First Presbyterian Church of Miami

I only recently started coming to this church. Pastor Chris delivers concise, practical, quality sermons that everyone can relate to, in a very relaxed atmosphere. Everyone is warm, friendly, and cool. Building is simply beautiful for weddings and classical music performances etc.

I highly recommend First Presbyterian Church of Miami. I was actually raised in the Methodist church, and my husband was brought up in the Catholic faith. I feel First Presbyterian welcomes all faiths with open arms. This is my first experience where I have felt the preacher of a church is non-​judgmental. Pastor Chris Atwood is very approachable, personable, and his message is accessible by so many. During sermons it is evident that Chris is a theologian and has extensively researched and analyzed scriptures and religious doctrines. What I like most is that he communicates spiritual history and metaphors in a meaningful and relevant way. Jen Atwood, Pastor Chris’ wife, leads the children’s ministries and is gifted with the little ones. Jen not only organizes Vacation Bible School, but also is a teacher for Key Point Academy during the week. The Atwoods volunteer efforts throughout the community and in needy countries abroad, are centered on their genuine heart for people. I am so blessed to have found this church!

Came here for a classical concert this past weekend. I could not wait to see the beauty this church had to offer. They have a very large parking lot in the back which is convenient. A small group of us could not figure out how to get in so we walked through a building in the back by the parking lot. Out of all things they were getting ready to have an alcoholic anonymous group which looked like a big room with a kitchen.
We finally made it in to the main church which is very large I believe it can seat 500 people. The dome is quite beautiful, the acquistics were excellent for the concert. This church is a landmark not sure exactly how old it is. Shocked that they have not torn it down and build high rise well because that is what Miami does.
The mold and mildew in the church was really working on me. The minute I walked in it hit me and I was having problems breathing. There was a young gentlman who was very helpful and making sure we had everything we needed. I had never been into a Presbyterian church and I found it odd that the pastor stands high up in sort of what looked like a podium on the second floor. Maybe I am wrong and he does not stand here but if he does he looks down on the people. That I find not cool.
All in all we had a good concert it just was not as beautiful of a church as I thought.

I’ve only lived in Miami for a few months, but I already feel like this church is my new family. It is hard being away from my friends and family in other parts of the country, so I was looking for a place that felt like I was home. They are a little rusty around the edges, but I think that is what adds to the charm of this place!
Pastor Chris is really good at picking topics that are interesting and for the first time in a long time I am able to pay attention to a sermon! The messages are relevant to me and I end up thinking about what he said the rest of the week. There are a LOT of young people in the seats (and that was so hard for me to find in Miami!) and it seems like everyone really wants to get closer to God.
It took me a few months to find a church, but I am so excited to find this church. Did I mention the sanctuary is beautiful? And their little side chapel is one of the oldest in Miami? It is worth it just to tour around it some time!

This church is beautiful! Im not certain on how the church is as a congregation or body of believers but the building itself is absolutely marvelous. It is a historic landmark in Miami and it is beautiful. We were able to have about 250 people at our ceremony and there was much more room to spare. The organ pipes ate massive and the ceilings are high. Incredible location for a wedding. We were very happy with the way it turned out. Unfortunately the day of the wedding coordinator had a death in the family so we were flying solo for the most part but praise God it turned out beautifully and I married my wonderful wife =] I posted just a few pics. Enjoy.

The First Presbyterian Church of Miami is the city’s oldest organized congregation. Early in 1896, The Reverend Henry Keigwin, synodical missionary representing the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., reached Ft. Dallas (now Miami), a very small community not yet incorporated. April 1, 1896, three months after he began holding services in a rough board restaurant, the First Presbyterian Church of Miami was organized. Services were held first in a tent donated by Memorial Church of St. Augustine. Within a year this was replaced by a «Pavilion» with a floor, doors and a shingle roof. Both were shared with the Baptists and the Methodists.
In 1898, Henry M. Flagler, pioneer builder and developer of Florida, took a personal interest in the siting and the construction of the first church building. On the corner of S.E. Flagler and Third Avenue, it was completed in 1900. Its congregation, swollen in the winter by tourists, was made up mainly of families drawn to the area to build and operate Mr. Flagler’s Royal Palm Hotel and his FEC Railroad. In the 1926 hurricane the steeple of this building was destroyed and never replaced.
The rapid growth of Miami and the needs of a growing church led, in 1947, to leasing of the downtown property for 99 years and relocating the church to 609 Brickell Avenue, a central location across the river on an avenue of beautiful homes and with ample parking. This sanctuary was finished in 1949. Additions in 1954 and 1964 completed the building as you see it today. The Flagler Memorial Chapel is a replica of the Flagler Street structure and the pews, pulpit, stained glass windows and fixtures are from the original church.