Tim Vance was born and raised in Hornell, NY, with an older sister and two younger brothers. He attended Houghton College in Western New York, where he played college basketball on scholarship and graduated with a liberal arts degree in Biblical Studies and Educational Ministries. While at Houghton, he studied abroad in London, Paris and Madrid.
After graduation in 1999, Tim moved across the country to Bellevue, WA, to work with high school students at Bellevue Presbyterian Church. In 2006, Tim graduated from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena with a Master of Divinity. Ordained in July of 2009, Tim took his first call as associate pastor at Gateway Presbyterian Church in The Dalles, OR. For the past 4 years, Rev. Vance has had the pleasure of serving as associate pastor of the beautiful American Church in Paris along the Seine river. He also frequently moderates the renowned Thurber lecture series interviewing experts from all over the world about various global issues.
His hobbies include basketball and cycling. His favorite bible verses are Micah 6:8 and Acts 17:28.
Peter Earhart grew up in a Presbyterian family of eight children in Pittsburgh, PA. His journey westward to southern California included a sixteen-year stop in Washington, DC, and a seven-year stay in Tucson, AZ. He completed his Master of Arts in Christian Education degree from Union Presbyterian Seminary in 2008. He served as Director of Children’s Ministry at Northminster Presbyterian Church in Tucson, AZ for three years and then Director of Children’s, Youth, and Family Ministry here at First Pres since 2011. He is married to Laurel and they have four grown children.
Mark Alan Hilt is the Director of Traditional Music at the First Presbyterian Church of Santa Monica. He began as organist in 1999 and continues to lead the choir, accompany the service on organ and piano, and collaborate with his colleagues in music, Noah Needleman and Irene Navarro. Mark began his study of the pipe organ at Wichita State University in Kansas with Robert Town, and continued his work with Marianne Webb at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. He is the Orchestra Conductor at Harvard-Westlake School, where he works with 10th, 11th, and 12th-graders in Symphony, Camerata Strings, Beginning Music Theory, and Advanced Placement Music Theory. Mr. Hilt is co-founder and Music Director of Jacaranda, where he has led a variety of ensemble works, concerti, chamber symphonies, and varied works for large ensembles, including the US premiere of Olivier Messiaen’s Song of the Deported (1945) for large chorus and orchestra.
Caroline Moore, originally from Texas, has lived in Los Angeles for 10+ years as a singer/songwriter. She attended University of Texas Austin as a Radio-Television-Film major. She served as a pianist and vocalist in the First Pres SM contemporary worship band for about 3 years, and has since then become the contemporary worship music director for the past 3 years.
Youth Scavenger Hunt
Sunday, August 7, 2022 from 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Join FPC Youth Group for lunch at Johnny Rockets, followed by a scavenger hunt on the Promenade. Bring money for lunch & don’t forget your sunscreen! Please RSVP with Jen Philbin. Parents will receive a detailed agenda before the event begins so they are aware […]
July Kids Night Out
Saturday, July 31, 2022 from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Santa Monica. Drop off your 3 year-old to 5th grader at the church and we’ll feed them food, play games with them, create art with them, and just have a fun time being together. And you’re free to do, well, […]
Juneteenth Worship and Community Celebration
10:30 a.m. – Worship at Calvary Baptist Church, Santa Monica 12:00–5:00 p.m. – Juneteenth Community Celebration Please join us for a combined worship service at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 19th at Calvary Baptist Church as we commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. Following the service, there will be a community celebration […]
Lunch Bag Assembly
Sunday, June 12, 2022 -This Sunday, we will be assembling lunches for the Hollywood Food Coalition, an organization dedicated to providing our cities with food, community, and support. If you are able, please bring as many sandwiches as you wish for the youth to assemble during their Faith Group time. The most popular types of sandwiches include: pb […]
Celebrate Our Kids
Sunday, June 5, 2022 During worship, we will celebrate the completion of another year of children’s and youth programs, promoting all children and youth to their next grade level. We will specifically recognize our graduating high school seniors and our newest Youth Group members who are making the jump from elementary to middle school. In […]
May Kid’s Night Out
Saturday, May 28, 2022 from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Santa Monica. Drop off your 3 year-old to 5th grader at the church and we’ll feed them food, play games with them, create art with them, and just have a fun time being together. And you’re free to do, well, […]
2022 Women’s Retreat | Creating Calm in the Center of Crazy
Join us on June 18, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Santa Monica for the 2022 Women’s Retreat: Creating Calm in the Center of Crazy. We had crazy-busy lives that came to a screeching halt with the pandemic. The question now is, do we trust God with what we let back […]
Vacation Bible School (Plus) 2022
June 27 – July 1, 2022 Children aged 3 through 5th grade are invited to join us daily from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for this year’s VBS program, Food Truck Party: On A Roll with God! Food Truck Party VBS is based on Matthew 6:11: “Give us this day our daily bread.” This verse […]
Environmental Justice Sunday and Beach Cleanup
April 24, 2022 Join us for worship in the sanctuary at 10:00 a.m. (PST) followed by a short presentation from Heal the Bay at 11:00 a.m. Immediately following the presentation, we will head down the California Incline to help clean up the beach. What to Bring: gloves, a bucket or bag, water, and sunscreen. For […]
Holy Week 2022
Palm Sunday, April 10th Worship Service at 10:00 a.m. Maundy Thursday, April 14th Communion Service with Tenebrae at 7:00 p.m. Good Friday, April 15th Community Service at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church at 7:00 p.m. (958 Lincoln Blvd., Santa Monica) Easter Sunday, April 17th Worship Service at 10:00 a.m. Easter Egg Hunt following […]