A Home in Albuquerque's International District
La Mesa Presbyterian Church sits at 7401 Copper Avenue NE in the La Mesa neighborhood of Albuquerque's International District, near the Fairgrounds and historic Route 66. The building, with its bell tower and Tree of Life courtyard, has stood on this corner for the better part of a century, and the congregation's commitment to the people who live around it has lasted even longer. Its name, "La Mesa," means "The Table," and the church takes that image seriously. Around this table, all are welcome.
For more than 80 years, La Mesa has served one of the most multicultural corners of Albuquerque, working alongside neighbors through worship, learning, service, and justice. Today it is a progressive, inclusive congregation in the Presbyterian Church (USA) tradition, putting faith into action through a food pantry, a Thanksgiving meal program, an after-school arts academy, an Earth Care team, and a partnership with New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence. Yet it remains, at its heart, a neighborhood church where members know one another by name.
Sunday Worship at 10:30
Sunday morning worship at La Mesa begins at 10:30 a.m. The service lasts about 75 minutes. The congregation sings, prays, reads scripture, and hears a message. After the Children's Time at the front of the service, children are invited to Children's Church for prayer, art, and relationship building, while older worshippers continue in the sanctuary. Worship is also livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel, so anyone unable to attend in person can join live or watch later.
Holy Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month and on special holy days. La Mesa practices an open table, meaning that everyone is welcome to receive the bread and cup, regardless of faith tradition or baptism status. Gluten-free communion bread is available for those who need it.
Visitors are encouraged to come as they are. Jeans, shorts, dresses, shirts and ties, kilts, and T-shirts all fit right in. After worship, the whole community is invited to stay for conversation and a snack in Fellowship Hall.
Children, Accessibility, and Parking
Childcare is provided on Sunday mornings. A dedicated children's area with activities is available, and children are welcome to participate in the pastor's weekly Children's Message. The church building is wheelchair and walker accessible, with handicapped parking near the doors, hearing assistive devices, a hearing loop system, and a hearing-accessible sanctuary. Plenty of on-street parking is available if the church lot is full.
A Diverse and Inclusive Community
La Mesa's inclusion statement is plain: all who profess faith in Jesus Christ are welcomed into full participation, regardless of age, race, national origin, citizenship, housing status, gender identity, sexual or affectional orientation, or physical, mental, or hidden differences and disabilities. While respecting tradition, the congregation uses inclusive language, images, metaphors, and music that honor both the love and mystery of God and the rich diversity of God's people.
Almost Ninety Years on Copper Avenue
The story of La Mesa Presbyterian Church begins in 1938, when a small group of Protestant families in the rural La Mesa community, then on the eastern outskirts of Albuquerque, gathered for Sunday school in the original La Mesa School, a one-room building at the corner of Louisiana Boulevard and Copper Avenue. The class was organized by Rev. David Reiter, a Presbyterian minister serving with the Board of National Missions, and included roughly twenty adults and children.
The class outgrew its one-room schoolhouse and moved with La Mesa Elementary to a larger building at Copper and Española in 1940. As interest grew, several denominations sent delegations to talk with the class about affiliation. The community voted to become Presbyterian, and on November 9, 1942, eighty-three people signed a petition to the Rio Grande Presbytery requesting permission to organize a congregation. On February 4, 1944, with thirty-two charter members and Rev. Morton Young as organizing pastor, the La Mesa Community Presbyterian Church was formally organized.
The congregation built its first sanctuary in 1945, using lumber salvaged from Civilian Conservation Corps barracks in the Jemez Mountains. The current sanctuary, with the pipe organ installed in 1965 and the bell from a Missouri congregation hung in the tower in 1967, took shape over the next decade. Under Rev. Harry Summers, who arrived in 1950 and stayed fourteen years, membership grew from 68 to more than 500.
In 1979, Rev. Howard Paul was installed as pastor. His fifteen-year ministry was marked by an important decision in the late 1980s. Members considered relocating to another part of Albuquerque but ultimately chose to stay in the La Mesa neighborhood and deepen their commitment to the surrounding community. That decision led to a major 1994 expansion that added the Fellowship Hall, expanded offices, a parlor and library, and a commercial kitchen.
After co-pastors Revs. Richard and Kathryn Pyke served briefly in the late 1990s, Rev. Trey Hammond began his pastorate in October 1999. Coming to La Mesa after fifteen years in urban churches and a role as Coordinator for Urban Ministry on the national staff of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Hammond led the congregation for twenty-one years. The church played a leadership role in Albuquerque Interfaith and helped support the founding of the Albuquerque Opportunity Center, a shelter and support program for men experiencing homelessness, in 2004.
In 2006, La Mesa launched the La Mesa Arts Academy in partnership with La Mesa Elementary School, providing free after-school instruction in visual arts, music, dance, and drama. A major renovation in 2012 brought improvements to the Learning Center and restored the church organ. In 2013, the congregation broke ground on the La Mesa Neighborhood Garden Park.
Following Rev. Hammond's retirement in 2020, the church entered a period of transition and called Rev. Dr. Brett Mitchell as pastor in 2023. Mitchell is a teacher, writer, speaker, and pilgrimage leader, author of ten books, and a long-time advocate for inclusive communities. He and his spouse Christian Halstead are part of the La Mesa family.
Putting Faith into Action
The outreach ministries at La Mesa Presbyterian Church are an extension of the congregation's daily life, not a separate program.
