All Are Welcome on Main Street
First Presbyterian Church of Hackettstown sits at 298 Main Street, a block of its own in the center of town. The sanctuary, with its stained glass windows and pipe organ, is the worship heart of the congregation, while a separate Chapel at 291 Main Street next to the Old Presbyterian Burial Ground hosts most of the church's community-facing programs. The church is a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and belongs to the Presbytery of the Highlands NJ.
The congregation's own statement of welcome reads: "Wonderfully created, redeemed, and sustained by God's love, we are freed to love ourselves and one another. In our inclusive worship we ask for God's forgiveness, gratefully receive God's grace, and listen for God's truth in the words of the Scripture and sermon. Fed by the Word and inspired by the Spirit, we joyfully respond to God's love through the offerings of our means and our selves." Pastor Erin M. Hayes-Cook leads the church; Lorinda Ravo serves as choir director and organist and also directs the children's chime and bell groups.
Sunday Worship at Ten
Worship is held every Sunday at 10:00 am and is also live streamed on the church's Facebook page. A children's message is given each Sunday as part of the service, after which children are dismissed to Sunday School. Visitors who come in person find a parking lot behind the church, off Washington Street. The church office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, and the building phone is 908-852-4011.
Music is a defining part of the service. The senior choir leads worship on most Sundays outside of summer and sings for special services such as Christmas Eve and Maundy Thursday. Through the summer, soloists, small ensembles, and musical friends of the church fill the music ministry. The Sanctuary also houses a pipe organ that the congregation has documented as part of its history.
Christian Education from Pre-K Through Confirmation
Christian Education is overseen through the Session of Elders by MaryAnn Simmons and serves about 27 students in age-aligned classes that meet during worship, September through May, after the children's message.
- Pre-K through Grade 1: Emily Tischler leads the youngest class with stories, crafts, and hands-on activities.
- Grades 2 through 4: Betsy and Nadia Hanson, a mother-daughter teaching team, build on the children's understanding of God's love through lessons, Bible stories, discussion, and interactive worksheets and games.
- Grades 5 and 6: John Mark Wojcicki walks students through the people, places, and events of the Old and New Testaments using role-playing and crafts.
- Confirmation (Grades 7-9): Janice Courtright leads the two-year program. Students are paired with confirmed adult mentors, sit in on meetings of the Board of Deacons and the Session of Elders, and are confirmed on Pentecost Sunday.
During the summer months, when Sunday School is on break, children receive Sunshine Station bags filled with activities, a craft, and a small toy to keep them engaged during worship.
Second Sundays and the Stuffie Sleepover
Since 2022, the congregation has hosted Second Sunday, a monthly program for children of all ages that runs from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm after worship in the Chapel. Each gathering includes a lesson and a creative activity; past events have included origami, crocheting, basket making, baking, Christmas ornaments, finger painting, pumpkin carving, bird feeder building, candle making, applesauce, bread, and Valentine cards for residents of area senior care homes. A light lunch is served. Children are encouraged to bring a friend.
Other intergenerational events have included a January Stuffie Sleepover, where children left a stuffed animal to spend the night at the church.
Choirs from Toddlers to Seniors
Music is one of the church's strongest ministries, with a full ladder of choirs for every age.
- Little Lights Sunday School Choir: Children learn a new song each month during the children's message and sing it in worship at the end of the month.
- Joyful Noise Bell Choir: The youngest ringers rehearse after church on Sunday mornings and perform about once a month.
- Unity Chimers: More experienced ringers rehearse on Sunday mornings following worship and perform monthly.
- FPCH Ringers: The adult chime choir rehearses Thursday evenings at 6:30 pm and plays an anthem about once a month.
- Senior Choir: The adult choir rehearses Thursday evenings at 7:30 pm and leads music in worship on multiple Sundays each month outside summer.
- Inter-generational Choir: A combined ensemble of senior choir members, Little Lights singers, and any interested congregation members who perform for special services.
Videos of the children's and adult groups are shared on the church's Facebook page and YouTube channel under names like FPCH Little Lights Sunday School Choir and FPCH Ringers.
Heaven Sent Nursery School
Heaven Sent Nursery School is a ministry of the church, located at 298 Main Street and licensed by the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services. The school opened in 1988 and is heading into its 38th year, with classes meeting Monday through Friday from 8:45 am to 2:30 pm, September through June. Programs are organized by age: Ducklings, Tadpoles, Chickadees, Bear Cubs, and Little Angels.
