About Us

The First Presbyterian Church of Newtown, part of the Presbyterian Church (USA), is a spiritual, historic, and multicultural church in Elmhurst (Queens County), a New York City neighborhood four miles east of Manhattan. We are located at 54-05 Seabury St., at the corner of Queens Blvd. and 54th Ave. (conveniently located above the Grand Ave. subway station).

We take pride in our heritage. We are one of the oldest churches in New York City, dating back to 1652. We are one of the earliest advocates of religious freedom in America. For nearly 350 years we have been blessed to praise God and serve this community. We continually strive to proclaim the Good News faithfully, vitally, and relevantly.

We hold worship services every Sunday at 10:45 AM except during July and August when the service starts at 10:00 AM. We hold Wednesday night Bible studies and prayer services periodically throughout the year - see the News section of this site for details. Our Chancel Choir rehearses before and after the Sunday morning worship service. Our Children's and Youth Choirs practice after the Sunday morning worship service.

In the lower level of the Social Hall, we have a Gift Shop (run by Dolores Joseph) that sells many new and used items. It is open on Sundays from 12:00 to 1:30 PM.

Our church is home to many different people from many different backgrounds. Our diversity dates back hundreds of years. In the eighteenth century, our church accepted African Americans as full communicant members, and we supported a small African Presbyterian Church on Corona Avenue in the nineteenth century.

We are active in our community as well. Our church currently runs a garden, located on church property, where we grow produce that is donated to local food banks.

Our interim pastor, Rev. Dr. Louis L. Knowles, served for ten years as President of the Vellore CMC Foundation. Rev. Knowles served for six years on the Board of Trustees of the Presbytery of New York. He also was President of Presbyterian Senior Services in New York City for four years. He served as Interim Pastor of University Heights Presbyterian Church in the Bronx from 2000 to 2002 and has been Parish Associate in several congregations during his career.

FPCN is a member of the Presbyterian Church (USA), the largest Presbyterian church in the country. The Presbyterian church is a representative theocracy governed by elders, who are people elected from and by the congregation. Our church officers continue a system of government that dates back to 1724, when FPCN elected its first elders.