All Saints’ Sunday

Sanctuary

During worship, the Sanctuary Choir, accompanied by a 28-member orchestra, will sing Morten Lauridsen's Lux Aeterna (Light Eternal) as we celebrate All Saints' Sunday. This beautiful and serene piece, centered around themes of light, will follow the reading of the names of those in the congregation who have departed their earthly life in the past year.

Global Mission Sunday

Hunter Farrell, Director of World Mission Initiative at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (formerly the director of Presbyterian World Mission) will be our guest preacher and churchwide Sunday School leader. The children's choirs will share a special piece of music from our friends in Haiti, a special offering will be collected to provide clean water in the Yucatan, and representatives from EWO in Haiti will be in worship with us. Olguens Saint Louis will be with us from Bayonnais, and the director of EWO will be available after worship with information about student sponsorships. At 4 p.m., join us for a happy hour with Hunter Farrell at the home of Bill and Suzanne Schweppe. Please RSVP at the button below. RSVP

Advent Communion Service & Luncheon

Sanctuary

Our guest preacher will be The Rev. Taylor Lewis Guthrie Hartman, who currently serves as Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Statesboro, GA. A luncheon will follow. The cost of lunch is $15, and the deadline to register for lunch is November 29. Women, men, visitors, friends – everyone is invited! Consider inviting a friend with you. Lunch will include: Sliced Roasted Chicken Breast, Green Beans w/ Honey Glazed Carrots, Parmesan Cheese Creamy Potatoes, Hot Dinner Rolls Register for Lunch

$15

Nativity Play

Wood Fellowship Hall

The children of the church will tell the Christmas story during the Sunday School hour. Everyone is invited to attend this heartwarming and entertaining play.

Service of Lessons and Carols

Sanctuary

A service filled with carols, anthems, and scripture lessons that tell the birth story of Jesus. This service takes place during our regular 11 a.m. service. Childcare available.

Service of Wholeness and Healing

Sanctuary

A reflective candlelight service for all, and especially for those for whom the holidays are difficult and those who are grieving.

Ivey Handbell Concert

Sanctuary

The Ivey ringers will perform a handbell concert leading up to the beginning of the 8 p.m. service.

Candlelight Worship

Sanctuary

A traditional candlelight Christmas Eve service. No childcare provided. This service will be preceded by a handbell concert beginning at 7:30 p.m. You may arrive before or during the concert.

Candlelight and Communion Service

Sanctuary

Worship with candlelight and communion as Christmas Eve becomes Christmas Day. No childcare provided.

Town Hall Meeting

Wood Fellowship Hall

Stay for a short time after worship for a Town Hall Meeting. We'll discuss and answer questions about recent Session decisions regarding the church's staffing structure and endowment funds.

Plowshares Book Club

Frances Browne Dining Room

“How can we as people of faith reconcile the call to participate in God’s ongoing struggle for justice while not losing our souls to hatred? How can we love our enemies in this time? Scott Black Johnston believes that there is a way to pursue this difficult work and that people of faith can light the way. He encourages us to recommit to our highest principles —our virtues —and to turn hearts poisoned by cynicism into instruments of love.” Plowshares has selected “Elusive Grace” for the Winter 2024 book read/discussion. The author, Scott Black Johnston, is Senior Pastor of Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. He’s also a friend of Pen Peery, and accepted Pen’s invitation to join our group via Zoom from 1-1:30 p.m. during our event! We’ll begin after Worship with lunch and table discussion in P212 Frances Browne Dining Room. Register

Free

Ash Wednesday

First United Presbyterian Church 406 N. College Street, Charlotte, NC, United States

Ashes to go, 8:15 a.m., at the CDC door and the Weekday School line on 5th street Ashes on the Square, 12 p.m. at the corner of Trade and Tryon Ash Wednesday service, 12 p.m. at First United Presbyterian Church (406 N. College Street) – This year's Ash Wednesday service will be held at FUPC and the Reverend Pen Peery will be preaching. Hourly parking is available at 7th Street Station. Enter the Sanctuary on 7th Street.

Easter Egg Hunt

Front Lawn

Join Children’s Ministry on the front lawn on Friday, March 22 at 4:30 p.m. for our annual Easter Egg Hunt! The hunt will take place in waves by age for children ages birth through fifth grade. Pizza will be provided with registration. Register

Free

Palm Sunday Worship + Palm Procession

Children remain after the musical at 10-10:45 a.m. to line up for the procession of palms. The procession will begin the traditional worship service at 11 a.m.

Maundy Thursday Tenebrae Service

Sanctuary

The Service of Tenebrae sets the tone for Good Friday by recreating aspects of the passion story with scripture, communion, solemn hymns, and the gradual darkening of the room as candles are extinguished. This service will be in person in the sanctuary and streamed live on our website.

