At 211 W. Chicago Blvd. in Tecumseh, Michigan, First Presbyterian Church of Tecumseh is known for a worship tradition begun in 1825 and for pairing that tradition with an active Earth Care program, community meals, education and service. A congregation of Maumee Valley Presbytery in the Presbyterian Church (USA), it calls itself a loving community of faith following Jesus Christ, where everyone has a place and a voice. Its Sunday gathering brings together traditional worship, music from varied cultures, children and youth, and a mission that engages minds, hearts and hands for neighbors near and far.
From Noah M. Wells in 1825
Presbyterian pastor Rev. Noah M. Wells conducted the first worship service in Tecumseh in the fall of 1825. The congregation now belongs to Maumee Valley Presbytery and the Presbyterian Church (USA), and its sanctuary was dedicated in 1869. Its story links a 19th-century building with a continuing commitment to worship, education, service and care for creation.
The church calls itself a loving community of faith following the teachings of Jesus Christ, where everyone has a place and a voice. Its understanding of leadership is broad: God equips and calls women and men, young and old, to all ministry. Its work of learning and action means studying the Bible and humanity, acknowledging blind spots and limits, seeking grace and courage beyond comfort zones, and working toward abundant life for all of God's children. It also understands itself as a legacy, carrying the influence of earlier people of faith into the next generation.
That sense of purpose is expressed in its reasons for following Jesus. The congregation speaks of his having the words of life, being inspired by a dream where all things are made new, and knowing, loving and calling each person by name. It sees following him as counter-cultural, radical and real, while seeking to tell the timeless story of Jesus and his love with new words for today.
Sunday at 10:30: Prayer, Hymns, and Shared Life
Sunday worship begins at 10:30 a.m. and runs until 11:30. The congregation worships in the sanctuary, and the same gathering can be joined through Zoom. Recorded worship is also available on the church's YouTube channel, and an archive of worship videos and sermons reaches back to 2017. The service is in English and gives children and adults specific roles in prayer, music and response.
- The service opens with lighting the Christ Candle and candelabras, a prelude, opening prayer and hymn, followed by welcome and an offering of thanksgiving with an offertory anthem and dedication.
- After a children's message, children and youth are shepherded to classrooms. The congregation then moves through prayer of confession, assurance of God's love and grace, and the passing of the peace.
- A song of illumination leads into Scripture readings from Exodus 17 and Matthew 21, using The Inclusive Bible: The First Egalitarian Translation.
- Rev. Catherine King preaches, followed by a response song, prayer for the church, sharing of joys and concerns, the Lord's Prayer and a deacon's minute.
- A closing hymn and charge with blessing send the congregation outward, and the Christ Candle is extinguished.
The pattern is rooted in the Presbyterian tradition while giving a clear place to children, congregational participation and the life of the church beyond the sermon. The readings focus on God's justice, mercy and generous welcome, themes that recur in the congregation's teaching and service.
Music With Room for Many Voices
Music is treated as part of worship, spiritual life and healing. The music ministry includes vocal and handbell choirs, soloists, ensembles and instrumentalists, and deliberately integrates songs from other cultures to express solidarity with siblings in a global church. Hymns such as Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah, Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow and Lead Me, Guide Me sit alongside choral and ensemble work. The ministry's conviction is simple: All God's children have a place in the choir as they make a joyful noise together.
Children and Youth Are Part of the Gathering
Children's time is part of the Sunday service. After the children's message and prayer, children and youth move to classrooms, where Sunday School volunteers work in the Grotto and Rainbow rooms. A youth acolyte ministry is another Congregational Life initiative, and Samantha Huff serves as Youth Education Coordinator. The nursery beside the sanctuary contains toys for all ages, books, rocking chairs and a crib, with a paging system for parents. In summer, Vacation Bible School takes place at Rev. Cathi and Andy King's 80-acre sustainable homestead, using themes such as gardening, food production, solar power, birds and pollinators.
Earth Care Starts with the Building and Grounds
First Presbyterian Church of Tecumseh has been a certified Earth Care congregation since 2017, an initiative of the Presbyterian Church (USA) that covers worship, education, facilities and outreach. Its vision is for God's world to become a resilient and caring community living in harmony with a healthy environment. Its mission calls for consistent focus, energy and action toward preserving and healing that world. The certification is reflected in practical changes throughout the church.
Greening the Historic Church Building
An energy audit with Consumers Energy led to LED lighting, programmable thermostats, motion-sensor lights and an HVAC system reconfigured so unneeded areas do not have to be heated or cooled. The church has eliminated disposable dishware and silverware, banned plastic water bottles at events, made services paperless and serves communion by intinction. Grounds care has moved away from chemical lawn treatments, sharply reduced irrigation and put volunteers to work in the Weed It And Reap flowerbed program. Locally produced, shredded wood mulch is used in the flowerbeds.
