First Presbyterian Church stands on the southwest side of Third Street in downtown Rochester, Minnesota, a few blocks east of the Mayo Clinic campus. For more than a century and a half it has gathered in this corner of the city, and the building it occupies today - entered through a glass-walled atrium added in 2009 - is its third home. The congregation's motto, posted at the top of its homepage, names the four qualities it tries to live by: Energy, Intelligence, Imagination, Love. Members describe it as a place where five generations of one family have worshipped in a row, and where visitors with toddlers and teenagers sit alongside retired physicians who arrived with the hospital. The church belongs to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and is a member of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area.
Sheldon Jackson and a Church Organized at Morton's Hall
The congregation traces its beginning to the last Sunday in January 1861, when a frontier minister named Sheldon Jackson climbed the stairs of Morton's Hall in Rochester to preach to the town's six Presbyterian families. Six weeks later, on February 17, 1861, First Presbyterian Church was officially organized on the second floor over Massey's store, at the corner then known as First Avenue and Third Street Southwest. There were seven communicants that day. Jackson, raised in a devout New York household and trained at Princeton Seminary, had made himself famous for his blunt motto, "Sir, since I can't be first, I will be foremost." Between 1860 and 1870 he raised more than ten thousand dollars to support missionaries and church buildings across Minnesota.
For the first few years the small congregation met in rented rooms: the lobby of the Porter House (where the Kahler Hotel now stands) and the old courthouse near the old Northwestern depot. In 1865 the members raised twelve hundred dollars toward a building of their own, but that was not enough for the projected two hundred and fifty members, so Jackson traveled east to seek additional funds. In spite of widespread interest in General Grant's Wilderness Campaign, he returned that fall with five thousand dollars, and between October and December the building was erected and enclosed. The first Sunday of January 1866 saw it dedicated.
Three Buildings and a Sanctuary Reborn
The first real building was a thirty-six by sixty foot frame structure with a spire and stained glass windows, set on the corner of Third Avenue and Second Street Southwest, with the first manse in the rear. The congregation worshipped in it for almost sixty-five years. Then, on April 22, 1930, fire partially destroyed the church. Even before the fire, plans had begun for a new building on a different site. The cornerstone of that building - the present sanctuary - was laid on January 3, 1931, and the sanctuary was first used in March 1932.
Since then the church has undertaken several major construction and renovation projects. The most significant was completed in 1995: the purchase and installation of a forty-eight-rank Casavant pipe organ, along with renovations to the worship space and a substantial set-aside for mission. In 2009 the building gained a new entryway with a covered drive leading into a glass-walled atrium filled with natural light. Excavation underneath created a large multi-purpose space and improved drainage around the foundation. The columbarium was enlarged and improved. Funds from the project also paid to dig wells for drinking water in several communities in Africa and to build a new home for a Rochester family through Habitat for Humanity.
Worship Built Around a Casavant Organ
The organ is central to worship at First Presbyterian. The instrument, Casavant Op. 3767, was installed in 1998 (the 1995 project installed an organ that the Walker then replaced) and has three manuals and forty-eight ranks of pipes totaling 2,696 individual pipes. Its stops include a sixteen-foot Violonbasse and Montre on the Grand Orgue, a thirty-two-foot Basse résultante on the Pédale, and a Récit division with a Viole de gambe, Voix céleste, Trompette, and Hautbois. The congregation uses Glory to God: The Presbyterian Hymnal (2013) as its central musical resource, and worshipers are encouraged to sing the liturgical responses.
Director of Music and Organist Nathan Elsbernd came to the church from Mason City, Iowa, with a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Religion from Luther College and a Master of Music in Organ Performance from Yale. He leads the choirs, rehearses and plays for services, schedules visiting musicians, and coordinates the church's many community ensembles. The organ is featured in concerts as well as worship, and the sanctuary has been used for organ recitals, including a 2020 recital for the bereaved titled "For All the Saints Who From Their Labors Rest," arranged and performed by John Stender, the former Director of Music and Organist, and his wife Sarah.
Four Movements on a Sunday Morning
Worship at First Presbyterian follows a four-movement structure drawn from the Reformed tradition. Sunday morning services gather at 10:15 AM, both in person and via livestream on the church's YouTube channel. The service is built around four movements.
