Sharing God's love, justice, and welcome on our corner, in our city, and in the world for 175 years.
Click here for online streaming worship
Click here for the worship bulletin
Click here to volunteer for the food bank
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Old First Presbyterian Church enthuiastically invites all people into our community!
This church was the first Protestant congregation established on the west coast of the U.S. during the gold rush. And we are proud now to continue sharing Christ's love, justice, and welcome to modern seekers who arrive in San Francisco now 175 years later. We have taken a leadership role both locally and nationally welcoming LGBTQIA+ Christians into full participation in the life and leadership of the Presbyterian Church. We strive to bring hope, joy and justice reaching out to people of all ethnicities, incomes, races, and life situations, and like Jesus, we always try to offer a smile and welcome the outcasts.
We hope you will come visit and consider becoming part of our community. We want to know you and share your own particular gifts, experience, and insights with us on our corner, in our city, and in our world.
We worship every Sunday at 11:00 am both in person in our beautiful sanctuary and on line via YouTube livestream. We celebrate communion on the third Sunday of the month. Worship is our joyful praise and thanks to God - our celebration of God's Love.
We have a wonderful choir singing a mixture of classical and modern music and singers are always welcome. Our organ is one of the most renowned in the city. We founded and support an amazing variety of new artists each week in our Old First Concerts programs.
Bringing God's love, welcome, justice, in our neighborhood, city and world and working to make the world a better place for all are important to us. We are a founding member of the weekly interfaith food pantry every Saturday and host a free community meal on the 4th Saturday of each month. We work with many local, national, and international groups to promote racial justice, LGBTQ+ equality, and other human rights, to end gun violence, and to help immigrants.
We feed the hungry, comfort the afflicted, and work for justice. We always need volunteers to help with all of these projects.
We believe that learning and growth are important for all ages. We offer regular book studies, Bible studies, theological discussions, and topical classes for adults on issues important in our culture. Small groups meet on Zoom and in members' homes for study and support. We make time and space for children in worship and offer regular, broadly graded children's church school every 1st and 3nd Sundy. We also have excellent childrens' and adults' libraries.
We love to read and support the Little Free Library on Sacramento Street. Bring you books to share with the community.
I preached on Pentecost, May 24, this year. It was a joyous day filled with grand music, life-lifting art and spontaneous spirit dancers (click here to watch the video!), and a faithful sermon, if I say so myself. My delight was finding a poem written by seminary classmate Thom Shuman that reminded me of how I to encounter the Spirit in the ordinary extraordinary moments in daily life. -Maggi
Come, Holy Spirit by Thom Shuman
I have to admit that I have never hand any tongues of fire dancing on my head. Though, come to think of it, there was that time when I was in the children’s choir at a Christmas Eve service, when the lighted candle in the hand of the little girl behind me got too close to the hair on the back of my head! (But I’m not sure if that counts.)
I don’t recall my folks mentioning anything about a white dove appearing at my baptism and a voice speaking from heaven.
Even though there were several wild geese flying over me on this morning’s walk, I apparently don’t have the spiritual gift to discern what they’re saying.
But there are those times when Paisley curls up in my lap after a long day and starts purring, when I feel the healing presence of the Comforter.
And in the middle of the night, when I hear my wife, Bonnie, softly breathing next to me, I am filled with a peace that is impossible to describe.
And this morning – like every other morning – the Holy Spirit bounded up onto the bed and started licking my face, saying, “Come on; get up, lazy bones! Let’s go see what God has in store for us today!”
Come, Holy Spirit, come!
beginning May 10
Old First Church is committed to giving to others who work for justice and peace in the world. Over the next few weeks, we will be highlighting some of the groups we support in doing this work.
May 24
This Sunday we celebrate the Day of Pentecost 50 days after Easter. According to the Book of Acts, the Holy Spirit came to the the people like "tongues of fire." Traditionally, we celebrate this day with red and orange colors as you can see in the banners in the sanctuary from several years ago. On this day, too, the people in Jerusalem were gathered from all over the world speaking their own languages, and yet the disciples were able to communicate the love of God to them in their own languages. This year we will have new art work and many languages in worship. Come join us and wear red!
What's Happening at Old First~~~~~~~~~
