On Old Alabama Road Since 1981
Northminster Presbyterian Church sits at 2400 Old Alabama Road in Roswell, Georgia, a community congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Reformed tradition that has grown from its 1981 founding into a church known for blended worship, an active children's ministry, a long-running preschool, and a wide network of mission partnerships throughout metro Atlanta and beyond. The church's motto is, "Worship God, Serve the World, Love Others," and its members believe that the congregation itself is a mission: everything that happens inside it, and everything that flows from it, is mission.
The current church building was constructed in three phases. The first phase was dedicated in June 1984, and the third phase was completed in December 1998. In the fall of 1985, the church opened Northminster Day School, a preschool that has become a cornerstone of ministry to local families. Since the early 2000s, Northminster has also been the home of Ebenezer Brazilian Presbyterian Church, a Portuguese-speaking congregation that nests within the building and has partnered with Northminster members on medical mission trips to Brazil.
The church's statement of beliefs is brief and clear: God is the creator of the universe; Jesus Christ is God's Son and God's human presence on earth; the Holy Spirit is the presence of God in the world and in our lives. Northminster has chosen not to claim perfection, and it welcomes people across lines of disagreement in faith, politics, and economics, committing instead to acts of mercy locally, nationally, and globally.
Sunday Mornings: Sunday School, Worship, and Music
The Sunday rhythm at Northminster begins at 9:30 a.m. with Sunday School for all ages. Children in pre-K through fifth grade divide into two classes and use the team-teaching approach along with the Growing in Grace and Gratitude curriculum; this fall's focus is Old Testament stories. Youth gather for Donuts and Devo(tions), a Sunday School class that lives up to its name, with breakfast and a devotion and discussion on topics students are facing today. Adults have two Sunday School options at 9:30: Coffee and Connections, which uses the Wired Word curriculum to spark conversation around current events in a relaxed, casual setting; and the Adult Bible Class, which takes deep dives into books of the Bible (this fall: Genesis, chapters 28 through 50). Sunday School ends at 10:15 a.m.
At 10:30 a.m., the congregation gathers for traditional worship with a variety of music. Communion is served on the first Sunday of each month, on Christmas Eve (the 11:30 p.m. service), Easter, and Maundy Thursday. The order of worship is led in part by liturgists from the congregation, and music is provided by any one of four ensembles depending on the week: the Chancel Choir, the NPC Band (the contemporary group), the Handbell Choir, or the Intergenerational Handbell Choir. Services are livestreamed, with recordings posted afterward on YouTube.
All are welcome at worship. The sanctuary includes a dedicated Prayground for young children, stocked with children's Bibles, coloring sheets, and activities; an adult facilitator sits nearby, and rocking chairs are available on both sides of the room. Worship bags with sermon notes and coloring sheets are available for children who choose to sit with their parents. A family restroom with a changing table sits just outside the sanctuary doors. A staffed nursery for infants through preschoolers is available throughout Sunday morning, and a brief lesson is provided each week along with take-home resources for caregivers.
Children, Youth, and Family Ministry
Jennifer Filpi, Director of Children and Family Ministries, oversees the children's program from nursery care through fifth grade. She grew up at Northminster herself and returned in December 2015 as Interim Children's Ministry Director. The fall 2026 Sunday School session runs August 30 through December 13. Vacation Bible School and Advent and Lent Workshops round out the year, along with seasonal family events such as the annual Trunk or Treat, the Easter Eggstravaganza, a Back-to-School Blessing, the Live Nativity, and Family Game Nights.
Confirmation is treated as an eighth-grade milestone at Northminster. Each confirmand is asked to pick a Confirmation Mentor, and the next Confirmation class is being planned for 2027. The Youth Ministry serves students in sixth through twelfth grade. Middle and high schoolers meet together on Sunday evenings from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. for youth group, with dinner often served alongside games and discussion; the schedule varies by season. Together with the Children's Ministry, the church hosts a Kids, Youth, and Parent Night on the first Sunday of each month from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., with dinner, separate programming for kids and youth, and a parents' small group for honest conversations about life, faith, kids, and parenting. Friends are always welcome.
Adult Faith Formation: Bible Studies and Groups
For adults who want to dig into the Bible between Sundays, Northminster offers a network of ongoing groups. Word Share Prayer meets on the first, second, and fourth Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. to noon; participants receive translations of an upcoming Sunday's scripture passage along with reflection questions; no preparation is needed. Two women's Bible studies meet monthly: a Wednesday Morning Bible Study at 10:30 a.m. to noon (fall 2026 dates include September 30, October 21, November 18, and December 16) and a Tuesday Evening Bible Study from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. (September 15, October 20, November 17, December 15). Both groups are open to women of all ages and stages of Bible knowledge; the Wednesday study uses the Honor God's Diversity study.
