Highland Park Presbyterian Church sits on University Boulevard in Dallas, Texas, just blocks from Southern Methodist University and the shops of Snider Plaza. Locals know it as HP Pres, a multi-generational congregation that has filled the same stretch of University Boulevard since 1926 and now celebrates a full century of ministry. The church runs five distinct Sunday services under the same roof, an award-winning choral program, and a constellation of ministries that stretch from newborn care to citywide missions.
A Hundred Years on University Boulevard
In 1926, fifty-three people gathered in a pasture in northern Highland Park to plant a church. That modest beginning is now a large parish whose story is being marked as the centennial. The church has set a public milestone map it calls Vision 100, with targets to be reached by the 2026 anniversary: every covenant partner growing as a follower of Jesus, 10,000 new disciples gathered near and far, ten new church plants, 100 next-generation leaders raised for Christ-centered ministry, and 1,000,000 hours of prayer. The Big Table, a fall family gathering on the Front Lawn with dinner, a time capsule, and a short film, is the centerpiece celebration.
Around that same vision, HP Pres describes itself as a family of churches for the flourishing of the city. Everything the congregation does is gathered under a single phrase: helping people find and follow Jesus. The Sunday gatherings, the neighborhood groups, the citywide service projects, the global partnerships, and the choir concerts all roll up to that one mission.
Five Sunday Services in Five Rooms
Sundays at HP Pres look like a small festival of worship styles running at the same time. Two services are classical and three are contemporary or multi-lingual, all on one campus.
- 8:15 am - Classical worship in Wynne Chapel.
- 9:30 am - Contemporary worship in the Sanctuary, livestreamed on YouTube.
- 9:30 am - Mandarin worship, part of the church's family of churches.
- 11:00 am - Classical worship in the Sanctuary.
- 11:00 am - Contemporary worship in Elliott Hall.
- 11:00 am - All Nations, an African immigrant community of faith that meets at HP Pres.
Anyone wanting to follow along at home can join the livestream of the 9:30 am Sanctuary service or watch later on YouTube. Recorded sermons and full series are also available through a podcast feed on Apple and Spotify and on the Sermons page.
A typical Sunday follows a familiar rhythm. A current preaching series, such as the nine-week Rooted walk through Galatians 5, moves through the Fruit of the Spirit across the morning services. A printed worship guide can be downloaded each week. Children move to age-graded Bible teaching during the services, and the church offers nursery care for the youngest.
The Family of Churches Around Dallas
Highland Park Pres does not describe itself as one church but as a family of churches. In addition to its main campus on University Boulevard, the congregation includes five affiliated ministries across the metro.
- All Nations - an African immigrant community of faith that meets at HP Pres at 11:00 am on Sundays, led by Pastor Simon King'ori and Director Lesley Wilson-Moore.
- Good Shepherd Oak Cliff - a church-plant pastored by Andrew Franklin, with Eric Martinez serving as a pastoral resident.
- Grace Church Lake Highlands - a sister congregation in the Lake Highlands neighborhood.
- Mandarin Chinese Church - a Mandarin-speaking community that gathers at HP Pres at 9:30 am on Sundays, pastored by Ben Wang with Chinese church planter Will Zhao.
- Peak Street Church - a church-plant serving the Old East Dallas neighborhood.
This family-of-churches posture shapes giving and vision. Designated giving to the Church Planting Fund flows directly to plant new churches across the city and the world, and HP Pres also supports missionaries in partnership with Pars Theological Centre and The Outreach Foundation.
What HP Pres Believes
HP Pres is affiliated with ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians, a movement of more than 400 churches that share a common confession. The congregation teaches that the one true living God is a God of love and the Creator and Ruler of all; that the Bible is the first and final authority for faith and life; and that God exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Because of human sin, all creation has fallen, and people stand under God's holy judgment. The church confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord, fully God and fully human, and the only way to eternal life; that He died on the cross in the place of fallen humanity and was raised bodily from the dead; and that by grace through faith in Christ alone, a person is reconciled with God and given the Holy Spirit. Looking forward, HP Pres holds to the consummation of Christ's Kingdom and the new creation when He returns.
From Birth Through High School
Children and students are not an afterthought. The Highland Kids and Highland Students teams staff every stage of growing up.
- Early Childhood, birth through kindergarten, under Director Kim Pace and Associate Director Mary Chhuani.
- Elementary, first through fourth grade, under Director Cindy Nyagaki.