The school's motto is "Childhood should be a journey, not a race." The developmental curriculum treats each child as a unique creation of God, in a Christian environment with an emphasis on dignity, love, and respect. Special days throughout the year include Teddy Bear Day, Silly Sock Day, Wild 'n Wacky Wednesday, a mid-winter beach day, and a comfy-cozy "slumber party" day. Families participate in Creative Family Fun projects, Stay and Play mornings, Share a Story visits, and Holiday Helpers. Heaven Sent can be reached at 908-852-2006 or heavensentns@hotmail.com.
Around-the-Table Community Dinners
On the second Saturday of each month at 5:30 pm, the Chapel at 291 Main Street opens its doors for the Around-the-Table free community dinner. There is no charge, and the dinners are open to everyone in the wider Hackettstown community. Volunteers from the church set up, cook, serve, and clean up, and the event regularly draws neighbors who may not otherwise be part of the congregation.
Other food-related outreach includes the Deacons' Spring and Fall Clothing Drives, which collect clothes for community members in need and accept shoes but not blankets, bedspreads, or quilts. The Deacons also collect used eyeglasses, sunglasses, reading glasses, and hearing aids, which are passed on to Vision Associates on Route 517 and through them to the Lions Club for free or low-cost distribution.
The Pay It Forward Little Pantry
On the front porch of the Chapel at 291 Main Street sits the Pay It Forward Little Pantry, an open-air cabinet that operates on the honor system: take what you need, leave what you can. The pantry is open 24 hours a day and welcomes canned foods, unopened boxed foods, and personal care items. Glass containers, opened containers, homemade foods and baked goods, and items requiring refrigeration cannot be accepted. There are now three cabinets, with one dedicated to personal care and hygiene items, and a separate galvanized can for pet food. Information about the pantry is available in both English and Spanish.
Scouts and Twelve-Step Groups in the Chapel
The church sponsors three scouting units, all of which meet in the Chapel at 291 Main Street:
- Boy Scout Troop 158: Mondays at 7:00 pm.
- Girls Troop 143 BSA: Mondays at 7:00 pm.
- Cub Pack 164: First and third Wednesdays at 5:00 pm.
The Chapel is also a regular home for recovery meetings: AA Step by Step on Mondays at 10:30 am, NA Change or Die on Tuesdays at 7:30 pm, AA New Beginnings on Thursdays at 10:30 am, and an NA meeting on Saturdays from 7:00 to 8:30 pm.
Adult Bible Studies and Discipleship
Adult Bible study runs throughout the year. Lenten, Advent, and summer studies are held over consecutive weeks, with two sessions each week to accommodate different schedules: a morning session typically at 10:00 am and an evening session at 6:30 pm. Members may also participate in PLEFF (Presbyterian Ladies Enjoying, Fun and Food), the Yarn Girls, the Men's Breakfast on the third Saturday morning, the Women's Breakfast on the third Saturday morning at River Star Diner, and Ladies Who Lunch on the first Tuesday.
The Sanctuary, Weddings, and the Prayer Garden
The Sanctuary, with its stained glass windows and pipe organ, hosts weddings and funerals for members of the wider community. Couples interested in being married at the church are invited to inquire through the church office. On the side of the building, a Prayer Garden offers benches, a cross, and an angel statue where visitors can pause at any hour of the day or night for a quiet moment. The Old Presbyterian Burial Ground lies adjacent to the Chapel.
Building on Generosity
In September 2019 the congregation launched a capital effort called Building on Generosity. The first phase sided the church and installed protective coverings over the stained glass windows; the second phase, completed in summer 2021, re-shingled the steeple and installed a new lightning rod. Gifts to Building on Generosity continue to fund future projects, alongside the church's regular General Offering, Building Fund, Per Capita, and In Memory Of / In Honor Of designations. Per Capita gifts are forwarded to the Presbytery of the Highlands NJ, the Northeast Synod, and the General Assembly.
Ways to Join In
Beyond Sunday worship, the church offers many ways to be part of the community: sing in one of the choirs, teach Sunday School, volunteer as a greeter or usher, help with buildings and grounds work days in the spring and fall, lend a hand at the monthly community dinner or church dinners like the St. Patrick's Day Dinner, the Roast Beef Dinner in late October, or the Christmas Dinner in early December. Scouts, twelve-step meetings, and Heaven Sent Nursery School all welcome community involvement, and the Little Pantry always appreciates donations. The Wreaths Across America ceremony each December at the Chapel is another annual point of connection with the wider Hackettstown community.