Warrenton Presbyterian Church occupies the block between 4th and 5th streets in Old Town Warrenton, directly across Main Street from Great Harvest Bread Company. Known as “A Servant Community,” this Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregation has worshiped in the area since 1771. Its identity combines Sunday worship with education, music, family care, fellowship, and service to neighbors near and far.
A Main Street Church Since 1771
Presbyterians began worshiping in Fauquier County as early as 1771 and were instrumental in the founding of the old Warren Academy and the town of Warrenton. A church legend holds that a former building was destroyed by a tornado while only the pulpit and Bible remained intact. The congregation has worshiped in its current building since 1855 and added the present sanctuary and fellowship hall in 1999.
That long history shapes an identity rooted in civic relationship. WPC describes its members as a gathered community of people in action who eagerly share the love, grace, and peace of Christ with humility, reverence, and thanksgiving. The church has remained engaged with Warrenton and the wider community, which helps explain the importance it places on being a Main Street congregation.
Sunday Worship at Ten
Every Sunday at 10 a.m., the congregation gathers in the third-floor sanctuary for worship. The service is intentionally intergenerational and participatory, with crying babies, curious children, inquisitive youth, and adults of every age welcomed into the same room. Children are encouraged to stay for the whole service and take part in a weekly Children’s Moment led by the Director of Christian Education or pastor.
Music is central. The music team leads traditional hymns, psalms, spirituals, praise songs, gospel tunes, and music from around the world. Scripture and sermon remain central in WPC’s Reformed Presbyterian worship, with the congregation generally following the Revised Common Lectionary through readings from the Old Testament, Psalms, Epistles, and Gospels each Sunday. The service is also thoughtful, making room for both faith and doubt as people seek to grow in love of God and one another.
Worship is child-friendly and creative, with Baptism and Communion receiving special place. A YouTube channel carries worship and previous services for those unable to be in the sanctuary.
Your First Sunday on Main Street
Follow the brick steps up from Main Street to enter the third-floor sanctuary. The church occupies the full block between 4th and 5th streets. Disability access to both the sanctuary and chapel is available through the 4th Street entrance or through the parking-lot entryway on 5th Street.
There is no dress code. Sunday worship ranges from casual jeans and sandals to formal suits and dresses, and the church’s simple invitation is to come as you are. The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; the church phone is 540-347-2213 and the fax is 540-347-4481.
Children in the Congregation
For the youngest worshipers, nursery care is available for babies and toddlers. Children ages 3 to 12 can use children’s bulletins and crayons during worship. The narthex, or lobby, includes a child-friendly space with toys and rocking chairs where the service can still be heard. These provisions let young children take part with their families while remaining connected to the service.
After worship, Sunday School gathers for classes and discussion groups for all ages. Christian education is treated as a lifelong congregational mission of passing on a living faith. The church’s learning emphasis asks questions such as whether people can love as Jesus loved, whether God calls people to obedience, and what it means to feed Christ’s sheep, grounding teaching in Jesus’ example and experience.
Warrenton Presbyterian School and Lifelong Learning
Warrenton Presbyterian School was established in 2010 as a ministry of WPC to share God’s love with the children of the Warrenton community. It operates as a separate nonprofit, while remaining a vital part of the church’s ministry. Weekly chapel connects the school with the congregation, and church members participate through teaching, volunteering, and service on the school’s Board of Directors.
Vacation Bible School welcomes children from three years old through fifth grade; the three-year-old class has limited space and requires participants to be potty trained. The J. Richard Winter Scholarship recognizes thirty years of service by Reverend J. Richard Winter to his church and community. It provides a $2,500 renewable annual scholarship for post-high-school education. Graduating seniors at any Fauquier County Public High School may apply, as may church members, their children, and their grandchildren. Selection considers academic achievement, service to church, community, and school, a personal essay, and a recommendation.
