Two Sundays, One Welcome on Beardsley Avenue
First Presbyterian Church of Elkhart sits in the heart of downtown Elkhart, Indiana, at 200 East Beardsley Avenue, just a short walk from the river and a few blocks from the neighborhood school whose name the building shares. The congregation describes itself as "an inclusive, caring community, growing together in faith," and the tone is set at the front door: "Everyone needs friends for the Journey." "Find them here." Members are greeted with the line, "You are welcome here," and visitors are told simply, "Just come as you are."
Affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and supported by the Presbytery of Wabash Valley, the church is one of the older fixtures of downtown Elkhart. Its ministry today is shaped by a broad rhythm: a classic sanctuary service in the morning, a contemporary gathering a few hours later, formation for children and youth through the week, deep Bible study for adults, and a generous set of partnerships with neighbors in the city and the wider world. The church's mission statement is short enough to memorize: "Inviting all to know Christ, grow in Christ, and share Christ's love."
Two Sundays, Two Ways to Worship
On any given Sunday morning, the church offers two very different doors into worship, both rooted in the same pastor's teaching and the same table of communion, but built for different kinds of people.
The Traditional Worship service begins at 9:00 a.m. in the sanctuary. It is described as "classic in style," with bulletins to follow along and hymnals for congregational singing, and music drawn mostly from the classical and jazz traditions, played on the church's pipe organ and grand piano. Members say you will hear "a mix of classical and jazz music performed by our talented Music Director and a variety of wonderful singers in the congregation." The atmosphere is reverent. The leaders add, "but we also like to have a little fun."
Two hours later, in a newly renovated space on the lower level called the Journey Cafe, things get more relaxed. Journey Cafe Worship meets at 11:00 a.m. Worshippers sit at tables, help themselves to coffee, tea, juice, and snacks, and join a "terrific worship band" leading upbeat, contemporary music. Visuals on the big screen carry the words of every song, prayer, and Scripture. The room is, in a word, conversational. "There is time in worship to chat and maybe meet a new friend," the church says, "and Kid Chat and Children's Corner for younger worshippers to explore."
Both services are staffed by the same nursery team and are broadcast on a livestream for those at home or traveling. A small fellowship hour in the Reception Room sits between the two services each Sunday and is the natural home of the adult Wired Word discussion group, where a current event is paired with a passage of Scripture each week at 10:15 a.m.
Music in Both Keys
Music is taken seriously at First Presbyterian, and not just on Sundays. The church has built two parallel music programs that come together in the same congregation.
Celia Weiss serves as Director of Music and Organist, a role she has held for over 40 years. She is also an adjunct assistant professor of Music for the Raclin School of the Arts at Indiana University South Bend and maintains an active teaching and performing schedule throughout the Michiana area. In the sanctuary she directs choirs and instrumentalists, and she is the steady hand behind the pipe organ and grand piano that carry the traditional service.
Across the hall, Matt Kennedy directs the contemporary side of the music ministry as Contemporary Worship Music Coordinator. A solo artist and longtime composer heard on the Discovery Channel, Fox Sports, and CBS Network Television, he leads the Journey Cafe band and shapes the sound of the casual service. "Music has always played a big part in my spiritual life," he says, "and I am excited to be a part of the Contemporary Worship Service." Behind the scenes, Mary Seddon has organized and overseen the contemporary services as Worship Coordinator for more than 25 years as a member of the congregation.
A Place Where Children Belong
Children are welcomed across both services, but the Journey Cafe has been built around them. The room offers family seating at the tables, a children's message, picture Bibles and storybooks, and a dedicated Children's Corner staffed by the Children's and Youth Ministry Coordinator, where kids can explore and learn while the pastor's sermon continues for the grown-ups. The corner, the church says, is "stocked with children's activities to explore and enjoy during the pastor's message." A staffed nursery is available throughout Sunday morning for both services.
Beyond Sunday morning, the children's ministry carries the playful name of a "Journey" wherever it can. Music and More meets on Mondays for children, and Bible Time runs on Sunday mornings before the Journey Cafe gathering as a learning hour for all ages.
The fall lineup includes a new Puppet Club for elementary-aged children, kindergarten through fifth grade. Each Monday afternoon during the fall session, children gather to learn puppeteering skills, collaborate on backgrounds for a puppet show, make puppets to take home, hear a Bible story, and enjoy a snack. The session ends with a short Christmas-themed performance for the congregation.