The first movement, Gathering, opens with a musical prelude. The pastor offers a greeting, announcements, and a prayer for God's presence, followed by an opening hymn celebrating creation and the joy of worship. The congregation is then invited into reconciliation through silent and unison confession, after which words of forgiveness and the peace of Christ are shared.
The second movement, Word, begins with a Time for Our Young Worshipers, an informal message for any children present, who are invited forward. A spoken or sung prayer invites the Holy Spirit to teach through the Scriptures. Two scripture readings follow, separated by an anthem, leading up to the message itself. The movement closes with a brief silence for reflection and a hymn.
The third movement, Response, includes a unison Affirmation of Faith (often the Apostles' Creed, but sometimes drawn from other statements in the PC(USA)'s Book of Confessions), Prayers of the People, and the Lord's Prayer. An invitation to the offering for the continuing work of the church is accompanied by an offertory, the Doxology, and a unison prayer of dedication.
The fourth movement, Sending, brings a hymn, a scriptural benediction, and a postlude to send worshipers on their way to love and serve the Lord in the week ahead.
Sermons are preached by Senior Pastor Rev. Thomas (T.J.) Parlette. Recent titles include "It's Not Fair!" on Matthew 20, "The Calculus of Forgiveness" on Matthew 18, "Some Peculiar Glory" on Matthew 16, "A Question of Identity," "Crumbs on the Table," and "Two Storms." Sermon texts are posted to the church's sermon page and broadcast live on YouTube.
The Lord's Supper, Open to All Who Confess Jesus Christ
Presbyterians recognize two sacraments: Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Both rest on two criteria - that Jesus himself participated in them, and that he commanded his followers to do the same.
In Baptism, God's invisible Spirit is made visible through the sign of water. The water poured out upon the baptized is, the church teaches, akin to the Holy Spirit coming upon them as Christ promised. Baptism seals God's promise that, because of Jesus Christ, nothing can separate the baptized from God's love. Because the baptized are joined to a faith community, and because Jesus was himself baptized in public, Baptism is normally celebrated during worship.
The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, also called Communion or Eucharist, is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month. In it, the congregation remembers how, on the night before his death, Jesus took bread, blessed it, and said, "This bread is my body, broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me." He then took a cup and said, "This cup is the New Covenant sealed in my blood, poured out for the forgiveness of sin." At First Presbyterian, communion is open to all who confess Jesus Christ as their Savior; the wine used is grape juice, and a gluten-free option is provided.
Choirs, Handbells, and a Congregation That Loves to Sing
The music ministry is built on the conviction that "we ring, we sing, we pray and praise together." It includes an adult choir, an adult handbell ensemble, two children's choirs, a young children's music class, and the First Players band program. The musical range of the worship services runs from traditional to contemporary, and instrumental and vocal soloists are frequently featured. The congregation has been known to gather pickup ensembles of volunteer musicians to play for services, and community groups such as the Rochester Flute Choir and Rochester Area Handbells make regular guest appearances.
The Chancel Choir, made up of singers from tenth grade through adults, rehearses twice a week: Thursdays from 7:15 to 8:15 PM and Sundays from 9:00 to 10:00 AM. Its primary role is to lead worship, and it sings for various Festival Sundays. The midweek rehearsals work through music five to seven weeks in advance and include time for devotion.
The Jubilate Deo Handbell Ensemble, open to anyone from ninth grade through adults, rehearses on Thursdays from 6:00 to 7:00 PM and on Sundays before or between services. The ensemble plays music that ranges from abstract and hymn-based handbell literature to hymn and anthem accompaniments and liturgical music in many styles. Musical literacy is helpful, but technique can be taught. The tradition of ringing at First Presbyterian is strong; former Director of Music Emeritus Lee Afdahl is a well-known composer of handbell music and a sought-after clinician.
The Calvin & Youth Choir, for children in second grade and up, meets on Wednesday evenings from 4:45 to 5:30 PM, with a provided meal for students and their families from 5:45 to 6:15 PM. The young singers learn to read musical notation, sing hymn tunes and descants, train their ears to match pitch, and develop age-appropriate vocal technique. They also explore what it means to be leaders in worship. They participate in worship services six or seven times a year and combine with older ensembles on occasion. A separate Cherub Choir, for younger children, rehearses on Sunday mornings from 9:00 to 9:25 AM.
