First Presbyterian Church has stood on the corner of Airy and DeKalb Streets in Norristown, Pennsylvania, since 1819, more than two centuries of continuous worship and witness from a single block of downtown. The congregation that grew from an 1805 prayer group now calls itself "ONE FAMILY in Jesus," an evangelical Presbyterian body that has outlived Norristown's boom years and its decline, and today shares its historic building with a Spanish-speaking sister congregation.
A Sanctuary Finished in 1855
The roots of First Presbyterian reach back to 1805, when Norristown resident Robert Hamill, an elder at Providence Presbyterian Church, started a prayer group that met in the Norristown Academy next to where the church stands today. By 1814 a congregation had formed, and in 1815 the group built the Norristown Presbyterian Meeting House on Airy Street, also launching the first Sunday School in Norristown three years later. On September 4, 1819, the Philadelphia Presbytery approved the meeting house's petition, and "The First Presbyterian Church at Norristown" was born. Joseph Barr, already pastor of Norriton Providence Presbyterian Church, was installed as the first pastor.
Revivals under Rev. Samuel Gould brought hundreds of new members, and in 1839 the building was enlarged. By 1853 a manse had been added, but the underpinning was rotting; the old building was sold and dismantled, and a facsimile of it can still be seen on Main Street. The present sanctuary, with its landmark steeple on the Norristown skyline, was finished in 1855. After the Civil War the church prospered, and in 1870 it sent its first member to the mission field in India, beginning a long heritage of supporting missionaries abroad.
A new Sunday School wing came in 1913, and two Norristown schools were named for elders who were also Christian educators: A.D. Eisenhower Middle School, originally the high school, and Gotwals Elementary School, just blocks from the church. After World War II the 1913 wing was replaced in 1958 with a Christian Education building. The 1970s brought declining attendance as Norristown's economy shifted, but the congregation adapted. In 2013 it welcomed back Central Presbyterian Church of Norristown, a Spanish-speaking congregation that had split off in 1855 and now shares the building as Iglesia Central Presbiteriana.
Sunday Worship
Worship is held at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings, in person and livestreamed on the church's Facebook page, with recordings kept in a Google Drive folder for later viewing. During the warm-weather months the service moves to Eastwick Hall to take advantage of the air conditioning. Adult Sunday School meets at 9:30 a.m. in the chapel, and a coffee hour with fellowship and treats follows the service each week.
First Presbyterian takes a relaxed approach to dress. Some attend in jeans, others prefer to dress up a little, and the church encourages newcomers to come as they are. Drawing and coloring kits and a variety of fidgets are available for children, and the noise they make is welcome. A Children's Church program and nursery are offered for babies through Grade 6 during the service on request; speak to an usher to arrange it.
Wheelchair access is through a specially marked door on DeKalb Street. The facility is equipped with an elevator, a stair lift with a wheelchair platform, and an accessible restroom.
Parking and Getting Here
Ample free parking is available. The church driveway and parking lot are accessed from DeKalb Street, immediately behind the building. Additional free parking is available on Sundays and evenings across DeKalb in the large Montgomery County lot (enter from Airy Street). Metered street parking on DeKalb is free on weekdays from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. and all day on weekends. For Sunday morning worship and church events, visitors use the double side door on DeKalb Street; for other occasions, ring the bell at the parking lot door.
Music in the Sanctuary
Music Director Pearl Flamberg leads both the choir and the praise band from the piano and organ. Flamberg joined First Pres with the praise band in 2014 and was named Music Director in 2018. A New Orleans native who began leading worship music at age twelve and spent three decades as a laboratory scientist, she and her husband Alan are the parents of a grown daughter and son who love to sing. Anyone who likes to make music is invited to join the choir or the praise team.
Teaching and Discipleship
The Adult Sunday School class meets at 9:30 a.m. each Sunday in the chapel, studying the Bible together and tackling topics of the day. Recent studies have worked through Dietrich Bonhoeffer's "Life Together," with copies available for newcomers. The class is taught by a rotation of teachers and welcomes visitors at any time.
Men of the church are invited to a monthly Men's Breakfast with Lower Providence Presbyterian on the first Saturday of each month at 8 a.m. The location varies and is posted on the church calendar.
Children, Families, and Outreach
Children and families are invited to the Sports Club, which gathers for games, bingo, sports, mini golf, and other activities throughout the year, with adult golf outings offered as well.
Members serve at Cecil and Grace Bean's Soup Kitchen on the third Thursday of each month. On Saturdays from noon to 3 p.m., congregants join the Coalition to Save Lives for outreach near the Norristown Transportation Center. The church also maintains a non-perishable food Blessing Box on its property for neighbors in need, and hosts a National Night Out table each year, handing out cold water alongside other community groups such as the Girl Scouts.
Ministry Partners Around Norristown
First Presbyterian's facility and members support a wide circle of local ministries. Partners include Amnion Pregnancy Center, the Literacy Council of Norristown, Norristown Hospitality Center, Village Norristown Ministry, Rising Scholars, Norristown Chorale, Norristown Area TaeKwon-Do, Young Lives, and the Greater Norristown Area Ministerium. Since 2013 the building has also been home to Iglesia Central Presbiteriana, a Spanish-speaking Presbyterian congregation in the same Presbytery of Philadelphia.
What the Church Believes
First Presbyterian holds that the Bible is the inspired and only infallible, authoritative Word of God, and proclaims the sovereignty of God the Father over all creation and history. God's love is supremely shown in Jesus Christ, His only Son, whose sacrificial death and resurrection reconcile alienated humanity to the Father. Salvation is offered to all who receive Christ as Savior, made real by the work of the Holy Spirit, who convicts of sin and leads into truth. The church looks forward to the return of Jesus Christ in power and glory at the end of this age.
Leadership
The Rev. Peter Martin has served as pastor since his ordination and installation in June 2015. He and his wife Tara and their children Kade and Willow are part of the Norristown community the church seeks to serve. Governance is shared with a session of elders, trustees, and deacons, and the church teaches that every member of the body has a part to play in ministry.