Market Square Presbyterian Church stands at 20 South Second Street in downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where it has shaped the city through worship, music, advocacy, and direct service for more than two centuries. Known for its strong music program, its progressive and inclusive identity, and its decades of work with neighbors experiencing homelessness and hunger, the church calls itself a "beacon of hope on the square." Its mission is to proclaim and live the Good News of Jesus Christ by welcoming friend and stranger alike into a diverse and inclusive family of faith regardless of race, class, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or worldly condition of any kind.
From 1794 to the Present Sanctuary
The story begins in the late 1700s, when several members of Paxton Presbyterian Church asked to form a new body in the river town being laid out by John Harris Jr. Paxton's pastor, the Reverend John Elder, blocked their efforts but allowed a satellite worshipping community under his church's oversight. Elder died in 1792. Two years later, in 1794, the presbytery approved the formation of what was then called the English Presbyterian Congregation of Harrisburg.
Before building a sanctuary of its own, the congregation met in various locations, including once at the local jail. The first building went up in 1806 at the corner of Second Street and Cherry Alley. There, the women of the congregation established Harrisburg's first Sunday school, covering reading, writing, and arithmetic along with Bible study because there were no public schools in town. That building was replaced in 1842 by a second, larger structure, which burned to the ground in 1858. The fire set in motion the creation of three congregations from one. Several Black members left to found what is now Capital Presbyterian Church, and a theological dispute between Old School and New School Presbyterians led to the formation of Pine Street Presbyterian Church. Most of the body stayed together and built the present sanctuary.
Philadelphia architect Joseph Hoxie, who had designed the Arch Street Presbyterian Church in downtown Philadelphia and the old Harrisburg train station, chose Romanesque Revival as the dominant style, with red brick and brownstone trim and a Gothic steeple rising 193 feet. Inside, an all-white sanctuary is marked by four Corinthian columns supporting arches over the pulpit area. Ten stained-glass windows line the sides; three on the north side were later replaced by windows bearing biblical imagery, gifts from families wishing to memorialize loved ones.
The dedicatory service took place on Sunday, March 18, 1860. Coincidentally, on the day after the dedication, Harrisburg officially became a city. Subsequent decades brought an organ in 1872, the doubling of the building in 1882, a Board of Deacons in 1887, and the city's first Girl Scout troop in 1917, six years after the church had begun hosting a Boy Scout troop. The Sunday morning worship service began broadcasting on the radio in 1931, a practice that continues today.
Major changes shaped the second half of the twentieth century. The sanctuary was renovated in 1937, with a chapel, parlor, and Fellowship Hall created behind it. A new Aeolian-Skinner organ arrived in 1946. In 1962, Market Square established WMSP-FM, the area's only classical music station until the establishment of WITF-FM nine years later. The church welcomed Korean-speaking immigrants in 1974 and helped establish the Indo-Chinese Service Center in 1977 with Carlisle Presbytery, which grew into today's International Service Center. WMSP was sold in 1988, and the Foerster Building was sold to the city in 1989 to make way for the seven-level Market Square Garage. A 1990 addition connected the church directly to the garage.
In 1994 the congregation adopted a new mission statement welcoming all into a diverse and inclusive family of faith. The Sunday breakfast program for unhoused neighbors began in 2001, the same year the church sponsored four of the Lost Boys of Sudan. The deacons joined other downtown churches in 2003 to provide overnight winter shelters, eventually leading to the Susquehanna Harbor Safe Haven. Major renovations in 2006 added a glass-topped atrium at the garage entrance, a glass-paneled nursery, a youth room, and a new library. The columbarium was installed in 2008. The Archives Committee was created in 2012, the LGBT and Allies Committee in 2013, the Room for the Inner Way in 2014, and the Antiracism and Racial Justice Task Force in 2020. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) designated Market Square an Earth Care Congregation in 2017. The COVID pandemic forced suspension of in-person worship for much of two years and led to a major sanctuary renovation that included a complete organ reconstruction, new flooring and carpeting, and replacement of the original 160-year-old pews. Video livestreaming of Sunday services began in 2022.
Sunday Worship in Two Languages
Market Square offers two distinct Sunday services. The English-language service is held at 11:00 a.m. in the main sanctuary, where the congregation gathers for a traditional service marked by thoughtful preaching, responsive readings, congregational singing, and choral anthems. Holy Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month and on liturgical feast days, and the table is open to members and visitors alike. Children are welcomed into worship, and every Sunday includes a time with children and special resource bags to help little ones engage with the liturgy. A printed bulletin with notes along the side helps orient worshippers through the order of service.
For Korean-speaking members and friends, a separate service is held at 9:30 a.m. in the chapel, led by Pastor Ki Nam Lee. These services began in 1974, when Market Square welcomed Korean immigrants into its midst, and a strong Korean-speaking community has remained even as many Korean members helped form a separate Korean Presbyterian church on the West Shore. The two communities come together for fellowship on the second Sunday of each month at the Korean Luncheon in Fellowship Hall, immediately following the 11:00 a.m. service, where members may bring a dish to share or simply come.
