First Presbyterian Church of San Bernardino has stood on North D Street since 1953, but its roots in the city go back to 1874, when the congregation was first organized. More than a century and a half later, the church remains a working expression of the Reformed tradition in the Inland Empire: a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), governed by elders, sustained by a 33-rank Abbot & Sieker pipe organ, and shaped by a working partnership with its neighbors at San Bernardino High School. The congregation describes itself as a reflective learning community, listening to God and to each other, and its vision statement captures the posture members try to keep: with open eyes, open minds, open hearts, and open hands, they are becoming God's love in action.
A New Pastor, A New Chapter on D Street
On November 1, 2025, the Reverend Dr. Brian S. Symonds arrived as pastor and head of staff, the culmination of a two-year season of listening and discernment that followed the 2023 retirement of the Rev. Dr. Sandra (Sandy) Tice after seventeen years of ministry. The process began with a Mission Assessment led by a team that pored over demographic data, congregational records, and seven surveys gathered between September and December 2023. The resulting Mission Action Plan was approved by the Session in March 2024 and by the Presbytery of Riverside the same month, giving the Pastor Nominating Committee a clear picture of the congregation's identity and call. After reviewing candidates, conducting interviews, and hearing sermons, the PNC presented Brian Symonds to the congregation on October 12, 2025. He was officially installed on January 25, 2026, in a 3 p.m. communion service that featured the pipe organ, flute, bagpipes, a symphony quartet, and the sanctuary choir. The Rev. Dr. Duane Bidwell preached for the occasion.
Sunday Worship at 10:30
Weekly worship gathers at 10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary, and the service is livestreamed to the church's YouTube channel for those at home. During summer months the congregation often worships in Fellowship Hall, both to ease air-conditioning costs and to experiment with different patterns of worship and fellowship. Worship is rooted in Reformed theology and centers on the reading and preaching of Scripture, with time set aside for silent and corporate prayer, music, and reflection. The musical life of the church is wide-ranging. Music Director Curtiss Allen directs a sanctuary choir and arranges periodic special music with vocalists, brass, bag pipes, flute, and percussion. William Zeitler serves as organist, pianist, and choir accompanist, and contributes written reflections on the music in the weekly bulletin. Amy Gano leads the bell choir, and the church has a Yamaha grand piano and an electronic keyboard alongside its pipe organ.
The Abbott & Sieker Pipe Organ
The 33-rank pipe organ, built by Abbott & Sieker, is one of the treasures of the building. It has three manuals and a full pedal division with stops including an 8-foot Principal, a 4-foot Octave, a Mixture IV on the Great; an 8-foot Viola and Viola Celeste, an Oboe, and a 16-foot Dulzian on the Swell; a Gemshorn and Gedeckt on the Choir; and a 16-foot Violone, Subbass, and Fagott in the Pedal. The organ traveled with the congregation from its earlier home at Church and E streets in 1952, was rebuilt rank by rank through the Pipe Club, and was expanded with a memorial gift that rebuilt the balcony and turned the chambers to face the worship space. A carved frieze above the pipes, titled "Sing, Choirs of Angels," shows angels of different races; the carvings were done for about $4,000 in memorial funds. In 2025, members of the choir donated and installed a second, smaller pipe organ for use during summer worship in Fellowship Hall.
LifeSkillz and the High School Down the Street
The relationship with San Bernardino High School is one of the most distinctive features of First Pres. It began in 2015 when Amy Smith attended a workshop led by Eric Law and asked what could be done to bridge resources between the church and the high school. The answer became LifeSkillz, a weekly leadership circle in which high school students use a set of Respectful Communication Guidelines - Responsibility, Empathetic listening, Sensitivity to differences, Pondering, Examining assumptions, Confidentiality, and Trusting ambiguity - as the foundation for honest conversation and mutual invitation. Students who have been part of LifeSkillz can apply for paid internships at the church, where they unload pallets, bag and distribute food, landscape the grounds, build shelves, and host visitors. A Fall 2026 Internship Program Schedule, intern and team leader job descriptions, and the internship application are all posted each year. The work has been woven into the congregation's life in other ways too: the LifeSkillz students wrote text that was used to summarize a 30-minute Los Angeles Times documentary, and former interns have returned to counsel younger students about what the church has meant to them.
The Food Ministry: Tuesday, Thursday, and the Third Saturday
Food distribution is a cornerstone of the church's ministry to its neighborhood. Groceries are handed out from the west parking lot on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 to 11 a.m., and again on the third Saturday of every month during the same hours, with both drive-thru and walk-up options. There is no pre-registration, no proof of income, and no requirement of identification or residency; recipients self-certify that they meet program guidelines by giving their name and address. Stater Bros. Charities and Stater Bros. Markets have partnered with the food ministry through periodic Harvesting Hope grants and bulk purchases of bread, peanut butter, and holiday meats, and the work is supported by donations of food, used eyeglasses, and hygiene and comfort kit items through an Amazon wish list. Deacons organize the Food Program under the leadership of chairperson Rick Rodriguez, and members of the congregation are encouraged to volunteer by driving, bagging food, and distributing groceries.
