First Presbyterian Church of San Bernardino is a Protestant Reformed Christian community of faith striving to live by the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. We are an open community and all who seek to practice and experience love and purpose are welcome.
The church was established in 1874 and grew and worshiped in two previous locations in San Bernardino prior to moving to our current location in 1953. We are a member of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Synod of Southern California & Hawaii, and the Presbytery of Riverside.
On November 1, 2025 we began a new leg of our journey with the arrival of the Reverend Brian Symonds! He serves as pastor, head of staff, and moderator of our governing board (Session).
Learn more about Pastor Brian:
We welcome you and hope you will visit us!
In preparation for calling our new pastor, we developed a new Mission Action Plan including the expressions of our values, inspiration, vision and mission below.
Values
Inspiration
“Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.”
-St. Teresa de Avila
(15th century Carmelite nun, Spanish mystic, and religious reformer)
Vision
With open eyes, open minds, open hearts, and open hands, we are becoming God’s love in action.
Mission
Moved by the Spirit, we strive to create an open and inclusive community embodying the love, forgiveness, and grace of Christ which we extend to ourselves, each other, our neighbors, and our world through nurturing relationships, creative celebrations, continuous learning, and transformational service.
Community
From this place, we serve our immediate neighborhood, city, and world through food ministry, Life Skillz circles and internships for kids at San Bernardino High School, providing clean water systems, and living intentionally caring for our earth with solar power and water-wise landscaping. Learn more about how we are Serving our Neighbors.
For details about our ministries, see our 2025 Annual Report, our 2026 Narrative Budget, and our Mission Action Plan.