The Men's Bible studies meet in two formats: a Tuesday Evening Group on the first, third, and fifth Tuesdays from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m., where conversation centers on religion and current events; and a Thursday Morning Group from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. that meets for breakfast and faith conversations. Both men's groups run from September through May. There is also a long-running Supper Club ministry in which each cluster of eight church members meets once a month for a host-home supper, with most groups aimed at adults and one family-inclusive cluster in the rotation.
Walking, Yoga, Mahjong, and Other Gatherings
Recreation and connection have a place in the church's ministry. A free yoga class meets on Thursdays from 5:45 to 7:00 p.m. for participants at all levels; the class takes a summer break and resumes in the fall. A cabinet of spare mats and props is kept on hand, and the only request is comfortable clothes for movement. The Walk/Run Club gathers on Saturday mornings from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. at Newtown Park (the first parking lot on the right when entering from Old Alabama Road), walks or runs various routes and distances, opens with scripture, and closes with prayer. A Mahjong group welcomes both experienced players and absolute beginners.
The Spring and Fall also bring a Par 3 Golf group that plays one morning a week (weather permitting) at River Pines Par 3, with a destination golf weekend in the spring. The Fellowship Team provides one more social opportunity each month, from after-church coffee socials to baseball games and dining with friends. Members can sign up through the church's online Time and Talent booklet, which lists dozens of ways to volunteer with everything from the choir and ushers to worship bags, the nursery, prayer cards, the Little Free Pantry, and more.
The Mission of Northminster: A Network of Partners
Northminster's Mission Team organizes the church's outreach around a "food and family" theme, with work that stretches from the parking lot to the Amazon River. The work begins at home: a Little Free Pantry in the church's parking lot is restocked daily by volunteers, and the congregation collects donations on the first Sunday of each month (LFP Sunday). The pantry often empties between restocking days.
Family Promise of North Fulton, a partnership of congregations serving families experiencing homelessness, hosted its first families at Northminster in 2013. Three to four times a year, the church hosts families in the building for a week, with volunteers providing meals, fellowship, and overnight presence. Kids Hope USA pairs Northminster volunteers with students at Northwood Elementary, who meet with their assigned student once a week for support and encouragement. Operation Paperback sorts donated books and ships them to deployed troops (paperbacks only) and to U.S. veterans (paperbacks and hardbacks). In 2022, Northminster sent 3,186 books, magazines, and DVDs to active military, veterans, and their dependents; shipping costs are supported by an estimated 25 cents per book from donors.
Each fall, the church hosts a Rise Against Hunger meal-packing event in Fellowship Hall. Since 2017 the congregation has packed more than 100,000 nutritionally dense meals to be sent to international areas of need. Project GRANDD provides holiday meals and supplemental groceries to grandparents raising grandchildren with special needs, an initiative that began at Northminster with the 2022 Angel Tree. Solidarity Sandy Springs, a free grocery-store-style food pantry that operates three days a week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to noon), periodically receives church-wide groups of twenty volunteers on Saturday mornings. Each fall the church sends an intergenerational team to Welcome Home Chattanooga for a weekend of outdoor projects at a respite and hospice facility.
Further afield, Northminster has organized mission trips to Slidell, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, and to Honduras for intergenerational service. With sister church Ebenezer Brazilian Presbyterian, Northminster members have traveled repeatedly to Brazil, serving on a medical mission boat on the Amazon River. Other partnerships include Mercy Community Church, Esther Jackson Elementary Community Foundation, and the Sandwich Project.
Northminster Day School
Northminster Day School (NDS) has been a cornerstone of the church's ministry to the wider community since 1984. The school is a Christian-centered preschool serving children from twelve months through age five, with a kindergarten class rounding out the program. Director Andrea Bourgeois joined the NDS staff in 2007 and has led the school since 2014; she was followed by a long-tenured teaching team of more than twenty teachers and assistant teachers, several of whom have been at NDS for a decade or more.
Beyond the regular preschool day, NDS offers an Early Drop Off program and a Late Stay program for ages two through kindergarten, with both as-needed and annual registration options. After-school enrichment programs add a second language, creative movement, soccer, and a Wonderopolis exploration class to the week: Creative Movement (ballet and tap), Little Explorers Wonderopolis, Tinkergarten Purposeful Play, UPfield Soccer, and Spanish with Señora Sandra. Each enrichment is run by an outside vendor.
