About Us
First Presbyterian Church is located in the heart of downtown Edmonton, the capital city of Alberta, and is easily accessible from all parts of the city. First Church’s strengths lie in mission at home and abroad, pastoral care in the Church and community, a Food Bank outlet and refugee support. Sunday services are enhanced by its fine choir with an anthem or solo being performed every Sunday (except during July and August). Holy Communion is celebrated six times a year.
The church has a nursery, Sunday School and Youth Group, and there are active Church groups and committees in charge of various outreach programs. The church also welcomes the use of its facilities by various community organizations and groups.
Our Minister:
Rev. Harry Currie
The Reverend Harry Currie, B.Sc., B.Ed., M.Div., has been the pastor at First Presbyterian Church since 2002. Harry has been a minister in the Presbyterian church for more than twenty years, serving congregations across the country, in P.E.I., Ontario, and British Columbia. He holds a B.Sc. and B.Ed. from Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, and an M.Div from Knox College in Toronto, and is currently working on a degree in spiritual guidance. He is also a lover of music, a pianist, and a member of the First Presbyterian Church Choir.
Our Mission
The church’s strength comes from God and from the willingness of God’s people to work together. We will respond to God’s call for us to be a worshipping, studying, praying people who nurture and support each other so that we may come to experience the presence of God in our lives.
We do not exist for ourselves. We will actively communicate the caring presence of God in our lives and share our resources and talents with others in the larger community, thus following Christ’s example of service to all.
Our mission comes from God’s word in Mark 12: 29-31: ”’The Lord Our God, the Lord is one: and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength’ And, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Our History
The congregation of Edmonton Presbyterian Church, NWT came into being in 1881 and changed its name to First Presbyterian Church in 1905 when Alberta became a province. The present church building (the third) has been used for worship since 1912, and is most attractive both within and without. In 1987, it was declared an historic resource by the Province of Alberta and in 2000 a plaque was unveiled granting it historic designation by the City Of Edmonton.
The year 2006 marked a significant milestone for First Church. It was on November 6th, 1881 that Reverend Andrew Baird conducted the first Presbyterian service ever to have been held in Edmonton (or indeed in what is now the Province of Alberta). The fall of 2006 marked the 125th Anniversary of the beginnings of Presbyterian witness in our city and province.
Annual Tour
Please join us in July for our annual historical tour in conjunction with Heritage Week. The tour culminates in an organ recital on our 1909 Casavant Organ. Please check the Edmonton & District Historical Society webpage for dates for the tour.
The Casavant Organ
The organ in First Church was originally built in 1909 by Casavant. In 1951 it was revised to include a new console and stop additions were also made at that time. In 2004, fundraising for a $300,000 organ renovation project began, and by the summer of 2007, the organ renovation was complete. First Presbyterian Church has since hosted multiple organ concerts, showcasing the wonderful tone of the renovated organ.