Each summer the church hosts a Vacation Bible School-style program called Time Travel Camp. During the week, kids "time travel" to a real place and era from the Bible - recent years have visited ancient Babylon to spend time with Daniel, and 1st-century Athens to walk with Paul - singing together, hearing Bible stories acted out, playing games from those days, and visiting a marketplace for snacks and crafts.
Young People and a Place to Belong
The church is intentional about its middle schoolers and high schoolers. Youth Group is described by its leaders as "an opportunity for 5th-12th graders to gather for food, fun, and a chance to encounter Christ," and during the school year it meets on Sunday evenings from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Each week begins with a shared meal, followed by games and theme nights, then a devotional and a time of prayer. Activities during the year include team-building projects, movie nights, silly competitions, off-site adventures, and Bible-reading challenges. The leadership team's goal is to make sure Youth Group is "always a safe space for teens to be their authentic selves."
Older students are already serving. Teens play instruments and sing in the Traditional service, run the tech booth on Sundays, and participate in dramas in the Journey Cafe. Some serve as youth elders to the session. Younger children in upper elementary read Scripture and other spoken parts during worship, help lead crafts at Journey Cafe, and assist with Time Travel Camp in the summer.
The church also walks with families whose children are preparing for confirmation. A small library of videos for Confirmation Class, along with online and printable devotions for Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter, is available so that kids can keep growing spiritually even on the weeks they cannot be at the building.
Adults Growing in Faith, Together
The adults of First Presbyterian are fond of their Bible studies, and the church gives them several to choose from during the week.
The Monday Night Bible Study meets seasonally in the fall and spring at 6:30 p.m., led by the pastor. Studies over recent years have moved through Mark, Genesis, Acts, and John, with Luke currently underway, and a spring season typically focuses on a recent season of the film series "The Chosen." Members write that "new discoveries come at me with every new chapter and verse," and appreciate "the fellowship and the thoughts from others attending."
The Wednesday Morning Bible Study meets at 8:30 a.m. in Room 100, with a Zoom option that brings in members from around the country. The pastor leads a "detailed exploration of the Bible," book by book, and occasionally turns to the text of the upcoming Sunday sermon for the week. The hour, the church says, "builds a strong bond of fellowship and deeper appreciation in our faith."
Wired Word, the Sunday-morning adult discussion group that meets in the Reception Room between services at 10:15 a.m., turns the headlines into a Bible study. "Pair current events with scripture and you've got a great faith discussion." The group is now also available on Zoom.
Two long-running women's groups add to the rhythm of the week. Wednesday's Table meets in Room 101 at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesdays and is an open women's book group that "grow[s] in faith through weekly reading, discussion, and prayer." Threads of Grace meets Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. for Bible study and to send birthday and get-well cards to church members - despite the name, it is not a sewing group. Its tagline is "Prayer casts threads of grace and weaves people back into the community."
For those whose hands want to be busy, the Pieceful Quilters, founded in 1999, meet monthly during the school year. Open to church and community members, the group shares work, builds new skills, and turns out Comfort Quilts for the bereaved, Quilts of Valor for service members, and lap quilts, sleeping sacks, and Walker Bags in partnership with Elkhart General Hospital.
Finally, the local chapter of Presbyterian Women meets quarterly on Zoom and in person, organizing birthday and thank offerings for Presbyterian Women's worldwide mission work, school supplies for Beardsley School, school bags and supplies for Church World Service, winter coats, hats, scarves, mittens, and gloves for neighborhood kids, and a pledge to the Wabash Valley Mission.
Loving All Their Neighbors
The outreach of First Presbyterian is, in its own words, "characterized" by the desire "to foster and support activities that reach beyond our walls with our time, energy and resources to assist and comfort our human family in need: locally, domestically and internationally." Three decades of Habitat for Humanity work sit at the heart of that. For over 35 years, the congregation has participated in two annual Elkhart County builds - the springtime Women Build and the larger autumn Faith Build - providing volunteers, donations, and meals. The late Chuck Vetter, a longtime member, took part in more than 150 such builds from 1987 forward; the August 2023 build was held in his memory.
Across the street and around the corner, the church has mentored students one-on-one at Beardsley Elementary School for many years. Members report that the work has helped make a "great improvement" in many students' proficiency test scores and made lifelong friends in the process. On annual cycles the congregation also fills backpacks, stocks school supplies, and delivers Christmas mittens and hats to children who need them.
