First Presbyterian Church of Harborcreek

A little history:

The Presbyterians were the first group to establish churches in the Erie County wilderness. The congregation at Harborcreek was organized May 26, 1832 by 58 members from the church at North East. While the church building was being erected, the members met in the barns of Elder J.M. Moorhead and William Wilson. The church was built on a piece of land donated by Judah Colt ½ mile east of the present village. The brick building cost $2,039.19 and was dedicated Nov. 7, 1834. 

The original church building burned early in 1869, and a new church was built at a cost of $10,000 at the current site. It was dedicated December14, 1871. The second church was also destroyed by fire on May 2, 1917. The present building was rebuilt by the members using the standing walls and brick from the old soup house of the Cole Brothers Circus which had wintered at Troop Rd. and Iroquois Ave. The congregation met at Central School while the work was done. The new church cost $16,032.97 and was dedicated on the church’s 86th anniversary May 26, 1918. The church, being the largest hall in the township, became the site for Harbor Creek High School Baccalaureate services and Graduation ceremonies for many years. As we fast forward through the years, the congregation has had its ups and downs but has always focused on serving God and God’s children with in this community and beyond.

A look at today:

We express ourselves as a family as we worship God. We think of ourselves as traditional, but not boring. We are a smallish church whose members worship a big God. Our worship is carefully crafted in the Reform tradition, which offers reverent and thoughtful praise to God. Worship includes a robed choir and a pipe organ accompanying our singing.  During COVID the congregation invested in an extensive video and and live-streaming capabilities.  Weekly, worship is streamed on both Faceook and YouTube.

Our services follow the four-part worship that has probably been in use in some form since this congregation first gathered in 1832.

• Gathering to Worship – Bell call, prelude, welcome and announcements, choral call to worship, hymn, children’s’ message, unison prayer of confession.
• Hearing God’s Word – anthem, Scripture readings, sermon.
• Responding to the Word – Hymn, creed, joys and concerns, pastoral prayer, Lord’s Prayer, offering, Doxology.
• Going into the World – Hymn, benediction and choral benediction, passing the peace, postlude.

Holy Communion is typically celebrated on the first Sunday of each month, with added celebrations on Christmas Eve and Maundy Thursday. All are welcome.

Music is an essential part of our worship at Harborcreek Presbyterian. We are blessed with musicians who truly enjoy making “a joyful noise unto the Lord.” They are dedicated to sharing their gifts in worship and have a lot of fun, too. During the summer months the choirs take a break; however, we are blessed with special music each week by guest musicians.

Mission:

We believe mission is a vital part of what we do as individuals and as a church.

Feeding the Homeless – The Upper Room of Erie is a faith-based day shelter for homeless folks in downtown Erie. It strives to provide support, revitalize hope, and restore dignity for the poor and homeless. Our church prepares and provides a complete lunch to the Upper Room participants four times a year. We also collect personal hygiene items, and make and donate hats, mittens and scarves.

Ella Cochran Food Pantry – The faith-based Ella Cochran Food Pantry is a non-profit organization which helps to distribute food to over 100 families in need in Harborcreek. Our church members make monthly food donations, run special food drives, and fill school backpacks for kids. Many of our members volunteer in the distribution of food to the needy families, and two of our members also serve on the board of directors.

Angel Tree – Members pick tags from a special Christmas tree and purchase suggested gifts for people served by the Ella Cochran Food Pantry.

In addition – We provide financial support for other local ministries including Veteran’s Miracle Center; Dressed for Success, Mercy Center for Women, Inter-Church Ministries and Safenet. This support comes from church donations and the following fundraisers: Aluminum Can Ministry, Swiss Steak Dinners proceeds. We also help support missionaries in Ghana and Syria.

The church also provides financial support to domestic and international ministries of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) through Pentecost offering, One Great Hour of Sharing, Peace and Global Witness, and Christmas Joy special offerings.