First Presbyterian Church of Kenosha stands on the south side of Kenosha at 1803 83rd Street, between 22nd Avenue and Sheridan Road. Its story began with a Sunday school mission for children in 1923, and the congregation remains known for education, worship, and hands-on service. At its center are a relaxed, somewhat traditional 9:30 a.m. Sunday worship service, caring for one another, and a willingness to share resources beyond the congregation.
In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit, the church seeks to serve Christ in daily tasks, live holy and joyful lives, and watch for God’s new heaven and new earth. That vision connects Scripture study, worship, hospitality, and service. First Presbyterian also gives time and money to local ministries, regional partners, and international mission relationships.
From a Storefront Sunday School to 83rd Street
Around 1923, the Presbytery of Milwaukee and a few members from Kenosha’s Salem Avenue area, now Roosevelt Road, organized a Sunday school mission for children. It began in a storefront. Its popularity with local families soon required more room: by 1925, a building had been moved onto a donated lot, worship was taking place, and Sunday school classes for all ages were full. First Presbyterian was officially chartered on March 17, 1925.
By 1940, even after expanding the first building, the church was out of room. Adults and children packed its rooms and the pastor’s house for Bible study and Christian education. A larger brick building was built on Roosevelt Road, where it still stands. The church had an orchestra to lead worship, while its passion for education and outreach, especially with children, continued.
The Roosevelt Road building also became too small. In 1967, the congregation built its present brick church at 1803 83rd Street. The move preserved the original emphasis on education and mission while giving worship, learning, and service room to develop in new ways. The property’s large lot still provides ample parking and places for children to run and play.
That continuity is visible in the life Pastor Lance Loveall describes as “lively, relaxed, fun-loving, and warm.” He names worship, Coffee Hour, the annual winter luau, soup kitchen service, and youth mission trips as ways congregants love God and each other. The people, rather than a large staff, do much of the hard work of serving.
9:30 Worship with Varied Music and a Relaxed Welcome
Sunday worship begins at 9:30 a.m. in person at 1803 83rd Street. The service is somewhat traditional but relaxed rather than rigid. People wear jeans, shorts, suits, and dresses; the priority is simply being present. The large lot offers ample parking, and the south-side location is between 22nd Avenue and Sheridan Road.
Music and liturgies vary. Contributions may come from a choir or congregation members, bell ensembles, Sunday school children, the youth chime choir, a praise and worship band, or volunteers playing instruments. The Worship and Music team plans Communion, special worship services, and creative blended styles. Different musical voices can share the same service while the congregation continues to value its Presbyterian worship tradition.
The Lord’s Supper is one of the two sacraments in Presbyterian life and is usually celebrated on the first Sunday of the month. The congregation also observes Communion at Maundy Thursday, Easter Sunday, and the late Christmas Eve service. These celebrations place Christ’s Table within the rhythm of Christian worship and the church year.
Children are always welcome in the sanctuary. A professionally staffed nursery serves children from birth through age five during worship, with a nursery director and congregation volunteers caring for them. Families can keep children with them instead. Play bags near the south sanctuary entrance help occupy younger visitors, and all children may come forward for “Time with the Children.”
The 9:30 service is also carried live each week, with earlier worship recordings available through the church’s online worship. Sunday worship remains the main gathering for people served by the church’s many weekday and monthly ministries.
Christian Learning for Children, Youth, and Adults
Christian education remains a defining commitment. First Presbyterian takes teaching the faith of Jesus Christ seriously and provides ways for people of every age to nurture faith, learn about God, explore Scripture, and consider Christ’s will. The Christian Education team oversees Sunday school, adult and youth formation, Wednesday Bible studies, a book club, the church library, Vacation Bible School, and other educational work.
Children
Sunday school for all ages runs from September through June. Children’s classes take place during worship every other week; after the children’s sermon, students hear a Bible story, make crafts, and sing songs. Children’s Sunday school serves ages three through fifth grade.
