May 31, 2026 | Sunday, 4 p.m.
Silent Film: The Black Pirate
Brett Miller, organist
Set sail for adventure with one of the great swashbuckling classics of the silent era! Join us on Sunday, May 31 at 4pm at First Congregational Church in downtown Columbus for a free screening of The Black Pirate (1926), starring Douglas Fairbanks, accompanied live on the church’s magnificent 1931 Kimball organ by acclaimed organist Brett Miller. Experience the excitement, romance, and daring exploits of this silent film masterpiece brought vividly to life through thrilling live accompaniment in the beautiful sanctuary of First Church. Fun for all ages — with free admission and parking!
Free and open to the public | Freewill offering
September 13, 2026 | Sunday, 4 p.m.
Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of September 11, 2001
On the twenty-fifth anniversary of September 11, 2001, the First Church Choir offers Brahms's Ein Deutsches Requiem, one of the most consoling works in all of choral music. Drawing its texts not from the traditional Latin Mass for the Dead but from the Lutheran Bible, Brahms shaped a deeply human meditation on grief, comfort, and the promise of peace. The orchestral parts will be performed in Brahms's own piano four-hands reduction, an intimate rendering that brings the music's warmth and tenderness to the fore. Conducted by Joshua Stafford, this performance is an act of remembrance and hope, offered freely to all who wish to gather, listen, and reflect. A profound and moving way to mark this solemn anniversary in downtown Columbus.
Free and open to the public | Freewill offering
October 30, 2026 | Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Joshua Stafford, organist
Just in time for Halloween, experience one of the most iconic films ever made. F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922) introduced the world to Count Orlok, one of cinema's most chilling figures, and its shadowy imagery and mounting dread remain as powerful as ever. Joshua Stafford performs a live organ accompaniment on the church's magnificent 1931 Kimball organ, bringing this landmark of German Expressionism thrillingly to life in the spectacular sanctuary of First Congregational Church in downtown Columbus. A haunting evening perfect for the season.
Free and open to the public | Freewill offering
November 8, 2026 | Sunday, 4 p.m.
Called "a stunning player of exceptional ability," Colin MacKnight brings exceptional artistry to Columbus for a recital showcasing First Church's two magnificent instruments: the four-manual 1931 Kimball organ and the 1972 Beckerath Gallery organ. Director of Music at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Little Rock, MacKnight holds his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees from The Juilliard School and has been named one of The Diapason's "20 Under 30" eminent young organists. A prize-winner at competitions across the United States and Europe, he is one of the most compelling voices of his generation.
Free and open to the public | Freewill offering
December 20, 2026 | Sunday, 4 p.m.
One of Columbus's most beloved holiday traditions returns to First Congregational Church for an evening of music, scripture, and candlelight. The Service of Nine Lessons and Carols weaves together readings from the Bible with some of the finest choral music of the Christmas season, telling the story of the nativity from the promise of the prophets to the birth in Bethlehem. Rooted in the great English cathedral tradition and first celebrated at King's College, Cambridge in 1918, the service has been a fixture of the Christmas season at First Church for generations.
This year's service features the First Church Choir and First Church Ringers, with the full splendor of two pipe organs, brass, and percussion. Come as you are and bring the whole family.
Free and open to the public | Freewill offering
January 30, 2027 | Saturday, 11 a.m.
How does a pipe organ actually work? What does it feel like to sit at a four-manual console? How do nearly 8,000 pipes produce sound? Find out at our Fourth Annual Family Organ Day, a free and interactive morning designed for curious minds of all ages. Visitors will explore First Church's two magnificent organs up close: the grand four-manual 1931 Kimball and the 1972 Rudolf von Beckerath Gallery organ. Children will also get to build and play a real working pipe organ using the OrgelKids kit, a traveling educational program developed in the Netherlands that empowers young children to assemble a working two-rank, two-octave pipe organ. No musical experience needed. Just come ready to listen, ask questions, and discover the king of instruments.
Free and open to the public
February 21, 2027 | Sunday, 4 p.m.
Few combinations in music are as thrilling as organ, brass, and percussion together, and few settings suit it better than the soaring sanctuary of First Congregational Church. This program brings together the full power of First Church's 1931 Kimball and 1972 Beckerath organs with the pageantry of brass and the drive of percussion in a concert ranging from the majestic to the electrifying. A concert for the whole community in the heart of downtown Columbus.
Free and open to the public | Freewill offering
April 11, 2027 | Sunday, 4 p.m.
Internationally renowned for her concerts of "rare musicality" and "lovely lyrical grandeur," Chelsea Chen is among the most distinctive organists performing today. A graduate of The Juilliard School and a Fulbright Fellow, she has composed original works and adapted music ranging from major classical repertoire to Taiwanese folk songs for the organ. Her wide-ranging programs are celebrated for their imagination and musical electricity. She performs on First Church's two extraordinary instruments: the four-manual 1931 Kimball organ and the 1972 Beckerath Gallery organ, in the heart of downtown Columbus.
Free and open to the public | Freewill offering
May 2, 2027 | Sunday, 4 p.m.
First Church's own Minister of Music closes the season with a solo recital on the church's two magnificent instruments: the four-manual 1931 Kimball organ, with its 4,407 pipes, and the 1972 Rudolf von Beckerath Gallery organ, with its 3,719 pipes. The First Prize winner of the 2016 Longwood Gardens International Organ Competition, Stafford has been praised for his "meticulous technique, innate and highly mature musicality, and constant musical engagement." His programs regularly span transcriptions, improvisation, and the full breadth of the organ repertoire. An unmissable afternoon to close a landmark season in downtown Columbus.
Free and open to the public | Freewill offering
