Swarthmore Presbyterian Church has been a fixture in the Philadelphia suburb of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania since 1896, when the congregation opened its doors in what was then a young college town. More than a century later, the church on Harvard Avenue still gathers Sunday by Sunday in much the same place, a stone's throw from Swarthmore College, and it has grown into a congregation known for its music program, its hands-on mission partnerships in nearby Chester, and a children's ministry built around the Montessori-based Godly Play method. A member congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Presbytery of Philadelphia, the church calls its work "striving to be the body of Christ - here and now - ready to serve," a phrase that appears on nearly every page of its own communications.
Worship on Sunday Mornings
The Sunday rhythm at Swarthmore Presbyterian centers on two services in the Reformed tradition, both of which seek to engage four generations of worshipers at once. The day begins at 8:00 am in Loeffler Chapel, a wood-paneled space built in 1905 that holds about 100 people. The 45-minute Early Morning Worship uses a liturgy that closely mirrors the later service, but instead of a sermon, the worshipers gather around Scripture for guided discussion, with music led by a pianist.
At 10:15 am, the Lord's Day Worship fills the Sanctuary, with lay liturgists reading the Scripture, the pastors sharing preaching responsibilities, and music led by the Chancel Choir and a pipe organ. Communion, celebrated as an open table, is offered on the first Sunday of each month in the 10:15 am service and on the third Sunday of each month in the early service. For members who cannot be present, Deacons regularly bring the sacrament to those who are homebound. The 10:15 am service is also livestreamed on YouTube, with full recordings available afterward for anyone who wishes to revisit the service or join from a distance.
Children are deliberately part of the 10:15 am service, not a separate audience. Families find activity bags in the large transept and at the back of the Sanctuary with worksheets and coloring tied to the day's Scripture. After a Time with Children, when the pastor sits on the front steps and walks the children through the lesson with questions, stories, and a repeat-after-me prayer, children ages 3 through 5th grade are invited to the Godly Play room on the second floor of the education wing for a Montessori-based session of wondering, story, and play led by trained storytellers. On Communion Sundays, the children remain in the pews and are invited to gather at their own small table to share the bread and cup together. Older children in fifth grade and up may serve as acolytes, carrying the cross and church banner into the Sanctuary on high Sundays of the church year.
For those who want a fuller Sunday, Christian formation begins at 9:00 am. Adults gather in the Study for a weekly class, youth meet for Pre-Confirmation (grades 6-7) and Confirmation (grades 8-9), and Sunday school is offered for younger children. After the 10:15 am service, the Parish Life team hosts Fellowship Hour in Fellowship Hall from 11:15 am to 12:15 pm, with coffee, lemonade, cider, or iced tea, snacks, and committee displays that invite newcomers into the life of the church.
Music Across the Generations
If there is a single program that sets Swarthmore Presbyterian apart, it may be the music ministry, which spans kindergarten through adult and is built on a simple motto: Sing. Play. Belong. Meghan Meloy Ness, Minister of Music, directs five ensembles that rehearse weekly and lead worship roughly once a month, so that the sounds in the Sanctuary on any given Sunday may be the work of children's voices, handbells, youth, instrumentalists, or the adult Chancel Choir.
The youngest singers are the Hosanna! Singers (kindergarten and first grade) and the Alleluia! Singers (grades 2-5), both of which rehearse on Sunday afternoons. The Agape Singers (grades 5-9) meet immediately after worship and offer musical leadership in the service about once a month. The Bell Choir rings in worship about once a month and rehearses Wednesday mornings, welcoming both regular ringers and short-term substitutes. The Chancel Choir, open to high school students in 10th-12th grade, college students, and adults, rehearses Thursday evenings and leads congregational singing from September through June, presenting special musical offerings for the wider Swarthmore community twice each year. An intergenerational Instrumental Chamber Group, led by George Weaver, adapts music to whoever shows up, with instrumentation varying based on participation. Together, these ensembles give the music ministry a deliberately intergenerational shape, and the children who start in Hosanna! can grow into the Chancel Choir without ever leaving the program.
