Pastor Ian Caveny Prioritizes Preaching, Teaching and Giving Back at First Presbyterian Church
With a new pastor, First Presbyterian Church in Alton is focused on helping community members and building on High Presbyterian traditions.
ALTON - First Presbyterian Church in Alton has welcomed a new leader, and Pastor Ian Caveny couldn't be more excited to be a part of the church.
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Located at E. 4th Alby Street and Alby Street in Alton, First Presbyterian Church has an impressive history that Pastor Caveny is eager to be a part of. He noted that the church is a “High Presbyterian church” that prioritizes traditions, and they work hard to support community members through initiatives to combat food insecurity and homelessness. He is proud to join the congregation and their mission.
“It feels like I’ve been on a rollercoaster rocket ship,” Pastor Caveny said. “I feel tired, but not in a tiresome way. I feel tired in the sense that one does when you do good work and the work is meaningful and you feel like you’re making good progress. It’s been fun. There’s a lot of joy-filled people here at this church, and it is a joy to work with them."
Before joining First Presbyterian Church, Pastor Caveny pursued campus ministry and then eventually served as the minister of a small church in Hillsboro. He then focused his career on teaching. He currently teaches rhetoric and religion in the John Martinson Honors Program at SIUE.
But Pastor Caveny was always interested in returning to pastoral ministry. When the congregation at First Presbyterian approached him, he jumped at the opportunity to join them.
Whether he’s teaching or preaching, Pastor Caveny loves working with community members to help them discover answers to their questions. He jokes with his students that he has to write a 3,000-word speech every week, so they should have no problem writing his essays. And his congregation knows that they can always come to him to learn more.
“All of that work is all people work. I guess it’s always been,” he said. “I love helping people explore things that are new, that they want to learn more about, that they want to explore what the depths of the thing are. I’m kind of a deep-thinking person, so I’m not the kind of person who likes to settle for easy pat answers. I always like to say, is there more to that? I’ve modeled that in teaching and in ministry work.”
Pastor Caveny encourages those who are interested in joining First Presbyterian Church to simply attend one of their services. Starting at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, they will revive their weekly Bible studies before the service starts at 10 a.m. There is then an hour of fellowship with coffee and snacks for attendees to enjoy.
But the church’s work goes beyond weekly services. At 11:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Saturdays, they serve a meal for any community member who wants to join them. Pastor Caveny enjoys eating alongside those who come in, and he noted that they recently served 80 community members at one of their meals.
“I think this is pretty core to our church’s identity,” he said. “I’m hoping, as I lead this church and guide it, to help us get into a place where we can do even more good for our community going forward.”
Anyone is welcome to come to the meals at 11:30 a.m. every Tuesday and Saturday. Pastor Caveny hopes to see many people come out to share a meal with their “hungry and unhoused” neighbors.
He also encourages folks to join the church for their services. He expressed his excitement to be a part of First Presbyterian Church and can’t wait to continue his work within the church.
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