- 5th & 6th Grade and 7th & 8th Grade ministries.
- High School, ninth through twelfth grade, under Director Bailey Ray and Associate Director of Middle School Elise Waterston, with pastoral oversight from Tyler Pace, Pastor of Students and Families.
- Children & Student Choirs for kindergarten through twelfth grade, led by Children's Choir Coordinator Kitty Johnson.
High schoolers meet monthly for UNITED gatherings in Elliott Hall, with worship, games, dinner, and teaching, in place of their weekly in-home Bible study groups. They also head out on trips, including the annual Ignite Student Retreat, and join spring break family mission trips that decorate snack bags, clean neighborhoods, and pack meals around Dallas. A confirmation class walks 5th and 6th graders through the basics of the Christian faith in a season when they are beginning to ask who they are and what they believe.
For college students, Camden Reed serves as HP Pres's Ministry Partner to SMU, helping students find and follow Jesus during their university years.
Adults at Every Stage
Adults at HP Pres can find a group sized to their life. On Sunday mornings, eight adult community classes meet in the Hunt Center, each with its own leader and rhythm.
- Young Adults (20s & 30s), 9:45 am in Hunt Center Room K, led by Marley Culp.
- The Vine (40s to 50s), 9:30 am in Hunt Center Room J, led by Justin and Ashley Sink.
- Journey (50s to 60s), 9:30 am in Hunt Center Room H, led by Melissa Thornton.
- Trinity (50s to 60s), 9:15 am in Hunt Center Room I, with a rotating teaching team.
- Acts Too (60s to 80s), 9:30 am in Hunt Center Room B, led by T. Hardie and Anne Compton.
- Bell Class (55 and up), 9:30 am in Hunt Center Room A, led by Jane Matthiesen and Andy Raub.
- Disciples Class (70s to 80s), 9:30 am in Hunt Center Room C, led by Walter Gast.
- Family Life (50s and up), 9:30 am in the Hunt Center Volunteer Room, led by David Atwell and Brad Popkin.
Beyond the classrooms, dedicated ministries serve particular communities.
- Women - Anchor AM (Wednesday mornings in Elliott Hall) and Anchor PM (Tuesday evenings on Zoom) gather women around weekly Bible study, currently walking through Acts 1-12. Treasure Keepers meets monthly on Mondays in Elliott Hall for moms with children from birth through high school. Director of Women Janie Bell oversees the work.
- Men - Faithful Fathers hosts a few lunches each semester for dads of any stage, with teaching and conversation aimed at fatherhood.
- Marriage - Re| Engage and other marriage ministries, plus a Count Me In Marriage serving team, help couples care for their relationship.
- Young Adults in their 20s and 30s gather for monthly worship nights in the Music Room, with Associate Director Marley Culp and Pastoral Fellow Wil McCall shepherding the community.
- Third Third is a community for adults 55 and up, with short-term studies like Flourishing in the Third Third helping them navigate retirement, the empty nest, and the next chapter.
Adults are also invited into Community Groups, smaller gatherings that meet in homes and on campus for prayer, study, and the slow work of being known. A Community Group Starter Kit, retreat guide, and curriculum ideas are available for anyone interested in starting one. Emily Reid, Pastor of Discipleship, walks alongside these groups.
Prayer as a Way of Life
HP Pres treats prayer less as a Sunday program than as the engine of the whole church. Anyone can submit a prayer request online, or sign up for a Prayer Appointment. The Sanctuary is open for personal prayer Monday through Thursday from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.
The prayer ministry is organized around five prayer teams, each focused on a different dimension of intercession: Inner Healing, Physical Healing, Prayer Walking, Crisis Prayer, and Intercessory Prayer. Members join a team after taking the Teach Me to Pray course. A weekly Midweek Prayer and Worship gathering on Wednesdays from 12:00 to 1:00 pm in the Music Room is open to anyone who can drop in. Resources like the Prayer Course, How to Pray by Pete Greig, and the Toolshed Prayer Course are recommended for those growing in prayer at home. Calum Lindsay, Pastor of Worship and Prayer, oversees the work.
The Highlander Concert Series
The Sanctuary at HP Pres fills with a different kind of sound on concert evenings. The Highlander Concert Series, now in its long-running season, brings the Highland Park Chorale, the Chancel Choir, and a full orchestra together for sacred masterworks and seasonal celebrations. The Highland Park Chorale is the winner of the 2025 American Prize for Choral Performance.