Easter Sunday Worship

Sanctuary

There will be two Traditional Worship Services on Easter morning: 9 a.m. in the sanctuary, and at 11 a.m. in the sanctuary, livestream, and WAXN Channel-64. Nursery and First Church available for both services. Bring flowers from home to adorn the Easter cross. There will be no sunrise service in the park or contemplative service on Easter. This year's Easter offering will go to Freedom Communities. Impact the lives of families in our city by giving generously to this year’s Easter offering which will go to buying down new Alleghany Street Townhomes into affordable home ownership. Every dollar given will be matched by First Presbyterian Church, and the combined contribution will be used to make these townhomes more affordable for working families. Engage the entire family using collection boxes available after church on Sundays during Lent, use the “Easter Offering” dropdown box on the Give page of the church website, or just bring your gift to worship on Easter Sunday.

Plowshares Book Club

Wood Fellowship Hall

Our book club's selection for April is "Unexampled Courage: The Blinding of Sgt. Isaac Woodard and the Awakening of America" by Richard Gergel. At the event, we will welcome a very special guest: the book's author, Judge Richard Gergel, who is a US district judge appointed by President Obama. The book details how one event changed the course of America's civil rights history. "On February 12, 1946, Sergeant Isaac Woodard, a returning, decorated African American veteran, was removed from a Greyhound bus in Batesburg, South Carolina, after he challenged the bus driver’s disrespectful treatment of him. Woodard, in uniform, was arrested by the local police chief, Lynwood Shull, and beaten and blinded while in custody. President Harry Truman was outraged by the incident. He established the first presidential commission on civil rights and his Justice Department filed criminal charges against Shull. In July 1948, following his commission’s recommendation, Truman ordered an end to segregation in the U.S. armed forces. An all-white South Carolina jury acquitted Shull, but the presiding judge, J. Waties Waring, was conscience-stricken by the failure of the court system to do justice by the soldier. Waring described the trial as his “baptism of fire,” and began issuing […]

Youth Sunday

First Presbyterian Church

Join us on April 21 at First Presbyterian Church of Charlotte as we gather together for Youth Sunday. This year, our theme is Earth Day, a time to reflect on God's call for us to steward and nurture creation with love, responsibility, and compassion. FPC Youth will lead us in a special service filled with inspiring messages, heartfelt prayers, and uplifting music, all centered around the importance of caring for our planet. Through scripture and fellowship, we'll explore ways to cultivate a deeper connection with the Earth and foster a spirit of environmental stewardship in our community. Come and be a part of this meaningful celebration as we embrace God's gift of creation and commit to caring for our world with reverence and gratitude. Youth Lead Worship “Honoring Creation’s Splendor on Earth Day” 11 a.m., Sanctuary & Livestream

The Willard: Featuring Brian McLaren

Sanctuary

Brian McLaren, author, speaker, activist, and public theologian, notes that the challenge of living well and maintaining resilience in turbulent times requires new ways of thinking, becoming, and belonging. Facing nations, ecosystems, economies, religions, and other institutions in disarray, we are called to a spiritual transformation in our own lives that will express itself in transformation in our world. Purchase Tickets

$15

PW Birthday Dinner

Wood Fellowship Hall

This annual dinner celebrates the past year and anticipates the year to come. The evening will begin at 5:30 with drinks in the courtyard, followed by a festive dinner and brief program in Wood Fellowship Hall. Our guest speaker is Lisa Saunders, Associate Rector at Christ Episcopal Church, whose talk is entitled “We Are (Im)perfect For Each Other". We will conclude by recognizing our Honorary Life Memberships and installing PW’s new officers for 2024-2025. <p data-pm-slice="1 1 Register

$15

Kiwanis BBQ & Bluegrass

Front Lawn

Save the Date for the Kiwanis BBQ! The 45th annual Kiwanis BBQ & Bluegrass event. This event isn’t only fun and delicious, but every bit of profit comes back to the church to sponsor our Camp Grier program! If you can’t stay and enjoy lunch on the lawn, there is an option to drive through and pick up food in the church driveway. Tickets are $15 the day of and $14 in advance. Please share this opportunity with friends and colleagues who work uptown! Purchase ticket

$15

Spring Luncheon

Front Lawn

Join us for a good old-fashioned church picnic on the lawn. The church will provide fried chicken, rolls, and beverages. Therefore, we are asking each family to bring a potluck contribution to share (more info below).  Please register for this event, as we need a correct head count. There will be tables and chairs, but bring a blanket if you prefer! Potluck contributions (one per family): Last names A-I: Dessert Last names J-R: Side Last names S-Z: Salad Register

Free

Barry Funeral

Sanctuary

The funeral will begin at 11 a.m. Parking is available free of charge in the church lot on Poplar Street. Childcare will be provided in P306.

CDC Sunday

First Presbyterian Church

The children and families of the Child Development Center are invited to church for a continental breakfast at 10:15 a.m., followed by worship at 11 a.m. The children will sing during the service.

Event Series Traditional Worship Service

Traditional Worship Service

Sanctuary

The traditional service lasts right around one hour each week and includes prayer, hymns, scripture reading, and a sermon. This service is also streamed live on our website and on WAXN-Channel 64. The service is rebroadcast the following Saturday at 9 a.m. Is it your first time visiting us? Find out where to park and more about your arrival here.