The NDS office is open Monday through Friday from 8:15 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The school can be reached at 770-998-4992 or by email at dayschooloffice@npcdayschool.org.
Elders, Deacons, and the Senior Pastor
Northminster is led by a Session of twelve Elders, one Youth Elder, and twelve Deacons serving in staggered three-year terms. The Senior Pastor moderates the Session; Elder Wayne Edwards serves as moderator of the Board of Deacons. The Elders oversee eight committees: Business and Facilities Management, Communications and Technology, Mission, Outreach, Spiritual Growth, Stewardship, Worship, and Youth. The Deacons oversee Congregational Care, Fellowship, and Membership. Each Deacon keeps in touch with and cares for a small group of church members.
The Senior Pastor, the Rev. Shawn Thomas "ST" Smith, is a native of Birmingham, Alabama, who has served PC(USA) churches in Alabama, Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee before coming to Georgia. He and his wife April are the parents of six children, a singleton and quadruplets. His hobbies include hiking, reveling in the beauty of nature, and playing one of his many instruments. The Senior Pastor is available to support pastoral care concerns during office hours at 770-998-1482.
The rest of the named staff includes Jennifer Filpi, Director of Children and Family Ministries; Rick Gomez, Director of Music, who is also an Associate Professor of Musical Theatre at Brenau University and previously served as Director of Music at First Presbyterian Church in Cartersville; Kate Daley, Member Services and Business Manager; Shelly Wachtel, Office Manager; and Sallie Squires, Media Manager.
Music That Spans Four Ensembles
Rick Gomez directs a music department with four ways to participate. The Handbell Choir, an adult ensemble for those who can read music at an intermediate level or above, rehearses Wednesdays from 6:45 to 7:30 p.m. and plays approximately once per month in worship. The Intergenerational Handbell Choir, directed by Suzanne Holton, rehearses Sundays after the 10:30 a.m. service and is open to all ages, including beginners; the group plays in worship upon mastering a piece of music. The Chancel Choir rehearses Wednesdays from 7:30 to 8:15 p.m. and sings in worship approximately once per month. The NPC Band rehearses Wednesdays from 8:15 to 9:00 p.m. and is the contemporary music group for adult musicians who play guitar, ukulele, bass, and percussion; it plays in worship approximately once per month.
Caring for One Another and the Wider Community
Northminster takes seriously the church's ministry to one another. The prayer vine circulates requests by email several times a week and through a Cares and Concerns list in the Sunday bulletin. Homebound visits to members confined to home or to nursing and assisted living facilities are made by pastoral staff and lay volunteers. Hospital visits are made as hospital policies allow. Bereavement support is coordinated through the Senior Pastor, who can connect families with a caring group to walk alongside them through one of life's most difficult experiences.
The church has also put together a North Georgia Recovery Guide, an online collaborative directory covering detox, inpatient, partial hospitalization, outpatient, intensive outpatient, sober living, support groups, and online resources across more than two dozen cities in north Georgia. A separate Mental Health Awareness page points congregants to trusted resources, including the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and Healthy Children resources from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The church's stated purpose in offering these resources is informational, not endorsement; the directory is intended as a starting point for families seeking help.
The Building, the Memorial Garden, and Giving
The Memorial Garden in the northwest corner of the grounds offers a quiet place for prayer and reflection and a way to remember a loved one through a personalized brick.
Northminster's building is available for outside groups and for weddings. Sanctuary rental runs $600 for two hours with approval of the pastor, the Facilities Team chair, and the Business Finance Management Team chair; fellowship hall, classrooms, the fireside room, kitchen, and the parking lot or lawn are available at posted rates. Weddings use a different pricing structure, and couples interested in being married at Northminster can connect through the Wedding Guild, which treats the sanctuary as a sacred space that invokes the blessing and love of the Holy Spirit.
Hearing assistance is available in the sanctuary on request. The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and the Senior Pastor is reachable through the office phone for pastoral concerns, with voicemail for emergencies.
Giving flows through many channels. Members and friends can give online through NPC's secure Realm account, by texting NPC to 73256, in person during worship, or by mail to the church office. The Planned Giving office handles Qualified Charitable Distributions from IRAs, stock gifts, and legacy gifts through bequests or named retirement account beneficiaries. Whatever the form, every gift supports a congregation that distributes food through its Little Free Pantry, hosts families through Family Promise, mentors students at Northwood Elementary, ships books to deployed troops, and packs tens of thousands of meals each fall for shipment to international areas of need.