Faith in the City Since 1846
Park Central Presbyterian Church has been part of downtown Syracuse for the better part of two centuries. The congregation's roots go back to December 24, 1846, when the Park Church Society was formed. In 1875 the congregation dedicated the present building on East Fayette Street, and a year-long 175th anniversary celebration ran from December 2021 through 2022. The phrase the church returns to again and again is Faith in the City, a concise way of saying that a downtown address is not incidental to who Park Central is, it is central.
Sunday Morning at 10:30
Worship is at the heart of the congregation. The community gathers at 10:30 on Sunday mornings, both in the sanctuary and through a livestream on YouTube. The service is liturgical: a set pattern of prayer, singing, scripture, and a message, drawing most weeks on the Presbyterian Church (USA) lectionary. The full bulletins are posted regularly, so first-time visitors can preview the flow of the service before they arrive.
Members describe themselves as a friendly bunch. Greeters welcome newcomers long before the service begins. After the benediction and organ postlude, the congregation moves into a fellowship hour with snacks and conversation, an open and unhurried space to get to know people.
Visitors often ask what to wear. The answer from the church is simple: come in whatever makes you feel comfortable. On any given Sunday you may see Sunday best alongside casual jeans. Parking is on East Fayette Street directly across from the building; signs marked Park Central point the way.
A Welcoming and Accessible Building
The historic building has been adapted so that anyone can move through it safely. A lift and an elevator make the upper floors reachable, a hearing induction loop helps those with hearing aids follow the service, and gender-neutral bathrooms are available. The congregation states plainly: open to new ideas, open to new members, open to whoever walks through the door.
The Kirk Choir, the Handbells, and Four Centuries of Organ
Music is woven into weekly worship. The Kirk Choir carries a long tradition of choral excellence at Park Central and includes about 24 singers with a paid quartet of section leaders. Anthems range across styles, with a strong emphasis on the great sacred music of the classical tradition. Twice a year the choir performs a major choral work with orchestra or other instrumental accompaniment; past programs have included Bach's Christmas Oratorio, Conrad Susa's Carols and Lullabies of the Southwest, Handel's Chandos Anthems, and Rob Landes's Jazz Gloria. The choir welcomes singers of all abilities, though reading music is a real plus. Rehearsals are Thursday evenings at 7:30 and Sunday mornings before the service. A handbell choir rehearses regularly under the direction of Bob Allen, and Sandra Murphy serves as keyboard musician.
The organ that supports all of this music is the fourth in the congregation's life. The first, a 26-stop W. A. Johnson instrument from 1861, may have moved into the present building at its 1875 dedication. A three-manual Hook & Hastings followed in 1893, then a J. W. Steere & Son organ in 1914-1915. The present instrument is M. P. Möller Opus 10313, installed in 1967 when the rear balcony was extended to house both organ and choir. A 1995 32-foot electronic extension in the pedal and a 1996 Peterson solid-state switching system updated the action, and the Zymbelstern was added in 2003. Kerner and Merchant Pipe Organ Builders continues to service the instrument.
A Matthew 25 Church
Park Central has accepted the Presbyterian Church (USA) invitation to be a Matthew 25 congregation, grounding its public ministry in the call of Matthew 25:31-46: I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. The congregation has pledged to concentrate on building congregational vitality and dismantling structural racism, and publicly affirms that Black Lives Matter, that immigrants and refugees are welcome, and that the church is LGBTQ+ affirming.
Mission and Outreach in Downtown Syracuse
The church's downtown location makes the building a natural hub for community work. Every year Park Central partners with Church World Service to assemble school kits, hygiene kits, and other supplies for schoolchildren, survivors of natural disasters, and immigrants and refugees, and it serves as a CWS depot where other congregations can drop their kits for pickup. On Thanksgiving Day each year, the church hosts Friendsgiving, a free dinner open to the whole community and supported by a long-standing volunteer team. The congregation also supports Presbyterian Disaster Assistance whenever crises call for on-the-ground response.
Inside the building, a household goods closet is available free to anyone who needs it; visitors can call or email the office to schedule a time to browse.
Sharing the Building with the City
Because the building sits where it does, much of its weekday life is shared with partners serving the wider Syracuse community. The Emmanuel Congregation from the Presbyterian Church of Ghana meets at Park Central. Alcoholics Anonymous groups, foster parent training classes, individual counseling sessions, and advocacy offices use the space. Ongoing partners include the Jail Ministry of Syracuse, L'Arche Syracuse, FACES, Freedom Commons, the Salvation Army Children's Programs, and Dr. King Elementary School. The church welcomes other groups to inquire about using the space, with a building use request form available.
Arts at Park
The Arts at Park committee works throughout the year to bring the arts to downtown Syracuse and beyond. Events have included sound baths facilitated by Megan Hook, a sound practitioner, yoga teacher, and mindfulness facilitator certified through the UCLA TMF Program at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. The committee also hosts concerts and other arts programming, and welcomes inquiries from artists and organizers who would like to put on an event at the church.
Staff and Lay Leadership
Sarah McTyre is the pastor. An ordained Presbyterian minister, she served as the Parish Associate for Education at Park Central from 2003 to 2022. She holds a B.A. in English literature from Davidson College, a Master of Divinity with honors work in pastoral care from Columbia Theological Seminary, and additional graduate work in Pastoral Theology from Emory University. Her experience also includes co-pastoring a united UCC and PC(USA) church in Oswego, New York, with her husband Andrew, and earlier service in Alabama and Georgia. She has published in the Journal of Pastoral Care and Pulpit Digest, produced liturgical resources for the Presbyterian Church (USA), and contributed to the third volume of The Pastor's Bible Study for Abingdon Press.
Brigid Boyle serves as Parish Associate. A graduate of the University at Buffalo and Princeton Theological Seminary, she holds advanced certifications in grief counseling and perinatal mental health. In addition to her church role, she works in private practice specializing in grief counseling and emotional resilience and serves as coordinator of Central New York Perinatal and Infant Bereavement Resources. She and her husband raised three now-young-adult children in Syracuse.
Briana Vaught is the Office and Communications Manager, managing the office, the church's outgoing communication, and its online presence. A graduate of the University of Alabama and San Francisco Theological Seminary, she is in the ordination process to become a PC(USA) Minister of the Word and Sacrament. Justin Vaught serves as Finance Administrator/Bookkeeper, working with the treasurer, staff, boards, and committees on accounting, budget preparation, and compliance; he is also a doctoral student in higher postsecondary education at Syracuse University. Kenneth Pfeffer serves as Building Manager, and Sandra Murphy as Keyboard Musician. Bob Allen directs the handbell choir.
The work of the church is carried by a wide circle of boards and committees, including Worship and Education, Human Resources, Trustees, the Ruling Elders (Session), Mission, Membership, and Outreach, Stewardship, and Deacons. Members interested in serving are invited to contact the HR Committee or the church office.
Joining the Congregation
Worship on Sunday morning is open to all, whether someone is in Syracuse for a week, a lifetime, or somewhere in between. The service begins at 10:30 in person and online, followed by fellowship hour. The office is open Monday through Thursday from 9 to 3 at 504 East Fayette Street, and can be reached at (315) 475-1677 or office@parkcentralchurch.org. Giving is available online through a secure giving page, and bulletins from recent Sundays are posted for anyone who would like to follow the lectionary, the prayers, and the music of the week.