Mark Your Calendars

On Sunday, November 8, a new documentary by Karl Frederick Mattson about an iconic Hudson landmark premieres at Time & Space Limited. 

Modern Witness: The Future of Hudson’s First Presbyterian Church, a new documentary by Karl Frederick Mattson about one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks, will premiere Sunday, November 8, at 1 p.m. at TSL (Time & Space Limited), 434 Columbia Street, Hudson. Admission is free. The screening is sponsored by the Friends of First Presbyterian Church of Hudson, which also produced the film.

The 34-minute film follows the historic church as it bears witness to the challenges of preserving its past while remaining present. It shows how the future of a community space depends on the people willing to see it and carry it forward. 

The present First Presbyterian Church building has stood at the corner of Warren and Fourth streets since 1837. Its twin towers and Gothic facade, including a rose window designed by architect John A. Woods, were added in 1877, and its east tower houses the official City of Hudson clock. 

The church has long been a gathering place for important community conversations, including the abolition movement. It continues to provide a home to groups that serve community needs, as well as concerts, plays, and gatherings such as Melting Pot, which combine music and food. 

Modern Witness asks what the building needs to remain a living, working place. “For nearly two centuries, the 1837 First Presbyterian Church has served spiritual needs as a place of worship, a space to host Hudson’s social welfare needs, a forum for the great questions of its day, and a home for neighbors working to realize community aspirations,” said Gary Sheffer, president of the Friends of First Presbyterian Church. “Karl’s film could not be timelier. As we work to ensure the church continues to serve Hudson for generations to come, Modern Witness reminds us of what this building has meant to our city, and what it can still be.”

Filmmaker Karl Frederick Mattson said, “Creating this film began as an exploration of a historic building in response to its needs in early 2025, but the process of making it revealed that there was a great deal of story in the people who continued to give the building life. As I followed them, the church clock and its piano stood out as metaphors for the building itself: things that endure not simply because they were built to last, but because someone keeps showing up to care for them. One of the challenges of making this film was finding a way to tell that story of a building in need of care without actually saying it.” 

Modern Witness was shot, directed, and edited by Karl Frederick Mattson of 542films. It features Reid Bielenberg, Stephen Bluhm, Alfa Demmellash, