For years, First Presbyterian Church of Stroudsburg has worshipped with the arts. Music, visual art, drama, and literature have always had a place in our Sunday services — but we believe they can do even more. We are exploring what it looks like to make the arts truly central to how we worship, how we grow spiritually, and how we serve our neighbors here in the Poconos.
What This Looks Like at FPCS
At our Main Street location in Stroudsburg, worship through the arts means being more deliberate and more expansive about the creative life of our congregation. It means welcoming more voices, more instruments, more visual expressions, and more artistic traditions into our shared worship. It means opening our doors to the wider community — offering free concerts, rehearsal space, performances, and gallery opportunities that make FPCS a cultural hub as well as a spiritual one.
We are a PC(USA) congregation, rooted in the Reformed tradition. But we believe God cannot be limited by any one tradition, and that all people — regardless of faith — are welcome to participate in community with us.
Every Sunday this summer, our worship will experiment with a different art form — and we're inviting you to experience it, reflect on it, and tell us what you think.
June 7 — Sermon and potter's wheel with Rev. Denise Griebler.
June 14 — A piano and preacher dialogue with Rev. Beth Utley and Scott Besser.
June 21 — Original art created by the congregation and a special anthem explore the story of Creation.
June 28 — Handbells and reader's theater bring the story of Jonah to life.
July 5 — Bluegrass worship, followed by an open conversation about the future of this ministry.
The Pleasant Valley Campus: A Longer-Term Dream
FPCS recently came into ownership of the Pleasant Valley Presbyterian campus at 150 Pilgrim Way in Brodheadsville, following the dissolution of that congregation. Rather than let that property sit idle, we are dreaming about what it could become — a community arts center open to everyone.
We've heard from people in the Brodheadsville area that there is no real central gathering place. We hope to help change that. The Pleasant Valley campus could eventually host art classes in pottery, painting, dance, and more. It could be a venue for poetry readings, outdoor concerts, exhibitions, and community events. It could house a small worshipping community gathered around contemplative or alternative worship practices. And it could become a place where local artists, educators, and spiritual seekers find a home — together.
This part of the vision is still in its early stages, and we are taking it one faithful step at a time.
Arts and Spirituality in the Poconos
The Monroe County area has a rich tradition of the arts. FPCS wants to build on that — not by competing with what exists, but by contributing something distinctive: a space where the arts and spiritual life intersect. Whether you are an artist looking for community, someone curious about faith, a musician seeking a performance venue, or simply a neighbor who wants a place to belong — we believe there is something here for you.
get involved
This growing ministry will be sustained by people who bring their gifts — not just musical or artistic gifts, but gifts of hospitality, organizing, relationship-building, and vision. If any of that sounds like you, we'd love to talk.