A Faith Community on Big Spring Avenue
First United Presbyterian Church sits on a hill at 111 W. Big Spring Avenue in the small Cumberland County borough of Newville, Pennsylvania. The congregation belongs to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and to the Presbytery of Carlisle, the regional body that connects the church to the wider denomination. Its statement of purpose is short and direct: "Prayerfully, we openly engage in relationships through Christ's love." The church frames itself as a faith community open to all, working to understand and live out what it means to follow Jesus in the world they share.
Pastor Vern and a Quarter Century of Ministry
The Rev. Dr. Vernon Gauthier has served as the congregation's teaching elder since August 2001. A Massachusetts native, Pastor Vern spent eight years in the United States Air Force before responding to a call to ministry. He earned a Master of Divinity from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in 1992 and a Doctor of Ministry from Lancaster Theological Seminary in 2008. He is married to Elisabeth, whom he met while stationed in England, and the couple has two adult children, Allison and Peter. In Presbyterian polity, the teaching elder shares leadership with the elected ruling elders of the session, and the church draws on the description of that shared work found in the Book of Order: preaching and teaching the faith, serving at font and table, supporting the people in daily life, and taking part in governance.
Sunday Morning at 10:15
Worship is the weekly center of life at First United. The single Sunday service begins at 10:15 a.m. and is offered both in person in the sanctuary and through a livestream on YouTube. The YouTube channel offers both current services and an archive of past Sundays, so members who are traveling, ill, or away at college can keep up with preaching and the church calendar. A cross icon links directly to the stream. The pattern of a single Sunday gathering reflects the size of the congregation and the long Presbyterian tradition of ordered, Word-and-Sacrament worship shaped by the lectionary and the confessions.
Ruling Elders and the Work of the Session
The session, the church's ruling body, is made up of ruling elders elected by the congregation. The current members are Elaine Fry, Mike Fry, Margie Fry, Hale McCulloch, Lynette McCulloch, Nancy McCullough, and Sherri Webber Mains. Jim Ellingsworth has served as Clerk of Session since 2007, caring for the minutes, correspondence, and other administrative needs of the board. The session exercises what the Book of Order calls "leadership, government, spiritual discernment, and discipline," discerning the mind of Christ for the life of the congregation and for its relationships with the presbytery and the wider church.
The Ministry of the Deacons
The deacons at First United carry out a ministry of compassion, witness, and service that the Book of Order traces back to the earliest descriptions of the office in Scripture. In practice, the board visits members who are isolated by age or illness, administers a Deacon Fund for confidential financial help, serves communion, and partners in a community help ministry called "Neighbors in Christ." The current deacons are Bob Kovanic, Deb Barrick, Sally Ann McCrea, Donna Weer, Sarah Keiter, and Matt Cunningham. Sally Ann McCrea serves as moderator, facilitating meetings and providing leadership for the board. Assistance through the deacons is always handled confidentially.
Stewardship, Giving, and the Wider Church
Stewardship at First United is anchored in the congregation's life together and supported by an online giving option. The church partners with the Presbyterian Foundation and Vanco Payment Solutions to make one-time and recurring gifts possible online. Donors set up a profile, choose a one-time or repeating gift, and the contribution is routed securely to the church's ministry. The arrangement is part of a broader set of relationships with the larger church: the congregation is connected to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Presbytery of Carlisle, and resources like the Presbyterian Foundation and the Krislund camp and conference ministry.
Finding the Church
The building stands a short walk from the center of Newville, and the church has worked out simple directions for visitors coming from any of the routes that pass through town. From Route 233, drivers turn onto Vine Street, then Route 533, and turn left at the stop sign at West Big Spring Avenue before turning right into Church Alley. From Route 641, travelers turn onto Springfield Avenue, cross the intersection with Route 533, and find the parking lot on the left. From Route 533, the parking lot is also on the left off Springfield Avenue. GPS systems tend to land visitors in front of the parsonage, so the church points drivers up Church Alley and to the top of the hill for the main lot. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., where Elisabeth Gauthier, the church and financial secretary, is often the first voice a caller hears.
A Congregation Held by Word and Sacrament
What holds First United together, beyond the calendar and the committees, is the steady rhythm of Word and Sacrament under the care of a long-serving pastor and an engaged body of elders and deacons. The church's purpose, plainly stated, is to engage openly in relationships through Christ's love, and the congregation continues to give that purpose shape each Sunday morning, each gathering of the session and the deacons, and each act of care that goes out from the building on Big Spring Avenue into the borough of Newville and beyond.