The First Presbyterian Church near Ely, founded in 1858, is located in the country about a mile west of Ely, Iowa. Our church was created to fill the need of the early Czech settlers in the area. Originally, the church was called the "First Bohemian & Moravian Brethren Church".

The Rev. Francis Kun was the first ordained minister and accepted the call October 1, 1860, at a salary of $60 a year. Rev. Kun was a pioneer missionary who helped found at least 10 Czech congregations and churches not only in Iowa, but also in surrounding states during his thirty years as our pastor. 

The church building originally sat about one mile south of where it is presently located. The cornerstone was laid October 1, 1867, and dedicated on July 5, 1868. The orginal structure still exists within our now expanded walls.

As the congregation grew, two additional churches were organized in the area to serve the Czech families. One, the Bohemian Reformed Evangelical Church, was located at the site of the Rogers Grove Cemetry and the other, the Evangelical Bohemian Moravian Reformed Brethren, was west of Swisher. All three churches were served by a common pastor. The three congregations are now merged and served by the mother church one mile west of Ely.

The First Presbyterian Church near Ely has been served by the following Pastors:

1859-1894  Francis Kun
1894-1909  Joseph Balcar
1910-1938  Francis Pokorny
1938-1951  Ludvik Burian
1952-1961  Francis Larew
1961-1963  Beno Stadler
1964-1971  Arthur Nash
1972-1988  James C. DeSmidt
1988-1990  Keith Orr (Interim)
1990-1993  Debra L. Paton
1993-1994  Mary Hay (Interim)
1995-2007  Robert David
2007-2009  Heather Hayes (Interim)
2009 -        Julie A. Schuett