Godly Play and Christian Formation for Children
Swarthmore Presbyterian's children's ministry, led by Rev. David Norse, Associate Pastor for Christian Formation, is built around Godly Play, a method developed by theologian and Montessori educator Jerome Berryman that uses story, wondering questions, individual art and play response, and a simple shared feast to engage children's innate spirituality. The Godly Play room on the second floor of the education wing is a deliberately prepared environment with wooden story materials for parables, the liturgical cycle, the life of Jesus, and the great stories of the Hebrew Scriptures. After Time with Children in the Sanctuary, the children head up with their storytellers for the rest of the service, and parents pick them up afterward. A WhatsApp group shares a weekly Parents Page with the Scripture, a story to read together, and simple wondering questions for the home.
For children of all identities and abilities, the church's stance is openly inclusive. Children and young people of various abilities, disabilities, mental health experiences, and neuro-typical or neuro-atypical experiences are part of who the congregation is, and staff are willing to co-create accommodations with families. Children also take on real leadership in worship: reading Scripture, lighting candles, carrying in the Bible, leading prayers, making art, and even preaching, all with the support of a pastor.
Music and formation overlap for children in the children's choirs, and in worship leadership opportunities that range from acolyting to sharing music with the congregation. The Nursery Day School, which has its own director and separate facilities on the church's campus, serves the youngest learners, while Sunday school classes and seasonal programs (such as a Christmas Eve Nativity Pageant) round out the year.
Youth Group, Confirmation, and Summer Trips
The youth ministry is designed for the awkward middle and high school years, when many young people drift away from church. The principle is that youth belong at Swarthmore Presbyterian because they walk through the door, not because of grades, school, looks, or a particular crowd. Friends are always welcome.
Pre-Confirmation, for 6th and 7th graders, meets at 9:00 am in the Youth Room and reintroduces the men and women of the Bible in ways that respect middle-schoolers as middle-schoolers. Confirmation, for 8th and 9th graders, meets at 9:00 am in McCahan Hall and is the formal path to church membership, covering faith, baptism, spiritual autobiography, spiritual gifts, and the breadth of the Reformed tradition. Confirmands write their own statements of faith and go on a spring retreat. High schoolers are welcome to attend adult education classes, and Confirmation is free of pressure: all are welcome to take the journey even if they are not yet ready to join the church.
Sunday evening Youth Group meets in Fellowship Hall from September through April, with separate middle school and high school gatherings. Middle schoolers (grades 6-8) meet at 4:30 pm and usually end the night with a family-provided dinner at 5:30 pm; high schoolers (grades 9-12) gather for special events that include dinner, big questions, service, Sabbath, and play. The annual schedule includes bread baking for World Communion Sunday, a costume bowling night, a Welcome Church trip to serve neighbors experiencing homelessness on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, a Longest Night service of light, and Easter Sunrise worship in the Memorial Garden. Each summer, youth travel to Massanetta and Montreat youth conferences and to the Appalachia Service Project, a ministry that makes homes warmer, safer, and drier for families in Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina.
Adult Education and Presbyterian Women
Adult formation at the church is built on the conviction that maturation of faith requires lifelong inquiry, and that questions can matter as much as answers. The Friday C.U.P. is a small weekly gathering in the Study, and the Sunday morning Adult Education class meets at 9:00 am in the same room. Recent and recurring series have included a fall look at Masterpieces Every Christian Should Know, a multi-week journey through architecture, plays, novels, paintings, films, and music, and a 250th Anniversary Program Series on Religious Freedom: Then and Now. The Beloved Community Adult Civil Rights Journey, a partnership with Temple Sholom led by Rev. Joyce Shin and Rabbi Peter Rigler, takes participants on a multi-day trip to Atlanta, Montgomery, Selma, and Birmingham.
Presbyterian Women (PW) is an independent organization within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) of which all female and nonbinary members of the church are automatically a part. The PW group hosts monthly Bible studies (using the Horizons study guide, with daytime and evening options), an annual fall retreat at Grove Hall in Ocean Grove, New Jersey, an annual Lenten day retreat at the church, labyrinth walks in the Memorial Garden, and a summer book group and movie screening series. The fall retreat is open to all women of the congregation, with structured programming and plenty of time for walks on the beach and relaxed conversation.
Caring Ministries and the Prayer Shawl
Pastoral care at Swarthmore Presbyterian flows through several channels. The pastors - Rev. Joyce Shin, Rev. Sarah Cooper Searight, and Rev. David Norse - are available for short-term pastoral counseling, hospital visits, and homebound communion. The Board of Deacons, 21 members strong, ministers to those who are sick, bereaved, shut in, or returning from a hospital stay, escorting bus riders from local retirement communities, delivering flowers and copies of sermons, extending the communion table to those who cannot be present, arranging rides to medical appointments, providing meals, and sending birthday cards, Easter lilies, and Christmas poinsettias.
