Joyce Wells, a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue, stood behind a table covered with plastic silverware and a selection of blueberry, cherry, pumpkin, and apple pie while flashing a smile at each new arrival. Laughs and chatter flooded the small dining room set up amongst the Sarpy County Museum exhibit as people sat at tables and others walked around. A warmth filled the air as the sun beamed through the glass entrance. 

The 175th anniversary of the First Presbyterian Church brought together members of the church on April 15, 2025, to remember the history and celebrate each other. 

“You know, I heard a term today— friend raising,” Wells said. “There’s fund raising and there’s friend raising. This wasn’t about raising funds, this was about raising friends.”

When it comes to new people, the First Presbyterian Church has a history of welcoming them in. Wells said she doesn’t think it matters who you are, the First Presbyterian Church is “open to all people.”

“And that’s who Presbyterians as a church are,” Wells said. “They were always going out and meeting with people different from them.”

Wells said she feels she is part of a “family” within the church. She said the ability and initiative to look out for each other when in need makes her glad to be a part of the community.

“I think there’s a lot of organizations and groups in our community that need help,” Wells said. “And I think we can let our church know what those needs are and we can help with those needs.”

The actions of others in the past can tell many stories and teach different lessons. Mayor Rusty Hike said he thinks it is important for someone to know about their “roots.” Tracing back to the roots of something shows how things develop and will continue to develop.

“I think it’s important to know the history just so you can look forward to the future and realize that 175 years from now is going to be the year 2200,” Hike said.

Sometimes a building can hold stories too. According to sophomore Margot Boyd, the First Presbyterian Church is similar to a museum or library containing parts of history.

 “A church isn’t just a place of worship, it’s also like a place of history,” Boyd said. “It’s almost like a museum.”