Worshippers unable to attend in person can join the 11:00 a.m. service through a livestream on YouTube. The service also continues to broadcast on the radio, a tradition stretching back to 1931.
An Organ, Four Keyboards, and a Choir Loft
Music has been central to Market Square worship for generations, and the sanctuary is home to four instruments that together shape the church's sound. The centerpiece is the J. Nedra Schilling Organ, Orgues Létourneau Opus 136, a four-manual, 83-rank pipe organ named at a dedication weekend in February 2022 for a choir member who had sung in the loft for more than fifty years. Joining the organ are a restored Steinway concert grand piano, a Hubbard single-manual harpsichord, and a Vági portative organ from Hungary. The music ministry also uses three-octave sets of Schmulmerich and Malmark English handbells, a three-octave set of Malmark hand-chimes, and an assortment of rhythm instruments.
Tyler A. Canonico-Dilley serves as Minister of Music and Worship, with Caleb Leckrone as Organ Scholar and Jonathan Walker-VanKuren as Artist-in-Residence. The Sanctuary Choir, made up of high schoolers and adults, rehearses Thursday evenings from 7:15 to 9:30 p.m. in Geneva Hall and sings two anthems each week plus special services and concerts. The Market Square Ringers, an intermediate-to-advanced handbell choir, rehearses from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Thursdays. The Open Loft Choir invites singers who cannot commit weekly to gather at 10:00 a.m. on selected Sundays and sing that morning, joining the Sanctuary Choir quarterly. The Market Square Singers is a touring ensemble of volunteers and community singers, with past performances in Italy and Canada. Three volunteer music librarians, Betsy Cobb, Robb Whitmoyer, and Debbi Zweitzig, manage the choral, handbell, and instrumental library.
Arts on the Square
The Arts on the Square initiative presents a season of high-quality musical performances and visual arts exhibitions in the acoustically enhanced sanctuary and the soaring space of historic Geneva Hall. Past seasons have featured international, national, and local artists and performers in organ recitals, choral concerts, vocal programs, and instrumental ensembles. Carols by Candlelight, a long-running Harrisburg tradition, brings the Sanctuary Choir together with an orchestra and audience candle lighting to welcome the Christmas season.
Concerts are held Sunday afternoons at 4:00 p.m. and request a suggested donation, with complimentary parking in the adjacent Market Square Garage. The Arts on the Square Gallery hosts three exhibits annually, with artist receptions open to the public from 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. on the opening Sunday. Beth Hager is Art Gallery Coordinator for the team led by Artistic Director Tyler Canonico-Dilley. Friends of Arts on the Square, supported by foundations and individuals, help fund the season's programming.
Sunday School, the Adult Forum, and Covenant Groups
Children are at the heart of the church's life. Children's Sunday School uses the Feasting on the Word curriculum, following the lectionary readings used in worship so that children make a direct connection between what they learn and what they hear on Sunday mornings. Children ages 0 to 5 meet from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in Geneva Hall and from 10:45 a.m. until the end of worship in the fourth-floor nursery. Children ages 6 through fifth grade meet from 10:45 a.m. until the end of worship in the fourth-floor Children's Education Room. On the second Sunday of each month, children and families gather at 9:30 a.m. in the Youth Room for the Children's Prayer Breakfast, a time of pancakes, a short lesson, and a craft.
Adult Christian Education offers two parallel programs. The Adult Forum meets Sundays at 9:30 a.m. in Geneva Hall on the fourth floor and covers biblical, theological, social justice, arts, and contemporary issues, with time for questions and interaction. On the first Sunday of each month, the Lunch and Learn follows the 11:00 a.m. worship service with a shared meal and open conversation about Scripture. The Room for the Inner Way provides a quiet space for silent prayer and contemplation from 10:30 to 10:50 a.m. September through June on the fourth floor.
Covenant Groups of eight to ten members and friends meet monthly for Bible discussion, book studies, dinners, and outings, and a new group can begin whenever someone expresses interest. A Monday afternoon Bible study and the Reformed Readers book discussion group round out the small-group offerings. The church library, on the fourth floor next to Geneva Hall, holds books, magazines, and DVDs for adults, teens, and children, with a smaller teen collection in the Youth Room and a featured-item cart across from the Atrium restrooms.