Since 1995, the Stephen Ministry has extended the pastoral reach of the congregation through trained lay caregivers who provide confidential, one-to-one Christian care for people going through grief, hospitalization, divorce, illness, loneliness, unemployment, or job loss. Stephen Ministers receive 50 hours of initial training and four hours of supervision each month. The Shawl Ministry, begun in 2003, has knitters and crocheters who produce close to 1,000 shawls a year for those in need of something warm and soft to remind them they are held in prayer. Shawls are kept in a bin in the sacristy and distributed by pastors and deacons, with labels and caring notes attached.
Outreach Near and Far
Outreach is, in the words of the church, "what we do once we leave the church doors." The work falls into four main areas: a network of local mission partners, hunger relief, global mission, and a long list of smaller commitments that keep members in regular contact with neighbors in need.
The church hosts the A Better Chance (ABC) Strath Haven house, which has provided housing for low-income and minority students attending Strath Haven High School since 1975. Members volunteer with Broad Street Ministry, an alternative church community on Philadelphia's Avenue of the Arts, including a unique program called Broad Street Menders in which two volunteers travel each Thursday to the Breaking Bread meal to sew on buttons, replace zippers, and mend clothing. Two SPC members who are PC(USA) mission co-workers in Israel-Palestine, Nicaragua, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Philippines are supported through prayer, financial giving, and visiting delegations.
Each summer, youth and adults travel together with Swarthmore United Methodist Church to the Appalachia Service Project, and the church supports Kirkwood-Brainerd Camp with a scholarship fund that sends Chester children to summer Christian camp. Chester Eastside, a faith-based community resource in the city of Chester, is one of the closest partners, and members donate food, school supplies, and time to its after-school program, food pantry, and cultural arts program. The Hunger Group, a long-standing committee of the church, supports Bread for the World, the Presbytery of Philadelphia's hunger initiatives, the Chester Eastside food pantry, the annual CROP Hunger Walk, and a Turkey Day drive that each year delivers more than 120 Thanksgiving dinners to Chester families. An Alternative Christmas Shop, run each Advent since 2004, lets members give affordable donations in the name of friends and loved ones to a rotating slate of charities, from local food banks to coral reef restoration in Haiti.
Other partnerships include Chester Charter School for the Arts, the Frederick Douglass Christian School, the TM Thomas Learning Tree in Chester, the Delco Family Promise/Interfaith Hospitality Network (the church hosts homeless families four weeks a year), and the FUSE (Fellowship of Urban Suburban Exchange) steering committee, which is intentionally interfaith and cross-cultural. Members teach English to Chinese women living in the area, knit bears for children affected by trauma, raise awareness about human trafficking, and serve on the annual MLK Day of Service.
On the global side, the World Mission Committee supports four PC(USA) mission co-workers: Doug Dicks, who serves as Associate for Ecumenical Partnerships in Israel and Palestine; Jhanderys Dotel-Vellenga and Ian Vellenga, who work with the Council of Protestant Churches in Nicaragua; Jeff and Christi Boyd, who work in several French-speaking African countries and the Democratic Republic of Congo; and Carlton "Cobbie" and Dessa Quesada Palm, who serve in the Philippines. The Peacemaking Committee supports the Israel-Palestine Mission Network, advocates against gun violence through Heeding God's Call, and underwrites peace education through the Peace and Global Witness Offering.
Faith in the Public Square
In early 2026, the Session - the church's governing body of 27 ruling and teaching elders - adopted a statement titled "A Call to Courageous Love," declaring opposition to violence and cruelty directed at documented and undocumented immigrant neighbors and committing the congregation to partnership, accompaniment, and the way of nonviolence. The statement was paired with concrete action: a Session-appointed task force that has since built relationships with immigrant-serving organizations in Delaware County and the greater Philadelphia region.