Volunteer and professional musicians have long been gathered into an ad hoc orchestra for special events, especially the Lessons and Carols services in December and cantata performances in the spring. Members who play instruments are always invited to connect with the Director of Music to make offerings and collaborate.
First Players: A Band Program Housed at the Church
First Players is a band program for students in grades four through twelve, housed at First Presbyterian. It includes two main ensembles - a Beginning Band and a Concert Band - and private instruction is a central part of the experience. Director Janine Yanisch, who has more than thirty years as a band director and educator, says one of her goals is to "strive to meet each student at their level, and then move them forward as far as possible." For this work she received the 2025 SEMYO Bravura Music Educator Award from the Southeastern Minnesota Youth Orchestras organization.
Beginning Band is open to students in fourth grade and older, who receive weekly lessons in addition to their Tuesday after-school rehearsals. The Beginning Band performs at the December and December concerts at the church. The Concert Band, for students in sixth grade and up, rehearses on Thursdays after school; many members also take weekly lessons to deepen their experience. The Concert Band is the face of First Players in the wider community, performing at events such as the Annual Family Promise Benefit Concert, the Festival of Trees, and senior living facilities, in addition to its two regular concerts at First Presbyterian. The program is the only performing arts organization in the area in which weekly lessons are included, and it is notably affordable. Although the program operates out of a church and is partially funded by it, it is not itself a religious organization.
A Festival of Music in its Thirty-Sixth Season
A Festival of Music is a concert series that has run at First Presbyterian for thirty-five years and is now in its thirty-sixth season. It is, in the words of the church's own description, "one of our favorite ways to reach out and invite the Rochester community to join us, for entertainment, art, high quality musical performance, and fellowship." Concerts have featured soloists, instrumental and vocal performances, handbell ensembles, bands, orchestras, and dramatizations.
The series is free: no tickets are required, attendance is open to all, and the season has been supported by free-will donations since its founding in 1992. A full season of concerts and receptions costs around eleven thousand dollars to mount. Because the church cannot receive arts funding as a religious institution, the series relies on private donors at levels ranging from Friend ($100 or less) to Angel ($1,500 or more). A recent season included appearances by Minnesota Orchestra trumpeter Charles Lazarus, organist David Cherwien, Macalester pianist Osip Nikiforov (a Third Prize winner of the 2016 San Antonio International Piano Competition), handbell ensemble Bells of the Bluffs, and a Rochester Community Music Showcase. Each concert includes a reception.
Faith Formation from Pre-K to Senior High
The church's education program is intentionally intergenerational, framed by the language of "faith formation" rather than Sunday School alone. The Sunday morning program runs from early September, when an Open House/Orientation is held on the first Sunday after Labor Day, through the Sunday before Memorial Day weekend. Activities are offered for children aged three through senior high school and for adults.
On Sunday mornings from September through May, children aged four through first grade gather for Faith Education from 9:00 to 10:00 AM, and the Cherub Choir rehearses at 9:00 AM. Children in grades two through five gather for Faith Education at the same hour, and students in grades six and above have their own classes. Confirmation is offered for students in eighth grade (or younger or older as appropriate). Two adult classes meet at 9:00 AM: Kerygma, which studies a particular theme, topic, or book of the Bible in the South Fireside Room, and the Current Events / Adult Option Discussion in the Lounge, led by volunteers and focused on timely or controversial issues. A Wednesday Bible Study meets most Wednesdays from 6:30 to 7:30 PM in the Sheldon Jackson Lounge during the program year, and twice a month in summer. During Advent and Lent, Pastor Parlette regularly leads book discussions, Bible studies, or other themed classes on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 PM.
Vacation Bible School runs for one week in June, soon after Rochester Public Schools lets out, for children entering kindergarten through fifth grade. Childcare is offered in coordination with the worship schedule every Sunday morning. From September through May, childcare is offered from 8:15 AM to noon. From Memorial Day Sunday through Labor Day Sunday, childcare is available in coordination with the summer worship schedule. Activity bags with coloring books and crayons are available near all sanctuary doors for use during worship.
Youth Fellowship on Wednesday Evenings
The youth ministry is open to students in grades six through twelve and is intentionally inclusive: any youth from the Rochester community and surrounding areas is welcome, and church membership is not required to attend. The program is coordinated by Sarah Stender, Music Ministry Associate and Youth & Christian Education Coordinator.