One week each summer, Vacation Bible School gathers children ages three through sixth grade from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m., Monday through Friday. Volunteers use games, storytelling, crafts, and singing to teach about God, Jesus Christ, and God’s love for children.
Youth
Youth in sixth through twelfth grade are included in mission trips and musical participation such as the youth chime choir. Confirmation is a one-year class for those in eighth grade or older who want to become active members. Pastor Lance teaches the faith the congregation proclaims, its history, and its values before participants become full members.
Adults
Adult Sunday school is held at 11:00 a.m. Sundays and studies biblical books and genres, theology, and daily life. The church library offers inspirational, educational, and entertaining books and DVDs about Scripture, theology, Presbyterian beliefs, and spiritual encouragement, supporting both group study and individual reading.
Wednesday Study and Fellowship Across the Month
Two Bible studies meet on Wednesdays, while several regular gatherings create opportunities for fellowship throughout the month:
- Wednesday morning Bible study: 9:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall.
- Wednesday evening Bible study: 7:00 p.m. through Zoom.
- Fellowship Lunch: 11:30 a.m. on the third Tuesday of each month in the Fellowship Hall.
- Fireside Friends: 10:00 a.m. on the second Tuesday of each month for the church’s women’s group.
- Prayer Shawl Meeting: 10:00 a.m. on the third Wednesday of each month at the church.
Together with weekly Coffee Hour after Sunday worship, these gatherings extend the church’s emphasis on study, shared meals, conversation, creativity, and informal connection.
Care Woven Through Deacons, Shawls, and Visits
First Presbyterian teaches that everyone is a minister of Christ, whether ordained or not, and that everyone is called to care for and serve people in need. Pastoral care is therefore shared through the pastor, deacons, the Commissioned Ruling Elder, and the congregation as a whole.
The Board of Deacons directs local mission and the congregation’s care toward people who are lonely or affected by disaster. Pastor Lance shares pastoral care and visits members at home or in the hospital. A telephone tree and email alerts allow deacons to summon the church to prayer for people who need it.
Sara Miles, the Commissioned Ruling Elder, shares visits and telephone contact for pastoral care. She also delivers Communion to homebound members and makes regular visits to those who cannot gather with the congregation.
The Prayer Shawl Ministry uses the knitting and crocheting gifts of congregants. Each shawl is prayed over while it is made and offered as a tangible sign of God’s presence and the church’s care. The monthly meeting combines fellowship with this creative ministry of presence.
From Kenosha’s South Side to Mission Work Around the World
The commitment to service extends far beyond the church neighborhood. From its beginnings, First Presbyterian has sought ways to serve Kenosha and share the love of Jesus Christ with every neighbor. Its mission follows Jesus’ call to be witnesses “in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Youth and adults have joined mission trips designed both to serve and to build partnerships.
Local support includes WoMen’s and Children’s Horizons, the Shalom Center, Walkin in My Shoes, God’s Kitchen, Hospice Alliance, Habitat for Humanity, and the chaplaincy program at the Kenosha County Detention Center. First Presbyterian contributes money and hands-on participation in the work of these agencies, combining financial support with direct service.
Its own local projects are practical. The Deacon Mitten Barrel distributes hats, gloves, mittens, and scarves to children who need cold-weather items. Team Tannenbaum provides Christmas trees to nursing home and homebound residents. Deacons also respond to emergency needs, while mission and evangelism volunteers encourage work projects and mission trips.
As part of the Presbytery of Milwaukee, the church focuses regional participation on the Bread of Healing Health Clinic in Milwaukee, Habitat for Humanity, and San Jose Church in Beloit, Wisconsin. These relationships extend the congregation’s concern for health, housing, worship, and service beyond Kenosha.