Members participate each Wednesday at noon in a peaceful prayer vigil outside the ICE Field Office in downtown Philadelphia, hosted by New Sanctuary Movement and rotated among faith communities. In the fall, the church helped launch the Interfaith Action Network, a partnership with Reformation Lutheran Church in Media and Congregation Ohev Shalom to train volunteers in advocacy, grocery delivery and collection, and accompaniment for immigrant neighbors, in cooperation with Centro de Apoyo Comunitario in Upper Darby and the Havertown-Area Community Action Network. The Senior Pastor, Rev. Joyce Shin, chairs the Board of Interfaith Philadelphia and is a Trustee of the Parliament of the World's Religions, and the church is a member of the Interfaith Council of Southern Delaware County, the Religious Leaders Council of Greater Philadelphia, and Partners in Ministry, which supports the Protestant Chaplaincy at Swarthmore College.
Pastoral Leadership
Rev. Joyce Shin serves as Pastor and Head of Staff, having previously served for ten years as Associate Pastor for Congregational Life at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago. She earned a B.A. from Rhodes College, studied Ethics at the University of Tübingen in Germany as a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar, and completed her M.Div. and Ph.D. in Theological Ethics at the University of Chicago Divinity School. She has received the Prophetic Woman of Faith Award from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and serves on the boards of McCormick Theological Seminary, the Parliament of the World's Religions, Interfaith Philadelphia, and Partners in Ministry.
Rev. Sarah Cooper Searight, Associate Pastor for Outreach Ministry, Congregational Care, and Worship Coordination, joined the staff in March 2015. A graduate of Austin College and Columbia Theological Seminary, she previously served as Outreach Director and Summer Camp Director at Old First Reformed United Church of Christ in center city Philadelphia and as Associate Pastor for Christian Formation and Discipleship at First Presbyterian Church in Shreveport, Louisiana. She is the pastoral advisor to the Board of Deacons and the Stephen Ministers and the clergy liaison to the Outreach and Worship & Music Committees.
Rev. David Norse, Associate Pastor for Christian Formation, joined the staff in April 2022. A graduate of Lewis & Clark College and Princeton Theological Seminary, he served at Broad Street Ministry in center city Philadelphia and most recently as pastor of a Presbyterian church in Towson, Maryland. He also holds a master's degree in couples and family therapy from Thomas Jefferson University. Much of his work focuses on children, youth, and families, and he hopes to strengthen the church's relationship with Swarthmore College and interfaith partners in southern Delaware County.
Rev. Alison Schuettinger serves as Director of Parish Life and Young Adult Ministry, and as the Quaker and Interfaith Religious Affiliate Advisor at Swarthmore College. An ordained interfaith minister and a graduate of The New School, she has thirteen years of programmatic experience and is a board member of Partners in Ministry and the Media Arts Council. Rev. Michelle Grunseich serves as Parish Associate for Engagement and Belonging, supporting fellowship, hospitality, and volunteer engagement across the congregation; she is a graduate of Bucknell University and Princeton Theological Seminary and has been a minister member of the Presbytery of Philadelphia since 2004.
The Building, the Garden, and the Labyrinth
The church campus is centered on a Sanctuary with a pipe organ and seating for the larger Sunday gathering, with Loeffler Chapel (1905) nearby for the early service and smaller events. McCahan Hall, Fellowship Hall, the Courtyard, the Memorial Garden, the outdoor labyrinth, classrooms in the Braun building, and a commercial kitchen make up the rest of the footprint, much of which is available for community rental through the Office Manager. Fellowship Hall, which seats up to 225 people, opens onto the Courtyard and is air-conditioned and fully handicap accessible. Loeffler Chapel, with its stained glass, wood architecture, and Kawai grand piano, is air-conditioned and accessible via a longer route.
The Memorial Garden, created for the interment of cremated remains of active and former members and clergy, sits next to the church and adjacent to the Church Garden. Remains may be poured, scattered, or interred in a biodegradable container, and markers are uniform brass plaques on the memorial wall. A volunteer group of women called the Marthas, named in honor of Jesus' friend, hosts memorial receptions in Fellowship Hall, handling setup, buffet arrangement, and cleanup.
The outdoor labyrinth in the Memorial Garden is open to the congregation and the wider community. Presbyterian Women provides workshops, flyers, and a trained guide who is available on an ad hoc basis for groups of six or more who want to spend a few hours exploring this ancient spiritual discipline.
