A Downtown Presence Since 1829
First Presbyterian Church of Northville is the only downtown church in the city of Northville, Michigan. The big brick building with tall white columns and a steeple sits at 200 East Main Street, right next to a Starbucks, and its congregation has worshipped in this stretch of downtown for nearly two hundred years. The church belongs to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Detroit Presbytery, and its life today, including Sunday worship, a thriving music program, a preschool, scouting, mission work, and small groups for every stage of life, flows from a long history on the same Main Street site.
Sunday Worship at Ten
The sanctuary opens each Sunday at 10:00 a.m. for a service the church describes as a familiar style of worship with a traditional feel, but with a variety of musical styles woven in. The order of service mixes spoken prayers, music, scripture, and a sermon intended to be inspirational and applicable to daily life. Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of every month, and the congregation also gathers for baptisms, special music, and other moments that punctuate the year. Visitors walking in on a Sunday morning will be greeted at the Hutton Street entrance, opposite Mary Alexander Court, where a Welcome Center offers a small gift as a way of saying thank you.
Children are welcome in the service. After the children's sermon, those aged preschool through fifth grade are dismissed for Sunday School, while nursery and toddler care are available every Sunday in the nursery down the hall from the sanctuary. The service is also livestreamed on the church's Facebook page, so members who are traveling, sick, or simply at home can worship along. Archived video services remain available on the same page for later viewing.
Music at the Heart of Worship
Music is a thread that runs through almost everything at First Presbyterian Church. The chancel choir, directed by Dr. Jerry Custer, leads worship three to four times a month from September through June, and choir members also present solos, duets, and small group offerings throughout the year. Rehearsals take place from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday evenings in the Music Center on the lower level. Dr. Dave Wagner serves as the church's organist and plays a Casavant organ that was given to the congregation by Larry and Anita Bennett during the early 1990s renovation campaign.
Alongside the chancel choir, the Te Deum Handbell Choir rings five octaves of handbells and four-and-a-half octaves of handchimes, participating in worship monthly and for special services. Nancy Plumley conducts the bells, and rehearsals are on Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in the Handbell Room.
The Oakway Children's Choir is a community-based, church-sponsored outreach program open to all area children ages five through fourteen, including those from Oakland and Wayne counties, the source of the name Oakway. The choir season runs from September to June in two fifteen-week sessions, with rehearsals on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Each session is $200, with scholarships available. Director Tom Bowman, a vocal music educator, composer, and conductor, shapes an experience that builds vocal skills, music literacy, and performance confidence.
Children, Youth, and Confirmation
Bible learning for children runs through both Sunday mornings and weekday gatherings. Children's Sunday School meets during the 10:00 a.m. service for preschoolers through fifth graders, weaving music, Bible stories, drama, crafts, and games around the day's core message. Confirmation is open to anyone in eighth grade or older, typically held in February, and is designed as a time of faith exploration and discernment: learning what it means to be a Christian, and specifically what it means to be Presbyterian.
Middle and high school students gather as APEX, the church's youth group. APEX meets on Sunday afternoons from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Youth Room on the lower level during the school year for Bible study, fellowship, and plenty of snacks. The group is open to all youth in grades six through twelve, whether or not they are members of the church. Outside events include retreats, holiday parties, service projects, and an annual summer high school mission trip. Past trips have taken the youth to Puerto Rico, North Carolina, Detroit, and Flint, where they have painted buildings, landscaped, taught Vacation Bible School, and played bingo at nursing homes. Fundraisers like an annual pancake breakfast, bake sales, and car washes support each year's travels. Stephen Flavin, who serves as both Director of Congregational Care and the church's Children and Youth Director, walks alongside these ministries.
Adult Studies and Small Groups
Adult education at First Presbyterian Church takes many shapes. Adult Sunday School classes typically run six to eight weeks, offering a rotating mix of studies; the next session meets at 11:15 a.m. in the Gathering Room on the final Sunday of each month from October through May, working through a book selected for the year.
