About

First Presbyterian Church of El Paso is a congregation of 440 members. We are a richly diverse group, with people of all ages and many different cultural and ethnic groups involved in every area of church life.

We offer dynamic worship services centered in relevant, interesting, and biblically based sermons.   Our inspiring music features an excellent choir supported by the rich sounds of the traditional pipe organ.  The children’s choir, the hand bell choir, and specials from such groups as the Quintessential Brass and the UTEP Men’s Glee Club are additional favorites.   Our outstanding Christian education program offers classes and groups for all ages.  Children’s Chapel meets every Sunday during the second half of worship.

Founded in 1882, we are a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA), one of the oldest denominations in our country. We are located just east of El Paso High School and the UTEP campus near the corner of Brown and Murchison.  Plenty of convenient parking is available, and our buildings are fully accessible to those who are in wheelchairs.  We also provide hearing devices and large-print bulletins for worship services. For more information, please call (915) 533-7551, or e-mail us.

In response to God’s saving grace, we are inspired to the following practices of the spirit:

PRAY daily.
WORSHIP weeky.
READ the Bible.
BE IN RELATIONSHIPS to encourage spiritual growth.
GIVE of our time, talents, and resources.
SERVE in the church, in the community, and the world.

History

The first location on Myrtle Avenue

First Presbyterian Church of El Paso began as a mission on the banks of the Rio Grande in 1882, one year following the opening of the railroad. For its first 14 years of ministry, a succession of ten pastors and barely 50 members struggled to gain a foothold in this outpost across the river from Mexico. With God’s blessing and Christian perseverance, the congregation built its first church, a stone structure on the corner of Myrtle and Stanton Streets. In the new building, the congregation grew with the city, as El Paso’s population reached 16,000 in the early 1890s, and FPC had several hundred members, outgrowing the small stone facility on Myrtle Street.

In 1908, a new ear began for First Presbyterian Church with the dedication of its second building, this time on Yandell Street. For the next half-century, this edifice, with its stunning stained glass windows, semi-circular sanctuary, and Sunday school building, stood as a reminder of God’s presence in El Paso. It saw the cleansing of the old “sin city,” the ravages of the Mexican Revolution, and the presence of Fort Bliss soldiers through two World Wars, including the ambulatory wounded at William Beaumont Army Hospital. It saw the city’s population grow to some 270,000 residents, with the church membership growing to beyond 1,000, more than could be accommodated in the fifty year-old building. In 1958, the church moved to its third and present location on Murchison Drive, just down the street from El Paso High School.

Nestled in the shadow of Mt. Franklin at the southern tip of the Rocky Mountains, and with a vista stretching across old El Paso into Mexico, First Presbyterian Church is a witness to God’s continued presence in this city. Located on a campus of over three acres, the facilities include a large Fellowship Hall, an Education Building, an intimate Chapel, and a stately Sanctuary with the beautiful facetted glass windows depicting the biblical story from Adam and Eve to Pentecost. First Presbyterian Church witnesses to God’s saving grace through its worship services, Sunday School, Bible studies, choirs, children and youth programs, Pre-School, and mid-week services.