People are longing for a place to call home -

a place where they are not alone,

a place where they can be the people God has created them to be,

a place where they and those they love can feel the power of God's grace,

a place where they can worship God, grow in faith, and join in God's work in the world.

The kingdom of God is what we long for,

but the fullness of its reality remains distant.

As we wait, watch, prepare, and work for the full unveiling of God's kingdom,

we come together as a part of the body of Christ, the First Presbyterian Church of Whitestone, to be a provisional demonstration of God's promises in the world,

loving God, one another, and our neighbors,

sharing a place of comfort, joy, and peace in the midst of a broken and fearful world,

opening our eyes to places of despair and hope,

calling for the fullness of God?'s justice and reconciliation among all people,

and bearing witness to the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ours is not only a Sunday task but an everyday task,

and our life together in the church equips, supports, empowers, and sustains the practices of faith in our daily lives in the world

even as we live out those practices in our life together.

The First Presbyterian Church of Whitestone was founded in 1871 and has been active in ministry to the Whitestone community and beyond since then. We are a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA) under the Presbytery of New York City and the Synod of the Northeast. We are governed by the Session, and the Deacons of the church join with the Session in ministering to the congregation and beyond.

Our pastor is the Rev. C. Anderson James. He joined us in September 2005 after graduating from Columbia Theological Seminary. A native of Brandon, Mississippi, Andy is not a stranger to the New York City area, having worked as a mission volunteer at Stony Point Center in Stony Point, New York, and as an intern at the First Presbyterian Church of Katonah, New York.