The Kerygma Bible Study gathers at 8:45 a.m. on Sunday mornings for spirited discussion of scripture and the theologians who study it. A Wednesday Men's Small Group meets at 8:00 a.m., either by Zoom or at a restaurant chosen by the group, for real-life scripture study and the chance to talk through the challenges of daily life. A separate Men's Discussion Group meets every Thursday at 7:00 p.m. in the Gathering Room, except on holidays, to talk about life, God, Jesus, raising kids, and a long list of other topics, with the rule that politics stays out of the room.
Two women's groups round out the picture. Naomi Circle gathers on the second Wednesday of each month from September through June at 10:00 a.m. for snacks, fellowship, and Bible study, and supports mission activities including Northville Civic Concern and First Step. Agape' Women's Study meets on Friday mornings at 9:30 a.m., drawing women of all ages and from a number of area churches for a weekly study running September through June.
Fellowship and Friendship
Fellowship is treated as its own ministry at FPCN. The Women's Book Club meets the second Thursday of every month from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. in the Gathering Room, and a Women's Golf League swings into action beginning in May, open to all ability levels and flexible about time commitment. Pickleball takes the court seasonally, and a Walking Club meets every Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. in the Ford Field parking lot next to Mill Race for a stroll through downtown Northville, with a mall as the rainy-day alternative. Yoga classes are held on Thursday evenings at 6:15 p.m. in the Christian Life Center, taught by a Registered Yoga Teacher and open to all levels. A Caregivers Group meets on the final Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. for a time of sharing, listening, and leaning on one another.
Annual events punctuate the year: a church picnic in September, an Opportunity Sunday in the fall, an Ice Cream Social in the summer, and several seasonal gatherings sprinkled across the calendar. Sunday fellowship time after worship happens in Boll Fellowship Hall, with hosts needed each week to attend the beverage counter and clean up afterward.
Mission and Outreach
Mission work is woven through the life of the congregation. FPCN partners with Northville Civic Concern, a local nonprofit that provides food and household supplies to neighbors in need; members donate non-perishable food, paper goods, cleaning products, gas cards, and store gift cards, and a grocery cart in Boll Hall collects donations each week. The Five Cents a Meal program invites members to donate five cents for every meal eaten in a month, with the funds supporting Gleaners, Crossroads of Michigan, Northville Civic Concern, and hospitality dinners for the homeless.
Several times a year, FPCN participates in the Sunday Meal at Crossroads of Michigan, helping provide a meal for up to 350 guests in collaboration with other churches in the Presbytery. The Mission Team also supports a CROP Walk, the Mitten Tree, Socks for the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, Rebuilding Together, and the Salvation Army Red Kettle Drive. The congregation sponsors regular American Red Cross blood drives in partnership with redcrossblood.org. Members regularly support Neinas Elementary School in Detroit, the Academy of the Americas, by providing books, backpacks, school supplies, and a Christmas party where the youth meet the students.
The church also hosts weekly AA and Al-Anon meetings on Tuesday evenings at 8:00 p.m., and is home to BSA Troop 755, the largest and most versatile troop in the state of Michigan, ranging from 120 to 200 co-ed scouts. The troop has met at FPCN since 1947 and offers monthly camping, high-adventure trips, a first-year scouting program, merit badge instruction, leadership training, and Eagle Scout advising.
The Building, the Columbarium, and Life Events
The present sanctuary was dedicated in 1970. The brick building seats 400 and is topped by an 83-foot belfry that is lit at night. In 1990 and 1991, a million-dollar campaign created new staff offices, installed air conditioning and an elevator, added handicapped restrooms, and improved fellowship hall, along with the acquisition of the Casavant organ. Boll Fellowship Hall, the Christian Education wing, and the Christian Life Center were dedicated in 2002, and the Music Center was renovated in 2005 with separate practice rooms for vocal choirs, handbell choirs, and a music staff office.