For more than two decades, the church has also recognized high school seniors through its Peacemaking Awards, named in memory of Sasezly Richardson, an Elkhart student whose killing in 1999 shocked the congregation. The annual awards go to student leaders who "promote justice, reconciliation and conflict resolution among their peers"; selected honorees receive a cash grant at their graduation ceremonies.
Hunger relief is a quiet but steady ministry. Each week, the church collects food and personal care items for the Church Community Services Food Pantry, with grocery carts near the worship spaces and a pickup on the first Tuesday of every month, special each November at Thanksgiving. Long-shelf-life items are most welcome: hot and cold cereal, canned soups, meats, fish and vegetables, boxed rice, potatoes, pasta, hamburger helper, peanut butter and jelly, and personal care items like diapers, toothpaste, soap, and laundry detergent.
A Rent Assistance partnership with nearby St. Paul's United Methodist Church, called Saving Grace, channels monthly giving to area residents who have been screened and qualified for help with rent.
Locally the church has also sponsored the Presbyterian Developmental Basketball League in conjunction with Beardsley School and the Boys' and Girls' Club athletic facility, encouraging "respectful competition" among area youth.
Looking further afield, the mission program supports Presbyterian Disaster Assistance through the One Great Hour of Sharing offering, contributing to relief efforts in Ukraine, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Indonesia after the tsunami, earthquakes and hurricanes in the Caribbean, floods in Louisiana, Texas, and the Carolinas, California wildfires, tornadoes across the Southern United States, and the Philippines after Typhoon Rai. Through the Pentecost Offering, the Christmas Joy Offering, and the church's annual per-capita giving to the Presbytery of Wabash Valley, the congregation also supports retired pastors in need, the development of young church leaders in Presbyterian schools, and grants that enhance ministry in its own region. Each autumn the church joins the CROP Walk Against Hunger and the Church World Service Blanket Drive.
What the Church Believes
First Presbyterian Church of Elkhart is, in its own statement of belief, "a Christian community of believers who trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior." The congregation seeks "to find God's leading in our individual lives, to grow in love and to serve God in each other's good company." Scripture is taken seriously: "We believe the Old and New Testaments of the Bible to be reliable witnesses to God's story in the past, and we study the scriptures to understand what God is doing in the present."
After the killing of George Floyd and the protests that followed, the church has also committed itself publicly to being "better neighbors to people excluded from opportunities because of race, ethnicity or sexual orientation." A 2020 statement titled "Loving All Our Neighbors" affirmed that "Black Lives Matter" and asked the congregation to engage "in thinking and actions that will draw people in Elkhart together across racial / ethnic lines," beginning with personal examination and continuing with corporate study and action.
Pastors, Coordinators, and Staff
The Rev. Dr. Sally Wicks, "Pastor Sally" to her congregation, serves as the teaching pastor. She holds degrees from Albion College, Princeton Theological Seminary, and Louisville Theological Seminary and is described as "a good teacher and a compassionate pastor." She is married to Mike, also a Presbyterian pastor; together they have three grown sons, a basset hound named Theo, and an energetic small dog named Abby.
Rev. Pornchai (Paul) Banchasawan serves as the International Pastoral Assistant, helping to guide the congregation through preaching, teaching, and cross-cultural ministry. Born and raised in Thailand and a graduate of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, he is pursuing a DMin while serving, with a special interest in biblical storytelling, youth and young adult discipleship, and bridging cultures through the love of Christ. He and his wife, Areerat, are raising a daughter and two sons together.
Rev. Anna Parkinson is the church's Children's and Youth Ministry Coordinator. Originally from rural northwestern Pennsylvania and now living in Elkhart with her husband, David, and their three children, she is "passionate about children's and youth ministry and enjoys equipping congregations to be effective, passionate, and confident as they teach and build relationships with children."
The music ministry is anchored by Celia Weiss (Director of Music and Organist), Matt Kennedy (Contemporary Worship Music Coordinator and Facilities Manager), and Mary Seddon (Worship Coordinator for the contemporary services).
The church office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and the easiest way to reach the office is to call (574) 264-3109 or email Office@Presby.net. Those who want to support the ministry financially can use the online estimate of giving, place a gift in the offering plate on Sunday, or mail a check to the church's Beardsley Avenue address.