In 2020, New River Presbyterian Church was formed through the merging of three historic congregations: First African Church, Good Shepherd Church, and Calvin Presbyterian Church. First African Church, formed in 1807 as the nation’s first Black Presbyterian church, has been led by significant figures in Black history, including abolitionist leader William Still, and by Rev. Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon, the first Black woman ordained by the Presbyterian Church and a pioneering womanist theologian. Good Shepherd Church, founded in 1859, began as a street-corner ministry and grew to become a neighborhood hub serving people of various faith traditions through its ministries and facilities. Lastly, Calvin Presbyterian Church, which was formed in 1902, lived out its mission through its Christian education and intergenerational ministry. In 2023, after three years of online worship, the fledgling New River congregation moved into its current English Gothic Revival building, which had been purchased by First African Church in 1957. The stone building was designed by Presbyterian church architects Charles W. Bolton & Son and constructed from 1894 to 1912. Around the time of its completion, it was hailed by The Philadelphia Inquirer as “one of the most imposing and beautiful houses of worship in that section of the city.”

Located within a neighborhood experiencing high poverty rates, New River Presbyterian Church carries on the legacies of its foundational congregations through impactful community service. Its “Serve the Word” ministry deepens the church’s connection with the community through expanded personal outreach. New River operates the UCC Health Clinic, providing trusted healthcare to patients on a bimonthly basis; distributes food through its monthly food pantry and Thanksgiving food basket program; hosts an annual Back to School block party giving out backpacks filled with school supplies to local youth; and supports a Senior Emergency fund for the local elderly population. 

A National Fund grant of $250,000, matched with $250,000 raised by the congregation, will enable New River Presbyterian Church to repair exterior masonry on the north and west elevations as the second phase of its larger effort to repair the building’s exterior. 

Photo Courtesy New River Presbyterian