Since the acute phase of the pandemic, the group has experimented with different times and frequencies for gathering; the church invites anyone interested to call the office for the most current meeting information, and the program maintains its own Facebook page. Throughout the year the youth offer outings and community service projects, including visits to a local apple orchard in the fall, snowtubing at Ironwood Springs in winter, river tubing on the Zumbro or Root River, escape rooms and movie outings, lock-ins with other area youth, and service projects such as Feed My Starving Children and Sole Hope. The group also helps host and serve the annual Easter Brunch.
On Sunday mornings, the Nursery Room (E203) provides a safe and welcoming space for infants through three-year-olds, supervised by Brenda and her assistants. The Children's Activity Room ("Kids Zone," E206) is open to children from three to eight years old; parents may bring their children there before the service, or children may attend the first part of worship and come to Kids Zone after the children's sermon.
Circles, Shawls, and Presbyterian Women
Presbyterian Women of First Presbyterian works to promote Christian fellowship, mission outreach, and support of the congregation. All women are invited to join; there is no form to sign, and church membership is not required. Three Circles meet monthly from September to May or June. The Esther Circle meets at 3:00 PM on the third Monday of the month in the Sheldon Jackson Lounge or at members' homes. The Priscilla Circle meets at 9:15 AM on the third Wednesday in the Lounge. The Ruth Circle meets at 10:00 AM on the third Saturday in the Lounge.
The women also organize mission projects and offerings: contributions to the Fellowship of the Least Coin, the Thank Offering, the Birthday Offering, and Medical Missions Coffee; product donations to Ronald McDonald House, Hope Lodge, and Gift of Life House; an annual weekend retreat; and a spring Rummage Sale that raises money for local, national, and international mission projects.
The Prayer Shawl Ministry knits and crochets shawls that are blessed by a laying on of hands and a special prayer. Shawls are given - not sold - to people facing serious health problems, to those celebrating milestones, and to new babies. The ministry gathers informally at 1:00 PM on the second Thursday of each month from September through May in the Sheldon Jackson Lounge, when shawls are blessed, patterns are shared, and help is offered. The local Prayer Shawl Ministry was started in 2004 by Carole Lloyd, then chaplain at Seasons Hospice, and Elizabeth Remfert. Since then dozens of women have participated, and about two hundred shawls have been blessed and given.
Mission Beyond the Local Borders
The Mission Committee represents the congregation's call to share the love of Christ worldwide, supporting PC(USA) mission co-workers and projects financially through the mission budget, special offerings, and targeted gifts, and underwriting the PC(USA) and Twin Cities Presbytery's Unified Mission. Members have traveled to Mombin Crochu, Haiti, to provide medical care, training, and other support. Volunteers in Mission from the congregation have also served in Venezuela, Hungary, Malawi, India, Florida, Texas, North Dakota, and Alaska, including Sheldon Jackson College.
The congregation has a long-standing relationship with the Medical Benevolence Foundation. Each summer since 2015, an FPC team traveled to Spirit Lake Reservation in North Dakota to lead Vacation Bible School at Bdecan Presbyterian Church, until the COVID-19 pandemic paused that work. The congregation has continued to send winter clothing, school supplies, fabric for tied baby blankets, and other necessities to the children and families there.
Among PC(USA) mission partners regularly highlighted by the Mission Committee are Karla Koll, professor of history, mission, and religions at the Latin American Biblical University in Costa Rica, who trains church leaders from throughout Latin America; and Josh Heikkila, the PC(USA) regional liaison for West Africa, who facilitates partner relationships, implements regional strategies, and supports other mission personnel. Other partnerships reach into Nicaragua and Honduras.
Deacons and a Parish Nurse Ministry
The ministry of the Deacons exists to show and share God's love with others. Deacons correspond with youth, contact members who have returned home from the hospital, host funeral receptions, send grief-support booklets to the bereaved, organize greeters for Sunday mornings, prepare the table for Communion, reach out to families to recognize births and baptisms, and visit members including seniors and those who are homebound. Deacon ministry also funds taxi transportation vouchers for attending worship and parking passes at Mayo Clinic for patients and their families. Deacons serve three-year terms in three staggered classes. The ministry is funded by the Christmas Eve offering. The Deacons' roll also includes a Parish Nurse, Ariel Boswell.
