On a tree-lined stretch of Beach Drive NE in downtown St. Petersburg, First Presbyterian Church (FPC) has made its home for generations. With the slogan that it seeks to be "a welcoming beacon of Christ's love," the congregation blends a historic downtown presence with an active calendar of worship, music, mission work, art shows, and community conversations. FPC is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), a Reformed faith with a progressive stance toward doctrine and Scripture interpretation, and it describes itself as inclusive, caring, and passionate about helping others in the community and the world.
Two Services, Two Settings on Sunday Mornings
Sunday at First Presbyterian is built around two very different worship experiences that share the same pulpit and pastoral team. At 9 AM, the Connect Service fills the Youth Center with a lively, contemporary feel. A praise band leads modern songs, coffee and conversation are part of the rhythm, and the room has the energy of a relaxed gathering. At 11 AM, the Sanctuary Service moves to the church's main Sanctuary for a more traditional hour of worship built around the renowned Chancel Choir, an extended organ prelude and postlude on the Reuter pipe organ, and classic liturgy. Both services include a "Time for Young Disciples" moment for children, and both are livestreamed each week on YouTube so that members at home or out of town can join in.
Visitors walking in for the first time will find a welcome table at the entrance to the Youth Center for the 9 AM service and a Welcome Center just inside the Sanctuary doors for the 11 AM service. Greeters are ready to answer questions and point the way. Dress runs the full range - "come as you are or dress in your Sunday best," as the church puts it. The 11 AM Sanctuary service leans a bit more formal, but shorts and flip-flops are common there too.
Worship with Children
Children are welcome in every part of church life. Childcare is offered from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM in Room S-203 for infants through age 7, staffed by two certified preschool teachers who fill the morning with playtime, snacks, Bible stories, crafts, music, and playground time. Families who want their kids with them in worship will find dedicated "pray-grounds" sections in both worship spaces where little ones can wiggle, draw, and play while still taking part in the service. At 10 AM, kids from Pre-K through 5th grade gather for Bible study in Room S-100.
Children's Ministry extends well beyond Sunday morning. Annual favorites include the Eggstravaganza Easter egg hunt, Vacation Bible School in the summer, the Blessing of the Backpacks each August, the Blessing of the Animals, Trunk or Treat in the fall, a Live Nativity at Christmas, and a family-friendly Christmas Eve service. A Kids Communion Class welcomes students in 2nd grade and above who wish to take communion for the first time.
A Blended Music Ministry
Music is described by the church as "an integral part of our worship service and ministry to the community," and the program reflects that. The Chancel Choir sings weekly at the 11 AM Sanctuary service and in several concerts through the year. Chamber Singers, an auditioned group of eight, take on small-ensemble repertoire. The Praise Band of guitars, drums, keys, and vocals drives the 9 AM Connect service. A Handbell Choir adds its sound to Sunday worship at special times of year. Organist Jack Rain plays the Sanctuary's Reuter organ, whose extended preludes and postludes shape the 11 AM hour.
The music ministry also runs a long-standing Concert Series that brings musicians, vocalists, and choirs from the Tampa Bay area and beyond into the Sanctuary. Two concerts are traditions of their own: the Festival of Praise, which invites area choirs to gather with a guest clinician for a multi-day choral festival, and the Many Moods of Christmas concert in December, a free-will offering that supports the St. Petersburg Free Clinic.
Adults Growing Together
Sunday mornings at 10 AM are adult formation hour, with several Sunday school classes meeting in different rooms. "Power Hour" gathers in Room N-218 for fellowship and discussion around books such as John Pavlovitz's "If God Is Love, Don't Be a Jerk." "Forward Together," a class for young adults and parents, uses short videos from the Animate series followed by coffee and conversation. "Faith Journey" meets in the Chapel for facilitated discussion of contemporary theology and spiritual writing. The New Member Inquirer's Class runs periodically for those exploring membership.
Weekdays are busy too. Tuesday mornings bring a long-running Women's Bible Study in the Youth Center using works by authors such as Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer, and Lisa Harper. Presbyterian Women Circles keep six smaller groups of women meeting monthly for Bible study, fellowship, and missions. On Tuesdays at 5 PM in the Chapel, a Christian Meditation group gathers for a contemplative hour. The Faith & Fiction Book Club meets on the first Monday of the month from October through April, and a Friday Morning Bible Study at 8 AM in Room N-123 has been working its way through Romans. Men meet on Fridays at noon for a Bible study over lunch, and on the second Sunday of each month a group of men gathers in the Fellowship Hall kitchen to cook a meal for Pinellas Hope as part of the Men's Meatloaf Ministry.