Sunday Breakfast, Friday Dinner, and the Food Pantry
Market Square's longest-standing ministry for unhoused and impoverished neighbors is the Sunday sit-down hot breakfast, served in Fellowship Hall from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. The menu typically features pancakes or French toast, scrambled eggs, sausage links, and sometimes hash browns, along with coffee, tea, fresh fruit, and juice. Between 100 and 150 guests are served each Sunday. Volunteer breakfast providers, drawn from Market Square and other faith communities, arrive by 7:00 or 7:30 a.m. to cook, while Market Square volunteers focus on serving and hospitality. Janet Bargh coordinates breakfast providers, and Jim Terry coordinates servers. The Friday To-Go Dinner, coordinated by Ray Davis, cooks, plates, and serves roughly 100 to 125 meals in to-go containers in front of the church in two shifts, from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. and 5:15 to 7:30 p.m., ending with cleanup.
On Friday afternoons, the International Service Center runs a food pantry in Fellowship Hall, providing up to 100 individuals each week with milk, eggs, dry goods, and canned food acquired from the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. No ID is required to sign in.
The International Service Center, directed by Dr. Truong Ngoc Phuong, has operated out of the Market Square building since 1978. It provides educational, cultural, social, and economic programs for refugees and immigrants from around the world, and Market Square has, over the years, provided English language classes to Chinese, Greek, and Bulgarian immigrants and welcomed refugees from Vietnam, Sudan, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.
Each year, Market Square also partners with the United Way of the Capital Region to host Money in Your Pocket, a free computerized tax-preparation program through the IRS VITA initiative for low- and moderate-income working families. Volunteers, including church members, help clients claim the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit during tax season.
Justice, Refugees, and Care for Creation
Market Square's mission statement commits the congregation to justice, peace, and a sustainable environment, and several committees put that commitment to work. The Antiracism and Racial Justice Task Force seeks to dismantle systemic racism in worship, education, mission, and governance, both within the church and in the wider community. The LGBT and Allies Committee supports LGBTQ+ Christians, staffs a booth at Central PA Pridefest each year, and hosts attendees from the Keystone Conference, a celebration of gender diversity. The Peacemaking Committee addresses local, national, and international issues of racism, Islamophobia, and economic and educational inequity. The Ecology Action Committee has guided Market Square to become a designated Earth Care Congregation through the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and a member of Pennsylvania Interfaith Power and Light, partners with PennFuture and Conservation Voters of PA, and offers educational programs and advocacy on climate issues.
The Shawl Ministry brings together knitters and crocheters on the first Saturday of each month at 10:00 a.m. in the Parlor. Members make shawls and lap blankets for those going through difficult times or to celebrate special occasions, and in the spring, they make scarves in the high school or college colors of graduates. Coordinator Debbie Olson teaches beginners and welcomes anyone who wants to share in the ministry.
What We Believe
Market Square's beliefs are rooted in the Protestant Reformed tradition of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). At the core of Presbyterian belief are the sovereignty of God, the authority of Scripture, justification by grace through faith, and the priesthood of all believers.
Market Square holds that God is one God in three persons: Creator, Christ, and Holy Spirit. The Bible is the word of God and is authoritative, but it is not inerrant; it is a witness to God's interactions with human beings that helps interpret our responsibility in society and culture. God's grace is a gift freely given despite our sinful nature, and we cannot earn or lose it. Every person reflects part of the image of God, so all are welcome. Creation is God's gift, and the church is called to be a steward of the planet. Justice is what the church must show to the poor, the marginalized, and all who are oppressed and in need, including immigrants and refugees and the city's unhoused population. Music and the arts reveal the majesty of God, and the church is committed to supporting musicians and artists in the congregation and the community.
The Session celebrates Communion at least once a month, usually the first Sunday, and on other Sundays of particular significance. The Communion Table is the Lord's, and all believers in Christ are welcome to participate.
Visiting Market Square
The church is fully accessible. Two doors, one through the columbarium on South Second Street and one inside the first floor of the garage, have electronic openers, and an elevator serves all program floors. Hearing assist devices are available; an usher can provide one. Visitors may park in the Market Square Garage beside the church on Sunday mornings at no charge. Upon entering the church through the Atrium, visitors give their license plate number to a staff person or volunteer, and the validation is registered with the garage.
The church office is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. During the week, the easiest way to enter is to park in the Market Square Garage and walk through the door on the second level of the garage, ringing the bell if no one is there to buzz visitors in.
The pastoral team is led by Stan Jenkins, Pastor and Head of Staff, with Allison Smith as Supply Associate Pastor, Ki Nam Lee as Pastor for Korean Ministries, Jennifer McKenna as Pastor and Spiritual Director, Anne M. Ross as Pastoral Assistant for Congregational Care, and James D. Brown as Pastor Emeritus. Leadership is shared with the Session, the Board of Deacons, and the Board of Trustees. The columbarium in the courtyard adjacent to the sanctuary offers a place for the cremated remains of loved ones; arrangements can be made through the church office. Worshippers, concertgoers, and gallery guests come from communities across the region, including York, Lancaster, Carlisle, Newville, McAlisterville, and Duncannon in addition to Harrisburg.