Our Mission
The mission of Eastchester Presbyterian Church is to bring people into the family of God by preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, teaching them to grow in grace and equipping them for service in His church.
We believe that:
- Jesus Christ alone is Lord of all and the way of salvation
- That the Holy Scripture is the triune God’s revealed Word, the Church’s only infallible rule of faith and life
- That God’s people are called to holiness in all aspects of life
- That it is the privilege and obligation of all Christians to share this faith with all people by word and deed
In the Beginning...
The Presbytery of New York City had a vision of establishing a church in the northeast Bronx. In the spring of 1930, that’s just what they did! Our first pastor, Reverend Floyd E. McGuire, of the Biblical Seminary in New York, was appointed to start a children’s Sunday School. June 1, 1930, marked the first Sunday School service at EPC with an attendance of 47 scholars.
The first worship service was held just four months later on October 5th, with Rev. McGuire as the minister. The congregation was formally organized as the Eastchester Road Presbyterian Church with 84 charter members.
In October 1932, the church moved from Eastchester Road to nearby Gun Hill Road and became known as Eastchester Community Presbyterian Church. Ten years later, EPC again relocated and on May 31, 1942, the first worship service was held at the church’s present location.
Our Pastors
Our Pastors, since the church’s founding in 1930. EPC is steeped in rich history.
Since those first days,
EPC has had five pastors, one interim pastor and one associate pastor.
Rev. Floyd McGuire, Pastor from October 5, 1930, to December 31. 1939
Rev. Richmond Fewlass, Pastor from March 1, 1940, to October 1, 1949
Rev. R. Millard Farrell, Pastor from May 21, 1950, to June 30, 1987
Rev. Dr. J. Perry Wootten, Pastor from March 4, 1990, to May 1, 2014
Elder Carlton Knight, Commissioned Lay Pastor beginning in 1997, then as
Rev. Carlton Knight, Associate Pastor from June 8, 2008, to March 31, 2019
Rev. Phil Tom, Interim Pastor from June 1, 2015, to December 31, 2017
Rev. Dr. Brian John, Pastor from January 1, 2018, to July 7, 2020
Rev. Nancy Fields Interim Pastor January 2023 to present
Present Day...
The continued growth of the congregation made it necessary to expand our church and the establishment of two Sunday services. Today those services are our 8 am Praise and Worship and 10 am Worship Service. The 8 am service is was temporarily suspended March 15, 2020 due to Covid-19. In April of 1998, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the church expansion project. One and a half years later, we celebrated the dedication of our new and beautiful sanctuary.
EPC has expanded its outreach and initiated programs that foster spiritual growth.
We value the Lordship of Jesus Christ!
We acknowledge Jesus Christ as the head of our church and fully submit ourselves to His will. In every aspect of our ministry our goal is always to honor and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.
We value Bible-centered Preaching and Teaching!
We believe the Bible is God’s inspired authoritative and trustworthy rule of faith and practice for Christians. Therefore, we submit ourselves to its teaching, commit ourselves to do what it says, and yield our lives to become what Christ desires for us to be.
We value Prayer!
We believe in the power of prayer. Therefore, the ministries and activities our church will be characterized by a reliance on personal and corporate prayer in all areas of our lives and ministry.
We value Evangelism and World Missions!
We believe in the Great Commission commanded to us by Jesus Christ and we are committed to reaching unsaved and unchurched people locally, nationally and worldwide. We will use every available Christ-honoring means to pursue, win and disciple the people in our sphere of influence.
We value the Family!
We believe God ordained the family to glorify him. We are committed to cultivate an atmosphere which promotes spiritual growth within the family by reaching families with the gospel, discipling them in Christ-like character and teaching each family member how to fulfill their God-given role.
Meet Our Clerk & Staff
Our Directional Leadership Team works together to shape the vision and direction of EPC.
Fredericka Bell-Berti
Clerk of Session
Following a vision God gave him and his wife Amy for a different kind of church, he and a handful of people launched.
Justin Kelly
Director of Music
Mia is responsible for the team and cultural development at and helps shape the overall direction and leadership of the church
Join us this Sunday
The Lord has blessed Eastchester Presbyterian Church with fine leadership, increased membership, a strong church school, and the commitment of its members. We pray that this church will continue to serve God in this corner of the Bronx and to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ by word and action for many, many years to come.
We invite you to join us this Sunday to our worship experience!