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 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.
Since those first days, EPC has had five pastors, one interim pastor and one associate pastor. They were:
▪ 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
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 am Praise and Worship and 10 am Worship Service. The 8 am service is was temporarily suspended 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.