International mission has included trips across the country and abroad that teach congregants about God’s work in the world. Supported relationships include missionary Nadia Ayoub in Greece, the South Sudan Education for Peace Project, Moscow International Chapel, and the Presbyterian Church complex in Coban, Guatemala. The congregation also gives through Presbyterian Church (USA), holds special collections for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and other global programs, and supports Living Waters for the World.
Care for creation has another practical expression. First Presbyterian participates in the WE Energies Energy for Tomorrow program by paying a surcharge that supports renewable sources instead of its regular energy purchase. From neighborhood projects to regional health care, global partnerships, disaster response, and renewable energy, the mission is deliberately wider than the city limits.
Many Hands, Many Gifts
The church does not rely on a large staff alone. It uses the time and talents of its people: greeters welcome visitors, coffee servers prepare fellowship, readers lead the liturgy, musicians contribute, drivers give rides, teachers offer Sunday school lessons, and members pass along prayer concerns. These gifts are ways to use what God has given for the work of the church.
Working ministry teams organize worship and music, Christian education, mission and evangelism, fellowship and membership, personnel, buildings and grounds, finance and stewardship, and memorial funds. The Session, made up of the pastor and 12 elected congregational leaders serving three-year terms, oversees all areas of congregational life and ministry.
Nine elected deacons serve three-year terms, with responsibility for local mission and care directed toward people in need, those who are lonely, and those affected by disaster. The Personnel team helps budget for paid and volunteer staff so ministry is covered, while the church also tries to give staff room to follow their own calls and fairly compensate their work.
The Fellowship and Membership team hosts Coffee Hour, the midwinter luau, an Ash Wednesday chili cook-off, and a summer picnic. Mission and Evangelism maintains ties with supported national and international ministries, oversees special offerings, encourages Habitat for Humanity and mission trips, and emphasizes Christian nurture, discipleship, and hospitality toward visitors. Buildings and Grounds keeps the property useful for all those ministries.
Giving Rooted in Mission and Accountability
Financial support is treated as a vital aspect of discipleship and a way to participate in God’s mission. The Operating Fund supports the full range of church ministries, while the Building Reserve Fund prepares for major expenses on the property. The Memorial Fund receives gifts given in honor or memory of loved ones, and Per Capita giving supports the wider church regionally, nationally, and around the world.
Gifts can be made in person, by mail, securely online through Vanco Services, or through appreciated securities and planned giving. In-kind contributions require prior authorization from the pastor or appropriate committee. These methods connect the church’s financial life to its mission of supporting needed ministries at home and beyond.
Financial accountability includes internal controls, budgeting, regular reporting, and an annual audit performed by a committee elected by the congregation. Audit results go to the Stewardship and Finance team, Session, and congregation. The same practical stewardship extends to the building: the Building Reserve Fund protects resources for future maintenance and capital improvements.
Baptism, Marriage, Funeral Hope, and Membership
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the two sacraments recognized in Presbyterian life. First Presbyterian considers baptism God’s gift to the church, a sign and seal of God’s grace, and a welcome into the body of Christ. It baptizes infants, youth, and adults whom God calls and claims. The church recognizes baptisms by other Christian churches because people of other denominations are part of one body of Christian believers. Baptisms are ordinarily part of Sunday worship, and an infant baptism ordinarily involves at least one parent actively participating in church life.
Marriage is understood as a civil contract and, for Christians, as a covenant in which two people are called to live together before God. The church offers weddings. Funerals are approached with the Christian hope that, in the face of death and grief, people are sustained by the Spirit and the community of faith. Its funeral ministry is described as a ministry of love and hope for those who grieve.
Membership is open to those seeking a church home, and everyone is welcome for worship, education, and fellowship. Pastor Lance discusses membership with people considering the place God is calling them to worship and serve, while the congregation seeks to remain welcoming and inviting.
At First Presbyterian Church, those threads remain connected: education has shaped its story, worship gathers people of every age, care is shared by the congregation, and mission carries responsibility from its south-side lot to the wider church and the world.