Education and Nurture for Every Age
Christian education at First Pres is built around several rhythms. On Sunday mornings at 9:30, an adult Bible study meets in Room 10 and/or the Fireside Lounge before worship. Children are always welcome in the service, and a children's message is part of each Sunday gathering; on most Sundays children then go to their own class. The Mensch group, which studies a variety of spiritual authors, meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month from 7 to 9 p.m. Presbyterian Women organizes four active circles that meet monthly from September through June for Bible study, fellowship, mission work, and coffee-hour hosting, and supports the larger church through the PW Mission Pledge, Thank Offering, Birthday Offering, and Least Coin Offering. Youth ministry is anchored by Fellowship of the Carpenter, a 6th-grade-through-high-school group built on five core principles: formation of Christian faith, service, relationships, leadership development, and adventures. The youth fellowship meets after worship for lunch and conversation, takes trips, performs service projects, and attends regional and national Presbyterian gatherings, including Triennium and Tapestry. Some youth have gone on to Young Adult Volunteers, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and Presbyterian Women.
Music, Prayer, and Quiet Nights
The worship year at First Pres includes more than Sunday mornings. Healing Services are held roughly quarterly - traditionally as a Longest Night service in December and as a Communion Ash Wednesday service, with one or two additional services during the year in the Chapel. Advent and Lenten Quiet Nights, an Ash Wednesday service, a Maundy Thursday service, and a Christmas Eve service round out the liturgical year. Congregational life is supported by the pastoral care team led by Laurie Stafford in the church office, with visits, prayers (including a prayer chain), and memorial services coordinated through the office and the Deacons' congregational care committee. For those interested in contemplative practice, Companions on the Inner Way is a five-day retreat in which members of the congregation participate.
Onsite Partners and Community Connections
The campus at 1900 North D Street is shared with several partner organizations. Oak Tree Learning Center provides preschool academics and social-emotional development, and Key Essentials to Behavioral Management works with children on social skills for school and life; both occupy dedicated spaces on the grounds. Symphonie Jeunesse, the San Bernardino youth symphony, rehearses weekly on campus and performs periodically at the church. Straight-Up AA meets on the campus every Saturday at 10 a.m. The Presbytery of Riverside's offices are located on the campus of First Presbyterian Church of Redlands, the sister congregation to the east. Other community partners include LSSSC Community Wellness Campus, the Obershaw Den food pantry at Cal State San Bernardino, the Open Door Program of the Family Assistance Program (for survivors of human trafficking and sexual exploitation), Option House, and the Inland Empire Chapter of House of Ruth. The church also partners with Living Waters for the World to install appropriate water systems in Guatemala and Mexico, and members make regular visits to Filadelfia Hospital in Tijuana to deliver medical supplies.
Leadership, Governance, and the Wider Church
The Session, the congregation's board of elders, is responsible for the mission and governance of the church under the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) constitution. Ruling elders are elected to three-year terms and serve on committees that cover Financial Stewardship, Building and Grounds, Nurture, Worship, and Personnel. Amy Smith serves as Clerk of Session; Katie Smith as Treasurer; and Pastor Brian Symonds moderates Session meetings as head of staff. The Board of Deacons, organized into Congregational Care, Community Outreach, and Food Program, is responsible for the care and compassion of those in and beyond the congregation. Mindy Rueda moderates the Deacons, with Kristine French as secretary. At the regional level, First Pres belongs to the Presbytery of Riverside and the Synod of Southern California and Hawaii. The congregation participates in the denomination's four annual special offerings - One Great Hour of Sharing, the Pentecost Offering, the Peace and Global Witness Offering, and the Christmas Joy Offering - and uses the PC(USA) Mission Yearbook for Study and Prayer to guide its prayer and giving. A donor-advised fund through the Presbyterian Foundation allows members to create lasting legacies that support camperships, preschool-age children, and special Deacon and Session projects.
Joining, Giving, and Staying Connected
People curious about membership are invited to an Inquirers' Class to learn what full participation in the congregation looks like. The church invites people to journey with it for as long as benefits them without pressure to join, and frames the rhythm of discipleship with the phrase "Be in Christ, Be Loved, Be of Use." Giving can be made online through PayPal or by setting up a recurring payment through one's own bank, by mailing a check to the church's mailing address, or through the Presbyterian Foundation's donor-advised fund. The best ways to stay current are to subscribe to the weekly email announcements, follow the church on Facebook and YouTube, and pick up a copy of First Press, the monthly newsletter, in print or as a PDF. The church office is open Monday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with masks and hand sanitizer available onsite for those who want them.