Reaching Out To Northport

An important mission and ministry of First Presbyterian Church is to serve the needs of our local community. To that end we support the Ecumenical Lay Council in providing a food pantry where those in need can come for food and support. The pantry is located on the lower level of the church at 330 Main St., Northport, NY. Hours of operation are Monday-Thursday 10:00-12:00. Donations can be made at the church. For more information please call 631-261-4357.

​For the past thirty-plus years FPC Northport has housed the area Food Pantry, which serves approximately 150 individuals each week. Our recent building renovation project included an expansion of the Pantry space. In addition to food, the Pantry provides a school-supply drive each summer/fall.

​The congregation’s long history of ministry beyond its own doors continues into the present. In addition to providing free meeting space for Boy and Girl Scout troops, the church also makes its parking lot available on a weekly basis to the local Engeman Theater, located just down Main Street. The theater is a newer addition to the village that offers outstanding Off-Broadway quality performances throughout the year, and has proven to be a great asset to the village. We are happy to be a community supporter in this way.

Reaching Out To Long Island and Beyond

FPC in Northport has always made reaching out to others “beyond our walls” a priority. About 35 years ago, with the generous support of the Presbytery of Long Island and with with the spiritual and financial support of FPC Northport, a small group of Spanish speaking believers began to gather for worship in the chapel of Christ’s First Church in Hempstead. This group became known as “Iglesia Presbiteriana Hispana” or IPH. Through the years, as their membership at Sunday services continued to grow, the congregation realized that the worship space available to them in Hempstead no longer met their needs. So, about six years ago, following a warm invitation from the Session and Pastor of the Malverne Presbyterian Church, the congregation of IPH became “partners in ministry” with the Malverne congregation. Shortly after, at a joyous installation service, Iglesia Presbiteriana Hispana (IPH) was commissioned as an organized congregation of the PCUSA and became known as “Iglesia Evangélica Presbiteriana Nueva Vida”. Deacons and Elders were formally installed, as was the Pastor. Many members of FPC Northport attended the ceremony, joining in the celebration of the birth of this new church. The Nueva Vida church continues to grow in membership and faithful witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. This past February, the congregation received six new members. Three high school age young people will be attending Triennium in July. Thanks to the $900 dollars remaining in our Pentecost Offering fund, scholarship money was given to each of the three participants to assist them with travel expenses etc.

When the weather gets cold, once a month members of FPC in Northport prepare a full course meal for homeless guests spending the night at St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in South Huntington. Volunteers from Northport assist in serving the food, and cleaning up afterwards. We are very grateful to be able to participate in this local outreach ministry.

Reaching Out In The World

Since the 1980s, FPC in Northport has had a covenant relationship with the Nueva Paz Presbyterian Church in Cuba. Over the years, some of our members have visited the church and a few of their members have come to see us. This congregation receives an annual donation from our benevolence budget to help support their outreach ministries in that rural town. Two years ago, by partnering with several other PCUSA churches, sufficient funds were raised to enable Living Waters for the World to install a water purification system on the grounds of the Nueva Paz church. The clean water system not only benefits members of the church, but is freely distributed to residents of the town who wait in line to fill jugs to obtain the clean water they require each day. When Rev. Charles Carey from the Presbytery of Long Island visited Nueva Paz last fall, he reported that the clean water installation system was a tremendous blessing to all who received it and was wonderful to witness in person.

In March of 2019, aix members of FPC in Northport traveled to Monteflores, San Juan, Puerto Rico to participate in a PDA project there. Staying at the manse of the Monteflores Presbyterian Church, the volunteers helped restore a home that was severely damaged during Hurricane Maria. They installed sheet rock, did spackling and painted the walls so that Luis and his family could move back in. Mission ministries hopes to sponsor another PDA trip to Puerto Rico next year.