The 2026-27 season opens with a Bruckner Mass in D Minor, followed later in the season by a new Psalms of Ascent setting by Shawn Kirchner, Bach's Christmas Oratorio for the Classical Christmas concert, a Family Christmas with carols for the whole family, Handel's Messiah in December, Bach's Mass in B Minor during Lent, and a season finale of Herbert Howells's Hymnus Paradisi at Moody Performance Hall. Music Room Concerts, hour-long chamber recitals, fill in between. The Director of Music, Greg Hobbs, conducts the major choral works; Yoonmi Lim serves as Organist; and Caleb Hardy directs the contemporary Hall worship service and team.
The Meyercord Library and the Church Coffee Shop
Two smaller gathering places round out the building. The Meyercord Library sits on the second floor of the Hunt Center, stocked with books on theology, Christian education, biography, history, science, devotionals, and fiction. Library Coordinator Margaret Anne Lindstrom and a team of volunteers keep it humming. Members can check out books through self-service kiosks or with a volunteer's help. Brown Bag & A Book, a monthly book discussion over lunch on the third Monday of the month, brings readers together around titles like Dylan Thomas's A Child's Christmas in Wales.
Church Coffee is the church's own coffee shop on campus. Open during the week and on Sundays, it is staffed by a small team of baristas under Coffee Manager Jordan Lockette and is a popular first stop for visitors looking for a friendly face before service.
Serving Dallas and the World
Missions at HP Pres is organized around two large buckets. City Engagement partners with local ministries for acts of mercy and justice, feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, and supporting the marginalized. Each year the congregation joins Transform Dallas, a citywide workday run with the Dallas Leadership Foundation that paints, repairs, and serves across the city. A separate Compassion Fund meets the critical needs of people in challenging circumstances inside the church, the city, and beyond.
Global Engagement works through 29 missionaries in Dallas and around the world, alongside partnerships with organizations such as Pars Theological Centre and The Outreach Foundation. Short-term mission trips go out yearly, including the seven-churches journey through Revelation 2 and 3 in Türkiye, with travel, lodging, and guided tours built into the trip itinerary.
Special giving funds include Disaster Relief, City Engagement, Global Engagement, the Church Planting Fund, Missionaries, Mission Trip Scholarships, Music Ministry, and Memorial Giving. The RENEW campaign is the church's capital initiative to care for the spaces that shape disciples and send them out for the next century.
Care, Counseling, and Grief Support
A staff Care Ministry walks with members through the harder seasons of life. Pastor of Care Ryan Tompkins oversees the work, with Director of Congregational Care Kelli Harrison, Care Coordinator Renne Lokey, and a slate of care teams. Care Groups offer safe, faith-centered community around particular experiences. Mental health, domestic violence, grief, and end-of-life resources are all curated on the church's care pages. Weddings and baptisms are also prepared and hosted on campus, with a Wedding Coordinator on staff.
Becoming Part of the Story
Visitors and newcomers have a clear front door. The Coffee with a Pastor program pairs newcomers with a pastor for a personal conversation over coffee. Becoming HP Pres, a three-week course offered several times a year, walks participants through the church's beliefs, vision, and structure, with the chance to become a Covenant Partner, the church's term for members.
Alpha, the international introduction to the Christian faith, runs in two formats on the HP Pres campus. Alpha AM meets on Wednesday mornings at 9:00 am in Hunt Center Room K, and Alpha PM meets on Tuesday evenings at 6:45 pm in the same room. Each session begins with food, then a video, then small-group discussion in a relaxed environment. There is no charge, no follow-up pressure, and no question that is out of bounds.
RightNow Media is free for everyone in the church and gives access to a deep library of Bible study videos for adults, kids, and small groups. The Bible in One Year plan, the Bible Project, and other reading resources are available to help members grow in daily engagement with Scripture.
Leadership and Governance
Senior Pastor Thomas Daniel and Executive Pastor Jay Lee shepherd the congregation. The Session, HP Pres's ruling body, is made up of twenty-four elected men and women plus three pastors who provide spiritual and visionary oversight. A board of deacons serves alongside. The staff team is broad, with pastors for worship, care, students and families, young families, Mandarin, and All Nations, alongside directors of music, children, students, care, outreach, missions, and operations.
All of this - five Sunday services, six affiliated churches, a century of history, an award-winning concert series, and a vision for the next hundred years - gathers around the same address on University Boulevard in Dallas. HP Pres is a church that knows where it has come from and where it is going, and it invites anyone walking through its doors to be part of the story.