Nursery Day School and Community Use
The Swarthmore Presbyterian Nursery Day School (SPNDS) has been serving families and "learning joy" with the children of Swarthmore and nearby communities for more than 70 years. A play-based preschool and kindergarten complement program, SPNDS is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and has held that accreditation since 1998. Classes run five mornings a week with an optional lunch bunch, and a separate Play Pals program is offered for two-year-olds as a shorter, gentler introduction to the preschool setting. Outdoor play is built into the day on a playground with a sandbox, climbers, a mud kitchen, bikes, and a circular wooden structure called the "round about" that serves as a stage, outdoor classroom, and pretend-play space. The school is inclusive of children of all races, religions, and (where the school can meet their needs) physical and developmental disabilities, with scholarships available for families who need help with tuition. Director Deborah Hansen leads a staff and a teaching team, with a current opening for a part-time Preschool Teaching Assistant.
Baptisms, Weddings, and Memorials
Baptism at Swarthmore Presbyterian is open to people of all ages, from infants to adults, and is a memorable occasion of thanksgiving and hope in which the congregation vows to support parents and candidates in their spiritual nurture. Weddings are regularly held in the Sanctuary and Chapel, with a minister on the church staff serving as the presiding minister. Couples meet with a pastor, complete a wedding information form, and work with the Director of Parish Life on arrangements. Memorial services may be followed by a reception in Fellowship Hall served by the Marthas, with the church providing linens, paper napkins, candles, silver service, punch bowls, and the setup and cleanup.
First-Time Visitors
Visitors who want a full Sunday are encouraged to arrive around 8:45 am, so that they can grab a coffee, find a Sunday school classroom, and settle into the 9:00 am education hour before worship at 10:15 am. Dress is whatever feels comfortable: dresses and skirts, slacks, suits and ties, polo shirts, jeans, and shorts all appear on Sunday morning. Parking is available in the lot behind the church, along Harvard Avenue, and in a gravel lot across the street. Visitors are pointed to the two main Harvard Avenue entrances, where ushers and signage help. The first floor is handicap accessible, with ramps at each end of the building and in front leading into Fellowship Hall, and several handicap parking spaces are available behind the church. Childcare is available from 8:45 am to 12:15 pm in the Nursery, located in the back corner of McCahan Hall, and a Childcare Coordinator is on hand every Sunday. Children of all ages are always welcome in worship.
Beliefs and Membership
Swarthmore Presbyterian is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), a connectional Reformed body whose beliefs and practices are summarized in the Book of Confessions and the Book of Order. The church practices open communion, welcoming all who place their faith in Jesus Christ and seek his strength to the table, regardless of church membership. Members may enter the church by profession of faith, by transfer of membership from another church, or by reaffirmation of faith, and baptism is administered at any age as a sign of God's grace. Children typically begin the Pre-Confirmation journey in 6th or 7th grade, with formal Confirmation in 9th grade. Those interested in exploring membership are invited to attend Inquirer Gatherings led by the pastors.
Giving and Sustaining the Work
The church is funded primarily by the annual pledges of its members and friends, supplemented by investment income from endowment funds and church fundraisers such as the Fall Fair. Members may give online through a recurring payment portal, by stock or securities transfer, by Charitable IRA Rollover, by check, or in the offering plate on Sunday morning. A Vanco Mobile Faith Engagement app allows secure giving from a phone, and offerings can be made through the church's Online Donation Page.
Getting Involved
Visitors and members who want to get more involved can join one of the many choirs or ensembles through the Minister of Music, sign up for a Sunday school or Godly Play volunteer slot through the Associate Pastor for Christian Formation, lend a hand at the Food Pantry collection bins in the Pinkston Outreach Center in the Fellowship Hall lobby, or participate in one of the seasonal events such as the fall Bread for the World Offering of Letters, the Christmas Pageant, the Easter Sunrise Service in the Memorial Garden, or the annual Civil Rights Journey. The Youth Group welcomes 6th through 12th graders and their friends for Sunday evenings, summer conferences, and mission trips. Presbyterian Women gathers monthly for Bible study, retreat, and fellowship, and the Friday C.U.P. is open to any adult who wants to drop in. The Outreach Committee, the Hunger Group, the Peacemaking Committee, the World Mission Committee, the Deacons, and the Stephen Ministers all welcome new members. Those who simply want to follow along can subscribe to the weekly e-blast and the bi-monthly newsletter, listen to recent sermons on YouTube, or follow the church on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.