About Us
Welcome to First Pres!
We are a community thoughtfully engaged in our faith, embracing people of all ages, ethnicities, backgrounds, and circumstances. This is a place where questions can be asked, honest reflection is encouraged, creativity is cultivated, and where faith is not a formula, but a life lived.
We are called by God,
transformed by grace,
strengthened in community,
confident that Christ is making all things new.
Now go:
Love concretely, even when it’s risky,
serve generously, whoever has need, and
pursue God’s restoring justice.
Worship with us Sundays at 10 am
For more information, please contact the Church Office at (510) 848-6242 or info@fpcberkeley.org.
What We Believe
The Apostle’s CreedI believe in God the Father Almighty, |
First Pres is a part of the Presbyterian Church USA. As a congregation, we profess the Apostle’s Creed, one of the oldest and simplest professions of the Christian faith.
If you’d like to talk to someone about the Apostle’s Creed, our church, or about Christianity in general, please contact us at info@fpcberkeley.org.
Our Core Values
- Christ our Center
- Responsive Worship
- Thoughtful Inquiry
- Unity in Diversity
- Engaging in Our World
Our History
First Pres was founded the day before the incorporation of the city of Berkeley, on March 31, 1878, by 27 individuals wishing to minister to the budding university community. As the town and gown of Berkeley grew, so did the church. In 1902, the congregation purchased the current lot, at the corner of Dana and Channing, and built a sanctuary to seat 1,200 when church membership at the time was about 500. Read our story up to the present day.
Our Leadership
First Pres leadership includes lay leaders, along with pastoral and ministry staff, who are essential to the governing and leading of the church. They seek to be prayerful, accountable, and accessible in their varied roles.
