John Harvard served as an assistant minister at the church until his death from tuberculosis, from 1637-1638.

[3] During the American Revolutionary War, the historic first building of First Church was burnt during the battle of Bunker Hill as a result of fires set by a British landing party.

The downstairs fellowship area was updated in 2017 to include themed lights and a projector screen for presentations, as well as new paint and wood flooring.

The church is involved in a number of activities within the Charleston neighborhood, that has helped its reputation with the community and made it begin to thrive once more.

The balconies that surrounded the sanctuary were taken down and parts of the lower floor were enclosed to create Sunday School class rooms.

Flooring was installed throughout the entire church and the pews were replaced with chairs among other modernizations that were added.