Overbrook
Presbyterian
Church

Overbrook Presbyterian Church

The Church at the Crossroads
  • Connect With Us
    • Visiting Us
    • Getting Involved
    • Becoming a Member
    • Giving
    • Realm
    • Print Media
    • Social Media
    • Resources
    • Renting Space
  • What We Do
    • Worship
    • Music
    • Deacons
    • Children & Youth
    • Adult Education
    • Mission & Outreach
    • Congregational Life
    • Climate & Environment
    • Recent Events
  • Who We Are
    • Church Staff
    • Beliefs
    • Denomination
    • Code of Conduct
    • History
    • Building

Worship Services

Sundays at 11:00 AM
Penn Wynne Presbyterian Church
130 Haverford Rd
Wynnewood, PA, 19096
Order of Worship
Join us for Fellowship Hour following worship.

Gatherings

Hymn and Anthem Festival
Sunday, May 18
3:00 PM
Ardmore Presbyterian Church
We will present a wide variety of music, including a couple of anthems that the Overbrook Choir has sung this season, such as the Nunc Dimittis by Zanaida Stewart Robles and Christ, the Solid Rock by Clayton White. You can also look forward to pieces by Mack Wilberg, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Moses Hogan.
Presbyterian Youth Triennium
Informational Meeting
Sunday May 18
We will gather at Salt & Light Church (5736 Chester Ave., Philadelphia) for fun, food, and fellowship. Please email youth@overbrookpresb.org if you plan on joining us for this meeting.
Contemplative Dinner Church for Families
Tuesday, May 20
5:30–7:00 PM
Lower Level of OPC
Once a month, children, parents, caregivers, and friends gather at Overbrook to share food, share conversation, and open space for Christ among us. Everyone is welcome. All who would like to eat and pray are welcome to join. Please contact Anthony Carrella and Molly Burke to RSVP.
Interfaith Study and Fellowship
Tuesday, May 20
7:30 PM
Temple Beth Hillel-Beth El
OPC is invited to join Temple Beth Hillel-Beth El in a gathering around sacred texts. Led by Rabbi Ethan and Pastor Adam, the two communities will build upon the foundation laid at our Easter and Passover services. Come and learn together with your neighbors.
RPM Café
Friday, May 30
11:30-1:00 PM
Anderson Hall
The African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas
Please join us for our special National Creativity Day celebration. Attendees will collaborate on a creative project, and each will receive a take-home creative “opportunity.” This will be a day for stretching imaginations and creating good spirit. The RPM Cafe is a mutual ministry of The African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas and Overbrook Presbyterian Church. There is no cost to participate; all are warmly welcome.
Kensington Project
Sunday, June 1
Youth are invited to help prepare food and items for distribution to our neighbors in Kensington. We'll need a few adults, as well. Please email Becky Lazo if you/your child is able to attend.
Should you feel moved to contribute items for this visit, we are accepting warm weather clothes, shoes, and toiletries including body wipes, deodorant, combs, and q-tips. Becky will be at church most Sundays to accept donations.
t

History

The beginnings of Overbrook Presbyterian Church go back to 1888, when a group of twenty-three souls came together in the living room of Wistar Morris, a Quaker gentleman farmer who lived on what is now the campus of Friends’ Central School. Together, they began to dream of establishing a Presbyterian church in the area, so that Scotch-Irish immigrants who worked on his farm would have a place of their own to worship.

The following year, they built a little English Gothic chapel at the intersection of two dirt roads—which would later become City and Lancaster Avenues—for the grand sum of $14,767.

Overbrook was at that time a country church. But it did not stay that way for long. Philadelphia was a growing city. The surrounding neighborhood of Overbrook Farms was developed in the 1890s, as the first planned community on the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Many of the new residents moving into the neighborhood found their way to Overbrook Presbyterian Church.

The church began to grow in numbers, and in 1905 the chapel was expanded to create a larger sanctuary which is still in use today. Other building additions were soon constructed to serve the growing congregation and its many programs.

Overbrook was also growing in mission and outreach. In 1903, the church established a hospital in a remote part of what was then called Siam, a place that few from here had ever visited before, but that they felt connected to out of Christian compassion. That hospital is still there today in Chiang Rai, Thailand, and is called Overbrook Hospital.

The longest-serving pastor in Overbrook’s history was George Emerson Barnes, who served from 1922 to 1948, and helped see the congregation through the Great Depression and World War II. He was very active in the ecumenical movement, and was instrumental in the founding of the World Council of Churches.

During the pastorate of Robert T. Williamson, from 1959 to 1970, the church felt the call to start a weekday preschool. It began with just a handful of students, but today has an enrollment of 150, and enjoys a reputation as one of the finest preschools in the area.

In the 1960s, the Overbrook neighborhood was beginning to become more ethnically diverse. Some churches in the area were resistant to these changes. But Overbrook opened its doors and welcomed everyone who came. In 1968, Betty Clayton became the first African-American member to join what had until then been an all-white church.

Since that time, Overbrook has grown more diverse, and more committed to urban ministry. David McMillan, pastor from 1983 to 2001, played a vital role in Overbrook's transformation.

In recent years, Overbrook has been blessed with renewed growth and vitality, and is discovering a new identity as a multicultural congregation. Over 125 years since its founding, our church is continuing its important ministry “at the crossroads.”

For more information on Overbrook’s history, there are two volumes available in the Church Office: "The Place Where Thy Glory Dwells: The Story of Overbrook Presbyterian Church" (1958), and "Overbrook Presbyterian Church: The Church at the Crossroads" (1989). And you can click here to view a Pictorial Supplement to the History of Overbrook Presbyterian Church dated November 1963.

Donation Opportunities

  • OPC Fire Rebuilding Fund
  • Narberth Community Theatre
  • Sponsor chancel flowers
  • Giving instructions, more giving options and pledging

Where to Get Help

Pastoral Care
If you have pastoral care needs, please contact Adam.
If You Need Help
If you are in need of any help or support, please reach out to our Pastor, Adam Hearlson, our Deacons or office.

Recurring Gatherings

Adult Forum
Select Tuesdays at 7:00 PM
On Zoom
Centering Prayer
Wednesdays at 9:30 AM
OPC Office
Bible Study
Wednesdays at 10:30 AM
OPC Office
Choir Rehearsal
Thursdays at 7:30 PM
We are rehearsing in the gold preschool room of Overbrook Presbyterian Church. All are welcome, regardless of experience or skill level. For more information, contact Chris Gage.
Monthly Youth Group
First Fridays at 5:30 PM
Calling all youth in 6th through 12th grades...Join us on the first Friday of every month for fellowship and fun. Contact youth@overbrookpresb.org with any questions.

Newsletter

May 2025

Connect on Facebook

Keep connected with our community on our private Facebook Community page.

Overbrook Presbyterian Church
The Church at the Crossroads

P: 215-877-2744
E: office@overbrookpresb.org

6376 City Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19151

Facebook  YouTube  Realm