For the past 185 years, First Presbyterian Church has served to enrich the life and community of Bentonville, Arkansas. We trace our roots to the Cumberland Presbyterian churches established in 1830 in Northwest Arkansas by the Reverends John and Andrew Buchanan, six years prior to the founding of Benton County. The Cumberland Presbyterian Church moved to Bentonville in 1840, was destroyed during the Civil War in 1862, and was immediately rebuilt.
In 1877 our congregation built a church at 406 West Central Avenue and continued to worship and serve the community from that location until our current building was constructed at 901 NE J Street in 2000.
Prior to the establishment of a public school education system, the Presbyterian Church supported education in this community by helping to establish the Sabbath School in 1866. The contribution to education continued in the 1930’s when a student, Allen D. Clark established the first library in Bentonville in the basement of our church.
Our service to our community continues today with partnerships throughout our community with Helping Hands, Havenwood, Souls Harbor, and more. We nurture the children of our community directly and daily through FPC’s My Friends and Me Learning Center. We help feed the hungry and treat our neighbors with dignity and care every week through our FPC Food Pantry. We continue to seek new ways serve as an engaged and caring part of our diverse and rapidly growing community.