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 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 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.
Present day…
The continued growth of the congregation necessitated the expansion of our church and the establishment of two Sunday services. Today those services are our 8:00 am Praise and Worship and 10:00 am Worship Service. The 8:00 am service is was temporarily suspended on March 15, 2020 due to the pandemic. 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 ministries and initiated programs that foster spiritual growth. 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!
Our Pastors
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. Dr. Nancy Fields, Interim Pastor
Meet Our Pastors
Since those first days, EPC has had five pastors, one interim pastor and one associate pastor.
Rev. Floyd McGuire
Founding Pastor
October 5, 1930 to December 31, 1939
Rev. R. Millard Farrell
Pastor
May 21, 1950, to June 30, 1987
Rev. Richmond Fewlass
Pastor
March 1, 1940 to October 1, 1949
Rev. Dr. J. Perry Wootten
Pastor
March 4, 1990, to May 1, 2014
Present Day
Rev. Dr. Nancy Fields, Interim Pastor
Elder Carlton Knight
Commissioned Lay Pastor
beginning in 1997, then as Associate Pastor from June 8, 2008 to March 31, 2019
Rev. Dr. Brian John
Pastor
January 1, 2018, to July 7, 2020
Rev. Phil Tom
Interim Pastor
June 1, 2015, to December 31, 2017
Rev. Dr. Nancy Fields
Interim Pastor
2021 to present
Our Core Values
Learn more about our values and our story as a church by visiting the about us page.
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.
Join us this Sunday
Our community makes us unique. They have an energy that reverberates around them. Their mission in life is to ensure the wonder in the world is not overlooked.