The church hosts weddings, baptisms, and funerals or memorial services. The sacrament of Baptism is celebrated at the 10:00 a.m. worship service, except on Holy Days, holidays, or the first Sunday of the month. Christian marriage services in the sanctuary are officiated only by FPCN pastors, who use their judgment consistent with the Reformed tradition; the church does not rent out its facilities, and weddings are not performed on holiday weekends. A wedding information booklet, request form, photography agreement, and video agreement are available for those planning to marry at the church.
The Lower-Level Music Center is also home to a Columbarium where members and their immediate family members may have cremains interred. Niches and urns can be pre-selected, and a service of committal is held in the Columbarium at a time convenient to the family. The Columbarium is open Tuesday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
A Long History on Main Street
The congregation traces its roots to 1829, when it was first organized as the First Presbyterian Church of Plymouth and its services were held in the home of Joseph Yerkes, a Revolutionary War veteran and one of the area's early pioneers. Worship soon moved to a log schoolhouse, empty on the Sabbath, and in 1835 the congregation purchased land on Main Street and built its first church, a wooden frame building twenty-four by thirty-three feet that cost about $330.
By 1869, the members had voted to change the name to First Presbyterian Society of Northville. The next sanctuary was built along classic lines at a cost of $3,000, with sixteen-inch-thick walls and a porch of fluted columns opening onto Main Street. That building stood for 124 years and is thought to be the oldest Protestant church in one place, in continuous use, west of the Allegheny Mountains; a portion of its foundation remains part of the lower level of the present church, and a brick from the original sanctuary is preserved as an heirloom. A Historical Marker Plaque on Main Street recognizes how long the church has stood in this location.
In 1929, largely through the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. P. H. Grennan, what is now called Presbyterian Church House was built, and in the early 1930s what is now Boll Fellowship Hall was added, some records indicate that Fellowship Hall was an existing Detroit building that Mr. Grennan paid to have dismantled and rebuilt as an addition to the church. The Christian Education wing was dedicated on October 4, 1964, adding sixteen classrooms. The current sanctuary was dedicated in 1970 after a 1969 campaign. The church has had over forty ministers and assistants over its long life, with the Reverend James Dubuar the longest serving, leading the congregation for twenty-three years around the time of the Civil War.
Leadership and the Wider Church
Senior Pastor Rev. Jackie Spycher leads the congregation alongside Stephen Flavin, who serves as Director of Congregational Care and Children and Youth Director. The music staff includes Dr. Jerry Custer (Chancel Choir), Dr. Dave Wagner (Organist), Nancy Plumley (Te Deum Handbell Choir), and Tom Bowman (Children's Choir Director). Lisa Higley directs the Northville Presbyterian Preschool with Cindy Korpela as Assistant Director.
The church follows the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Book of Order and is governed by a session of elders and a board of deacons. Each family in the congregation is paired with a Deacon who acts as a conduit to the pastors and to other members; a Deacon is usually present under a Deacons Corner sign during Sunday fellowship time to greet visitors and answer questions. Deacons carry out a ministry of compassion and service that includes prayers and encouragement, a card and flower ministry, in-home Communion, assistance at funerals and memorial services, visits to shut-ins, and help for families in crisis.
Northville Presbyterian Preschool
The Northville Presbyterian Preschool opened in the church's new Christian Education addition in the fall of 2003, sharing space in the lower level of the building at 200 East Main Street. Lisa Higley serves as Preschool Director, with Cindy Korpela as Assistant Director.
Practical Details for Visitors
The church office is open Tuesday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Limited parking is available on Church Street and Hutton Street, with extensive parking in the municipal lot behind the church. Sunday morning visitors are encouraged to enter through the Main Entrance on Hutton Street. Special accommodations include wheelchair accessibility, large-print bulletins, and wireless hearing assistance devices in the sanctuary. Donations to the church can be made online through Tithe.ly, by mail, or by stock transfer through the church's brokerage account, and chancel flowers may be donated in honor or memory of loved ones.