Music Across the Generations
Music Ministries involve people of all ages and offer a direct way to serve. Joyful Noise comprises preschool through second-grade singers, while SonShine serves third through fifth graders. WPC also has a Handbell Choir and Sanctuary Choir. Concerts take place on second Sundays at 2 p.m., with additional recurring gatherings including the Hymn Festival on Christ the King Sunday, the Festival of Christmas during the 10 a.m. service on the Sunday before Christmas Eve, a Lenten Community Concert on Palm Sunday afternoon, and Gospel Music Sunday at Pentecost.
The church welcomes anyone interested in joining an ensemble, noting that a musical background is not required and any ability level is welcome. Music Director Jeff Anderson leads the ministry, Organist Anne Timberlake serves WPC, and Jeanette Walker directs the Children’s Choirs.
Grace, Sacrament, and Presbyterian Identity
Presbyterians belong to the Reformed Tradition of the Christian faith. At the center of Presbyterian identity is a secure hope in the grace of God in Jesus Christ, a hope made active by the Holy Spirit and expressed in lives of gratitude. WPC places worship at the heart of its ministry because worship gathers, equips, nourishes, and sends people out as ambassadors of God’s love. The church understands baptism as God’s call of each person to service and leadership in Christ’s Church.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) recognizes two sacraments, Baptism and Communion, as signs and seals of God’s grace. WPC baptizes both infants and adults, understanding Baptism as cleansing and being claimed as a child of God, an official welcome into the church, and the beginning of the Christian journey. Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of every month during worship. All who trust in Christ and seek to be fed by him are welcome to participate, and a gluten-free option is always available.
Governed for Worship and Service
The name Presbyterian comes from the Greek presbyteros, meaning elder, and reflects a church governed by teaching and ruling elders. WPC’s Session is a council of twelve Ruling Elders, moderated by the pastor as Teaching Elder. Elders discern the will of Christ in worship, fellowship, mission, and education, and the Session sends commissioners to Presbytery meetings.
A fourteen-member Board of Deacons, including two youth deacons, leads ministries of compassion and care for the congregation and community. The Session also connects WPC to the Shenandoah Presbytery and the Synod of the Mid-Atlantic through which the congregation participates in and remains accountable to the wider ministry of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
As a connectional church, WPC also seeks fellowship with other denominations and faith communities so they can learn from one another while serving Christ and neighbor.
A Community Garden and a Wide Circle of Care
WPC’s service emphasis begins close to home. The church supports local food pantries with monthly drives. Its Community Garden produces nearly 1,000 pounds of fresh produce each year to help feed neighbors. Monthly meals and other regular support assist a local family shelter and a free clinic. Empty Bowls and an annual Hunger Walk extend the church’s concern for hunger.
The mission also reaches nationally and globally through partnerships with Church World Service, Heifer International, and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). WPC has supported international missionaries for many years, connecting its local work in Warrenton with a wider circle of care.
Discovering WPC and Serving Together
Discovering WPC is offered throughout the year for people who want to introduce or refresh their understanding of Christian teaching, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and WPC’s history, organization, programs, and people. It welcomes those exploring membership as well as members who want a fuller orientation. The church also invites participation through committees and ministry teams, using the gifts people bring to the life of the congregation.
Membership is open to all who respond in trust and obedience to God’s grace in Jesus Christ and desire to join the fellowship and ministry of a particular faith community within the wider Church. An active member makes a profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, is baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and participates regularly in mission, fellowship, and worship through giving time, talent, and financial resources.
Giving is understood as a response to God’s grace and a practice of stewardship. In addition to tithes and pledges, WPC accepts nonmonetary gifts such as stocks and property and receives planned gifts through estate planning. A secure giving portal supports the mission and ministry of the church.
At the heart of Old Town, Warrenton Presbyterian Church continues a Main Street ministry that joins Sunday worship, learning, music, fellowship, sacramental life, and practical service. Its identity as a servant community lives through the sanctuary, school, music ministries, community garden, and wider relationships that connect this historic congregation to Warrenton and beyond.