The Food Pantry
For nearly twenty years, the La Mesa Food Pantry has been one of the most reliable food resources in the International District. Open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., the pantry serves 80 to 100 households each week with canned goods, pasta, rice, beans, cereal, fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, and other ready-to-eat foods, all distributed with dignity and no questions asked. No identification or proof of need is required. The pantry has partnered with Roadrunner Food Bank since its earliest days. Guests ring a bell at the church parking lot gate for entry, and the facility is wheelchair accessible.
Feast of Hope
Every Thanksgiving Day for more than thirty years, La Mesa has hosted the Feast of Hope, one of the largest free Thanksgiving meal programs in Albuquerque. Between 1,300 and 1,600 hot meals are prepared and served by a small army of volunteers, and a free clothing bank is also available. The feast is open to everyone, regardless of neighborhood.
Earth Care Team
La Mesa is recognized as a PC(USA) Earth Care Congregation. The Earth Care Team coordinates educational programs, guest speakers, book discussions, water stewardship, recycling and waste reduction, plastic-free living, meatless potlucks, nature walks, community advocacy, and seasonal creation care events.
Guns to Gardens
In partnership with New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence, La Mesa hosts the Guns to Gardens program, a gun buyback that transforms surrendered weapons into garden tools and other useful objects.
The Arts Academy and Music Ministry
The La Mesa Arts Academy, established in 2006 in partnership with La Mesa Elementary School, provides free after-school arts programming for K-5 students. Classes in visual arts, music, dance, and drama are taught by professional artists in the church's classrooms, with oversight from the Academy Director. The program emphasizes culturally relevant content, creative self-expression, and socio-emotional learning.
Music is woven throughout La Mesa's worship life. Music Director Mike Boring, who joined the staff in 2022, leads the Chancel Choir and Handbell Choir and accompanies the congregation from the piano. The church also hosts a varied concert series that has included folk, rock, spiritual, and blues performers, and welcomes artists interested in performing.
Learn, Connect, and Grow
Education is at the heart of La Mesa's mission. Two adult learning opportunities meet Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m., before worship. A Bible Study class gathers in the Library, and Going Deeper, a peer-led discussion group with invited speakers, meets in the Conference Room and online via Google Meet during the school year. Going Deeper explores topics that nurture faith, encourage spiritual growth, and inspire engagement with social justice issues, and children are welcome to attend. Throughout the church year, seasonal studies during Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Ordinary Time are led by the pastor or other facilitators.
Fellowship and community life include Yada Yadah, a casual gathering of women of the church that meets for a meal on the fourth Sunday of each month at noon, and a thriving children's ministry. Children's Church follows the Children's Time during worship, and Kids' Club offers additional programming. Childcare is available throughout the Sunday morning service.
Marking Life's Milestones
La Mesa Presbyterian Church accompanies people through many of life's most meaningful moments.
Weddings
The church hosts weddings, vow renewals, and other celebrations of marriage for both members and non-members. Couples do not need to be members of the congregation, and outside clergy are welcome to participate. The sanctuary seats about 100 people. Premarital counseling, a livestream option, and reception possibilities are available.
Quinceañeras
La Mesa provides a welcoming and inclusive space for quinceañeras, offering the use of its sanctuary, space for family gatherings and receptions, accessible facilities, and flexible options for celebrations of different sizes.
Funerals and Memorials
The church helps families celebrate the life of a loved one through funeral services, memorial services, and celebration-of-life gatherings, with reception space and livestreaming available. Planning assistance includes meeting with the pastor, music, readings, and reception coordination.
Legacy Giving
Members and friends can extend their stewardship beyond their lifetime through legacy gifts to support the church's ministries, facilities, and outreach. A Tree of Life in the courtyard symbolizes the deep roots, enduring growth, and abundant blessings that such gifts represent.
What La Mesa Believes
La Mesa Presbyterian Church is part of the Presbyterian Church (USA), a Reformed Christian tradition that affirms God's grace, values thoughtful faith, seeks justice for all, and encourages the church to continually reform its life and ministry according to God's call. At La Mesa, members believe that God is revealed through Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection show the depth of God's love for the world. Guided by Scripture and empowered by the Holy Spirit, the congregation seeks to grow in faith, worship God with joy, and follow Christ on a pilgrimage of faith, loving neighbors and God as they pursue justice and serve one another with compassion.
The church believes that every person is created in God's image and is beloved by God, and so welcomes everyone into worship and the life of the congregation. As followers of Christ on a pilgrimage of faith, members seek to further God's unfolding reign of justice, peace, and compassion. Nourished by worship and fellowship, they go forth as joyful disciples to serve God in the congregation, in the diverse International District of Albuquerque, and throughout the world.
Pastors and Staff
Rev. Dr. Brett Mitchell serves as pastor. Rev. Dr. Rich Holmes serves as Parish Associate. Pastor Emeritus Rev. Dr. Howard Paul served La Mesa from 1979 to 1994, and Pastor Emeritus Rev. Trey Hammond served from 1999 to 2021. Roxie Bradley leads the Food Pantry, Yatziri Gonzalez serves as Youth Leader, Mike Boring directs the music program, and Jazlin Mendoza directs the Arts Academy.
Getting Involved
There are many ways to take part in the life of La Mesa Presbyterian Church. Sunday morning worship is the heart of congregational life, and Bible Study and Going Deeper offer ways to grow in faith before the service. Volunteers support the Food Pantry, Feast of Hope, Earth Care Team, Guns to Gardens events, Arts Academy, office, and grounds. Members and friends share their talents through music, technology, gardening, building maintenance, and administration. The church's giving funds support the general ministry, the Samaritan Fund for emergency assistance, the building, and directed gifts.
Office hours are 9:00 a.m. to noon by appointment. The Food Pantry is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. The church office can be reached at (505) 255-8095 or officeadmin@lamesapresabq.org.