About First Church
The calling and legacy of First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica is to welcome all God’s children and transform lives.
Organized in 1662, First Church is the oldest continuously serving Presbyterian congregation in the United States. For more than 350 years, we’ve served at the heart of Jamaica, Queens and flourished as a vibrant multi-cultural congregation of all ages, with congregants from over 35 birth nations. We welcome you to join a safe and supportive community of believers who will help you build meaningful relationships in our church family, and empower you to grow in faith through the transforming power of Jesus.
We provide a community that connects people in their journey
We were never meant to walk our spiritual journey alone. The city is filled with millions of people, and yet can still be a lonely place. We offer ministries to meet new people, do Bible study or other faith formation activity, and form relationships that will get you through the ups and downs of life.
We serve our community
A core part of our church’s mission is to serve our neighbors with the same compassion Jesus first showed us. Our largest initiative is our partnership with the First Jamaica Community Urban Development Corporation, through which we developed a 12-story building offering 174 affordable housing units, along with financial literacy and skills-training programs through the Tree of Life Center.
Each week, our soup kitchen and food pantry provide meals and groceries to hundreds of individuals and families. We also host an Annual Prostate Screening & Health Fair, coordinate regular Blood Drives, and play a leading role in Queens Power, a community-organizing network under Metro IAF.
We nurture children, youth, and families in faith
We provide afterschool programs such as LOGOS and Scouts of America as safe spaces for young people to spend their time. We have Sunday Kids Church during 10 am service and Junior HYPE and HYPE events throughout the week for middle and high schoolers. We also empower our children through services such as our Incentive Grant & Service College Scholarship.
We also received a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish Queens Congregational Cohort for Christian Parenting & Caregiving.