Social Concerns in the Local Community
The Social Concerns Committee expresses the congregation's care for Rochester neighbors, partnering with community support organizations through hands-on volunteering, fund-raising, and donations. In 2011, marking the church's 150th anniversary, the committee sponsored and helped build a six-bedroom house in Rochester with Habitat for Humanity. In 2014 the committee created a series of public, open-forum discussions called Forum@First, which bring issues, concerns, and experts in the Rochester community together for public conversation. Past topics have ranged from drug courts and immigration to mental health care facilities and low-income housing needs. The committee also sponsors participation in the annual Out of the Darkness Walk to Prevent Suicide.
Open and Affirming, Walking Alongside
First Presbyterian is an open and affirming congregation, welcoming into fellowship any who are looking for a safe space to worship, grow in faith, and serve. The church is a member of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians, an organization that works for the full inclusion and participation of LGBTQIA+ individuals in the life, leadership, and work of the church. Pastor T.J. Parlette was named Vice Moderator of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area in 2016-2017, served as Moderator in 2017-2018, and chaired the Presbytery Leadership Team in 2018-2019. He has been at First Presbyterian since June 2010, after pastorates in Johnstown and Brookville, Pennsylvania, and on the East End of Long Island. He holds a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and is a Certified Master Biblical Storyteller through the Network of Biblical Storytellers.
The congregation has also published a Statement on Faith, Human Dignity, and Immigration. Drawing on Leviticus 19:34, "You shall love the stranger as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt," the statement affirms that every human being is created in the image of God and possesses inherent dignity, regardless of nationality or legal status. The congregation says no to immigration practices that dehumanize migrants and asylum seekers, separate families without moral necessity, criminalize humanitarian aid and compassion, or rely on fear, misinformation, or collective blame. It says yes to policies rooted in human dignity, mercy, and due process; nonviolent, lawful resistance to injustice; the right of conscience for individuals and institutions; and accompaniment, welcome, and care for immigrant families.
Visiting on Sunday Morning
Parking is available in the church lot off 6th Avenue SW, and the adjoining Mayo lot (upper parking lot) is also available for Sunday use. The building has barrier-free access to the Sanctuary and elevators that serve all areas. Visitors typically arrive fifteen minutes before the 10:15 AM service, except on Christmas Eve and Easter.
Guests enter through one of the four glass doors on the 6th Avenue side of the building. The sanctuary is to the left of the entrance. Greeters stand at the front doors and are glad to help. Inside, worshipers find a traditional service with classically oriented music. Theologically, the congregation includes members on both the more conservative and more progressive sides of the Reformed tradition. Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month; the elements are open to all who confess Jesus Christ as their Savior, the wine used is grape juice, and a gluten-free option is provided. There is a time during the service for prayer requests, and a Children's Time for young people through third grade. Worship generally runs about sixty minutes, occasionally five to ten minutes longer on busy Sundays. The dress runs the gamut from casual to jacket-and-tie; either would fit without standing out. Visitors who want to be welcomed during Fellowship Hour can use a blue mug.
Childcare is available every Sunday morning from staff who have been background checked. As you enter the building from the 6th Avenue parking lot, head to the right and follow the hallway to find the nursery. The Children's Activity Room ("Kids Zone") is available for children three to eight, and activity bags are available near every sanctuary door for children who stay in worship.
Those interested in membership are invited to attend Inquirers' Classes. New Member Seminars are offered in October, February, and June, with classes meeting during the education hour (9:45-10:45 AM) on two successive Sundays in October and February, and on one Sunday from 10:45 AM to noon in June. Membership is granted by transfer of membership from another congregation, by reaffirmation of faith, or by profession of faith for the first time.
A Continuing Story in Downtown Rochester
From a January 1861 sermon in a rented upstairs hall to a present-day sanctuary entered through a glass-walled atrium, First Presbyterian Church has been a fixture on Third Street Southwest for more than a hundred and sixty years. Its members include five-generation families, hospital staff and patients' families, retirees and young parents, and visitors from across the region. The Sanctuary still holds a Casavant organ with 2,696 pipes; the Chancel Choir still rehearses twice a week; the handbell ensemble still rings monthly in worship; the Festival of Music still fills the building each season with guest artists from Minnesota and beyond; and on Sunday mornings at 10:15 AM, the congregation still gathers, in person and by livestream, around Word and Sacrament, prayer, and song.