First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley

We’re visitors. He used to come here till he moved. The message is consistent and we like it. It’s a beautiful church and has lots to offer. People seem friendly. I think there are lots of visitors as they are friendly, but don’t really spend the time to get to know you or invite you to their small group. That’s ok as we come when we are in town. I see people saying hi to each other so that is nice. People do make friends.

Friendly staff

Less than a star. We just had an awful experience there! First time taking our two kids to church and thought they were doing fine until we were humiliated in the middle of the sermon when the usher told us «you need to leave and get those children out of here.» The guy sitting next to us actually followed us out and said how surprised he was by the usher. I guess if thats their idea of being a christian its not where we wanted to be anyway.

Awesome space for our prayer meetings (;

Disclaimer:
— I don’t normally attend First Presbyterian but I came here for Sunday service one week because I had other obligations later in the afternoon and wouldn’t be able to make it to Gracepoint’s SWS.
— I came here a week into school started in the middle of welcome events
First Pres. does a lot for the Berkeley community. For other churches like Gracepoint that do not have a permanent place of their own, First Pres is kind enough to let Gracepoint use their sanctuary for activities throughout the week. Additionally during welcome week, I noticed their kindness to the new freshman [and parents] by allowing people moving in (presumably to Unit 3) to park their cars in their garage across the street for free. Plus stars~
The SWS which I attended was definitely new for me. I’m used to services at GP where praise lasts anywhere from 15 – 20 min, the message lasts anywhere from 45 – 60, and announcements 3 – 5 min. At First Pres, it seemed like everything was timed to a T. The service felt very rushed (and it would make sense since it only took an hour). That Sunday, the message was about a passage from Luke. When the pastor came to give a sermon, I wasn’t sure if they were starting, finishing, or anywhere in between. The message was so short (re: 10min).
No wonder people love this place (just kidding… kind of). I won’t say too much since I’ve only been to one service, but it seems (note: *seems*) like this is the church to go to if you want to be in n out, get on with your life, getting your daily dose of Jesus.
Again, take my review with a grain of salt, reading the disclaimers above. Thanks!

I really enjoy this church. I like how there are different ways you can get plugged in other than just coming to church. I also like how they make Sundays pretty flexible to come to since they offer a lot of different times for services. Their college group FoCUS is pretty cool. They do a lot of events and retreats. I also like how they had the college lounge set up so that the students could study there during finals week.

I only attended 1 sunday during my search for a church, but i do wish i got to check it out more, especially the young adult group. Message was great, great worship, diverse church, lunch, parking. I honestly don’t think I can give a useful rating.

Beautiful architecture (marble pillars), great acoustics (there’s even a pipe organ!). Got hooked up with press-​pass tix to see Yo-​Yo Ma perform Bach in recital and it was, as I’d expected, like, the most spiritual and inspiring performance I have ever witnessed.

i really only like this place because i saw neil gaiman here. he read coraline from the altar in it’s entirety giving little voices to each of the characters and then signed every book he sold. it was awesome.

First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley’s vision encapsulates my experience here every time I visit, and when I couldn’t make it to a KA church on a Sunday morning. First Pres says that its vision is to «sow the Gospel of Jesus Christ through word, prayer, deed and community. cultivating personal transformation, social healing and cultural renewal… reconcil (ing) us, Berkeley, the University, the Bay Area, and the world to God in Jesus Christ.» This in essence is First Pres: a kind of church where it is socially conscious, and an active participant of Berkeley being mere blocks away from Cal.
1. A socially conscious community of Christ at Cal a Unilocal Star: First Pres is engrained in Berkeley’s local community, and makes steps to make sure that it is open and accessible to anyone walking by. It’s right across from Unit 3 and Channing dorms on Dwight, and it’s smack in the middle of the the crossroads where you’ll see Cal people walking by night and day. It’s interesting to know that First Pres intentionally made the worship center open, and its large windows surrounding the sanctuary when built were intentionally designed to be inviting, and a way to say to Cal and Berkeley that Christ is alive and real in the middle of Berkeley. Reconciling is important here, and First Pres makes a strong effort to be of service within Berkeley.
2. Music Ministries a tradition and Unilocal Star: First Pres commits itself to really wow you in the music tradition. It has a host of choirs of all ages, training and vocal mentoring programs and has many professional vocalists that regularly perform during services. With the enormous classic church organ in the worship center, and complemented by its numerous choirs, service often is like attending a concert! First Pres regularly has scheduled music concerts and recital series featuring the concert hall-​quality of its vocalists and musicians, both in the traditional, classic and liturgical style to edify the body of Christ.
3. Sunday services: are available in the traditional format at 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. and the contemporary services at 11:27 a.m. and 5:05 p.m. Services are often tightly choreographed, and begin and end on the dot. They never run a minute or two late. Most congregants are local Berkeleyans, Cal faculty, students and administors – but many are from all over the Bay Area. Senior Pastor Mark Labberton delivers messages in a manner that attempts to reconcile Cal to the message of Christ, and is always on the mark.
4. Who First Pres is ideal for if you are looking for a church home: if you’re a Cal student, this place is practically on your walk to class. If you’re a Cal faculty or staff, First Pres is minutes away from campus. However, First Pres has a host of members from all over Berkeley and the Bay, and it’s refreshing to see that it continues to open its doors through its outreach to the elderly, caring ministries, lay counseling and homeless ministries. This place is ideal if you’re in Berkeley, and worth a visit!
Five Unilocal Stars for First Pres!

I’ve never been in this church, but their parking garage a few blocks away on Channing and Telegraph is pretty reasonable. I’ve parked here a few times and it’s always been much cheaper than the orange public lot across the street. Plenty of parking at a reasonable rate. $ 8 for a full day (They close around 11pm). Just make sure you have exact change or a credit card because the machines are automated. Maybe I shouldn’t be giving out information about this secret because now everyone is going to park here! Hmmmmm…

First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley is a university church right in the heart of Berkeley, California, two blocks from the University of California (
).
Senior Pastor, the Rev. Dr. Mark Labberton. married us in this church almost ten years ago (yikes!) He remains one of the best Pastors I have ever listened to. He is vibrant, brilliant, real and honest.
This is a thinking church. People ask questions. Study is expected not scorned. Education is paramount.
We were not members when we married there, but the rental fee was reasonable and the service excellent. Our wedding pictures turned out great so don’t be turned off by the crazy colors of the sanctuary seats and carpet (purple and orange)
The church has grown a lot over the last few years. now there is even a dorm for Berkeley students. A great place to check out if you want to be a part of a church community. Lots of ways to fit in with no pressure.