Care Ministries and Stephen Ministry
FPC is a Stephen Ministry church. Stephen Ministers are lay members of the congregation who receive special training to walk alongside others through grief, loneliness, divorce, hospitalization, disability, job loss, and other hard seasons. Their work is confidential and free. A Pastoral Care Action Team, recruited by the pastor, is prepared to respond quickly when someone in the church family needs immediate help. A Create-to-Share ministry of volunteers prepares and delivers frozen meals to households marked by a birth, death, hospitalization, or crisis.
Missions Rooted in the Neighborhood and Beyond
The Mission Committee describes its work with Matthew 25:35-36 as its cornerstone: feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing those in need, caring for the sick, and visiting the imprisoned. Locally, FPC partners with the St. Petersburg Free Clinic, which it supports through food drives, food-pantry volunteering, financial gifts, and the Many Moods of Christmas offering. Once a month, a team of men prepares and serves a meal to more than 175 residents and staff at Pinellas Hope, a shelter for homeless individuals in the county. FPC has a long history of supporting Pinellas County's Meals on Wheels, with volunteers delivering hot meals five days a week, year round. Members also tutor, mentor, and supply uniforms, hygiene items, and holiday help for students and families at Lakewood Elementary. A Little Free Library, dedicated in March 2022 at the corner of Beach Drive and 8th Avenue NE, lets neighbors leave a book and take a book.
Globally, each summer a team of medical and non-medical members travels to Honduras to work with the New Hope Clinic in Orica, providing blood pressure, glucose, women's health, and eye screenings along with health kits. Members also help fund the clinic's year-round medical and dental staff. The Mission Committee supports more than 20 agencies and ministries focused on hunger, children and families, education, health, refugees, women and children in crisis, and camp experiences.
Arts, Forums, and Concerts on Beach Drive
First Presbyterian opens its doors to the wider St. Pete community in several distinctive ways. The Arts Connection runs a season of gallery shows in the Chapel, from pastel landscapes to abstract work tied to the church calendar, with opening receptions that welcome the public. The Beach Drive Forum is a monthly conversation series held on Wednesday evenings with speakers on thought-provoking topics - from Florida's water wars to Vietnam-era Donut Dollies, from local wildlife preserves to the homeless population in St. Petersburg - and it has become a neighborhood gathering in its own right. The Music Ministry's Concert Series brings in ensembles such as the Vienna Boys Choir and the Florida Wind Band, and the church also hosts the monthly St. Pete Plant Collective market in its side lot, an all-plant market that draws growers from across the region.
Becoming a Member, Getting Married, Staying Connected
People who want to make FPC their church home can join through four paths: profession of faith, reaffirmation of faith, letter of transfer from another Christian church, or affiliate membership. New Member Inquirer's Classes are held periodically, and anyone curious can call the church office to be put in touch with a pastor. For couples, FPC hosts weddings in its Sanctuary and is glad to talk with engaged couples about planning a service; inquiries go to the wedding email address listed with the church office.
Members keep up with the life of the congregation through First News, a weekly e-newsletter published on Friday mornings, and through Realm, the church's online directory and member platform. Bulletins and Orders of Worship for both the 9 AM and 11 AM services are posted each week, and recorded services remain on YouTube for catch-up viewing. The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9 AM to 5 PM and is closed on Fridays.
Where to Find the Church
First Presbyterian sits at 701 Beach Drive NE in St. Petersburg's downtown waterfront district. Three parking areas serve visitors: a paved lot behind the Sanctuary, entered from Northshore Drive, with spaces reserved for visitors; a grass lot at the corner of Beach Drive and 7th Avenue North; and street parking along 7th Avenue North. The address is the same for mail and for the church office, and the phone number rings into a small staff that includes the pastor, a director of children and family ministries, a director of contemporary music, an interim director of traditional worship and music, an organist, an audiovisual technician, an office administrator, a staff accountant, and a property and facilities coordinator. Leadership is shared with a Session of ruling elders in three rotating classes and a board of Deacons who care for the spiritual, emotional, and practical needs of the congregation. For more information, visit the Sundays page, watch services on the livestream page, or give online at Realm Giving.