED talks, and book recommendations organized under four buttons: WATCH, LISTEN, READ, and NOTICE. There is also a separate FOR KIDS section with age-appropriate videos, articles, and conversation guides from CNN's Sesame Street Racism Town Hall, Daniel Tiger, and Teen Vogue.
Book recommendations from members include Ibram X. Kendi's How to Be an Antiracist and Layla F. Saad's Me and White Supremacy. The challenge invites participants to track what they learn, write down their questions, and bring their reflections back to the congregation. It is offered as a starting place, not a final word, and members are encouraged to keep going beyond the twenty-one days.
Support the Children Campaign
Across the street and around the corner, the church's youngest neighbors are never far from the congregation's mind. The Support Children Campaign addresses child poverty, hunger, homelessness, and education through the same mission partners that anchor the Stop Hunger Campaign, including ProJeCt of Easton, the Easton Area Community Center, the Easton Area Neighborhood Center, the Family Connection of Easton, the Third Street Alliance, Youthful Faces in Kenya, and the PCUSA Pentecost Offering. The campaign also funds a free Blessing Box coloring page that helps children think about what belongs on the shelves of a community pantry and how food donations can help neighbors in need.
The Kenyan Dinner, an annual favorite, raises funds that are split between the congregation's ministry and the work of Youthful Faces in Kenya. In 2019, half of the dinner's proceeds went to help Kenyan children, and the tradition has continued in subsequent years.
Fellowship Around the Brunch Bunch Table
Fellowship is taken seriously at First Presbyterian, and the calendar is full of ways to share a meal, a book, or a study with one another. The Brunch Bunch gathers at a different Easton-area restaurant at least once a month after worship. Recent outings have included Frank's Pizza, Tacos and Tequila, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Jasmine Hibachi Grill, the Olive Garden, and Longhorn Steakhouse. Members meet in Legacy Hall after worship to carpool or to share driving directions, and the church office is always glad to know who is coming so the restaurant has enough tables ready.
The FPC Book Club meets on the third Monday of every month at 1:00 PM in the Millheim Room at the church (and sometimes at the Palmer Library in Easton) to discuss a chosen book. Members and visitors are welcome whether or not they have read the book, and suggestions come from the group. Recent titles have included James by Percival Everett, The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve, Dogged Pursuit by David Rosenfelt, The Bookshop of Secrets by Kerry Barrett, and We Wish You Well by David Baldacci. Bible studies and seminars on special topics are held periodically; watch the newsletter for upcoming dates and topics.
Annual traditions round out the fellowship life of the congregation, including a Flag Day Picnic, a Flag Day lunch, the Advent Luncheon, the Souper Bowl of Sharing soup lunch to support Safe Harbor, the Ice Cream Social and Talent Show, the Advent Cocoa and Crafts morning, an Auction of Church Furnishings, and Bacon Fest parking-lot fundraisers in Downtown Easton.
Leadership, Staff, and Governance
First Presbyterian is governed by a Session of elected elders, currently with Art Charlton serving as Clerk. The Session oversees the ministry and mission of the church and meets regularly to set direction, hear reports, and pray together. A Board of Deacons, chaired by Ruthann Arras, delivers flowers, visits the home-centered and the sick, hosts additional meals and events throughout the year, and reaches out as caregivers to members who cannot easily get to worship. Other leadership teams include the Worship Team (Donna Van Norman), the Mission Team (Nancy Udut), the Property Team (Rich Linnell), the Personnel Team (Art Charlton), the Stewardship and Finance Team (Bill Schroeher), and the Community Connections Team (Susan Mackay), which manages the website, social media, and community interaction.
The church is currently in a pastoral transition. On Sunday, July 26, the congregation said farewell to Rev. Larry Van Hise and his wife, Angie, following Larry's three years of service as Interim Pastor. Guest preachers have been leading worship during the transition, including Rev. Dr. Jan Nolting Carter, Bill Bartlett, Pat Koefoed, Rev. John Heinsohn, Rev. J. Michael Dowd, Rev. Richard H. Taylor, Laura Zhang-Choi, and Rev. Miriam Rivera. The Rev. Stefanie Muntzel, who served as pastor for several years before Larry's interim call, remains a beloved presence in the congregation's memory and writings.
Day to day, the church is led by a small staff. Elizabeth Campbell serves as Chancel Choir Director and frequent soloist. Gloria Snyder directs the Handbell Choir and is the regular organist and pianist. Bud Martin is a longtime organist and pianist who continues to play for special services. Jonathan Acheson serves as Office Administrator, keeping the office running from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM Monday through Thursday and 8:00 AM to noon on Friday. Members, friends, and visitors are warmly welcomed.
Sharing the Building with Genesis Church and the Easton Municipal Band
When the congregation remodeled its church house in 2008, one of its goals was to make the building a welcoming place for the wider community. The result is a much-shared facility. Genesis Church, a bilingual (Spanish and English), family-oriented congregation, meets for worship in the building on Sundays at 1:00 PM and for Bible study on Tuesdays at 7:00 PM. Genesis has been described as having a heart to reach the lost in the Easton community with the truth of G-d.
The Easton Municipal Band, a community ensemble of more than thirty-five local musicians directed by Albert J. Shimkus, Jr., rehearses in the building on Monday evenings and performs several times a year, mostly from late spring through early fall. The band carries on the old American tradition of free public concerts in town squares, introducing new compositions and old favorites to Lehigh Valley audiences.
Groups interested in building use are invited to inquire with the church office.
Stewardship and Giving
First Presbyterian takes seriously the language of stewardship: the recognition that time, talent, and financial resources are God's gifts given to each person for the building up of the Kingdom. The Session sets annual mission and ministry goals based on anticipated giving, and pledges and gifts go into the Operating Fund unless designated otherwise. Annual pledge cards invite members to discern what faithful, generous giving looks like for them.
Gifts can be given in person during worship, online through a secure Vanco giving page, by mail to the church office, by IRA qualified charitable distribution, or by stock transfer. Members are encouraged to set up recurring donations so that giving continues steadily even on weeks they cannot attend. Online giving also simplifies year-end tax records and reduces the workload of processing checks and cash gifts.
Designated offerings for the PCUSA Peace and Global Witness Offering and One Great Hour of Sharing can also be made through the same online giving page.
What We Believe
First Presbyterian Church of Easton is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and a member of the Lehigh Presbytery. Members hold to the historic Reformed understanding of God's grace as the source of all that is good, of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and of the Holy Spirit as the living presence of God at work in the world and in the life of every believer. Worship follows the Book of Common Worship, the Session governs the congregation under the Book of Order, and the church understands itself to be a "downtown church" committed to showing God's love to neighbors in Easton and beyond.
The congregation's stated values include the pursuit of justice, kindness, and humility as outlined in Micah 6:8, and a commitment to welcoming LGBTQ+ members and friends as full participants in the life of the church. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are both celebrated, with communion on the first Sunday of each month. Members describe themselves as lively, inquisitive, and deeply committed to showing God's love in practical ways: feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, raising up children, and walking humbly with God.