A Rain Garden for Clean Water and Pollinators
On the north side of the property, a 420-square-foot rain garden filters runoff from the church parking lots and provides habitat for pollinators. Its deep-rooted native plants take water in slowly, and excess runoff is normally absorbed within 24 hours rather than remaining standing. The garden began with 238 plants representing 45 varieties; 21 varieties serve as larval hosts for butterflies and moths. Seedlings and divisions are shared with church members and friends each spring. Church youth created a peace pole for the garden, carrying the message May peace prevail on Earth in English, Spanish, Ukrainian and Italian.
Earth-centered learning extends beyond the garden. The congregation has offered book studies, movie nights, presentations, garden tours and a nature-themed art show. Earth Month in April includes an educational presentation, plant sale and tree-seedling giveaway, and an annual autumn blessing of animals is held with the Lenawee Humane Society, featuring pets available for adoption. Palm Sunday worship has used locally cut branches instead of palms. The rain garden itself has become a teaching setting for clean water, native plants, pollinators and birds.
Serving Neighbors Near and Far
Responding to the love of God demonstrated in Jesus Christ is the congregation's mission: to equip church members and provide opportunities to serve those in need. First Presbyterian is also a Matthew 25 church, committed to congregational vitality, dismantling structural racism and eradicating systemic poverty. The congregation holds that Black voices need to be valued and heard and that anti-racist work is an essential part of Christian discipleship. Adult education has addressed No Innocent Bystanders, Raising White Kids, uncomfortable conversations with Black men, racism in a post-Obama America and other questions of belonging and justice.
- Share the Warmth, a monthly meal, and migrant dinners held during summer.
- Food-bank assistance through Tecumseh Methodist, coat-drive donations and the Catherine Cobb Safe House Donation Store.
- Community outreach through Invisible City, along with opening the church building to community organizations.
- A Yarn Room stocked with donated yarn for community projects, available during church office hours on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
- A weekly local Alcoholics Anonymous meeting at 6 p.m. in the second-floor Knox Hall.
- Shared space for Community Arts of Tecumseh and the Little Garden Club of Tecumseh, plus a monthly euchre night.
Giving is available through secure online giving by credit or debit card through Vanco.
Learning Through Courageous Conversations
The church has hosted Courageous Conversations on incarcerated people and their treatment, life after a sexual conviction, invasive species, immigration and asylum seekers, mental health, homelessness in Lenawee County, opioid use and life after the death of a loved one. These gatherings extend the congregation's educational work and its willingness to acknowledge blind spots, listen to different experiences and consider how faith can inform action.
An 1869 Sanctuary and Rooms for the Community
The historic sanctuary, dedicated in 1869, has numerous stained-glass windows and old-world charm. It can host weddings, funerals, recitals and concerts. Knox Hall seats 200 and can be divided into two or three rooms with heavy curtain walls; it has a sound system, wireless microphone, digital projector and screen. Several flexible classrooms sit at the main entrance, including child-friendly rooms, and a kitchenette supports catering, limited food preparation and cleanup. Five approximately 400-square-foot rooms on each of the upper and lower Knox Hall levels are available to nonprofits and groups aligned with the church's mission, with elevator access to the upper level. The church also provides a columbarium and has a walled memorial garden. The church offers facility rental for meetings, seminars, recitals, concerts, family gatherings, community arts, funeral dinners and weddings.
Ministry Shared by Many Gifts
Rev. Catherine King, pastor, is a native Michigander who earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and a Master of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary. After 11 years in corporate management, she answered a call to teach Christian discipleship. Ordained in 2005, she spent eight years as associate pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Ann Arbor before joining this congregation in 2013. She is passionate about helping people connect with Christ and one another in authentic community.
Music is led by Phillip Clark, Director of Music Ministries, with Kristin Clark as Choir Director. Samantha Huff serves as Youth Education Coordinator, and Lee Walsh coordinates Earth Care. The leadership structure includes elected elders, Clerk of Elders Harvey Schmidt and the Session Moderator. Three teams divide the work: Congregational Life for worship, education and membership; Community Partnership for mission partners, the mission budget and community outreach; and Ecclesial Health, Facility, Finance and Future for oversight of finances, facilities, policies and personnel. This structure reflects the congregation's conviction that women and men, young and old can serve in all ministry.
A Church That Engages Minds, Hearts, and Hands
First Presbyterian Church of Tecumseh is more than its long worship history and historic sanctuary. It is a congregation that connects Scripture and prayer with Earth Care, anti-racism commitments, meals, conversation, music and practical service. At its center remains the conviction that every person has a place and a voice, and that faith engages minds, hearts and hands to serve neighbors near and far.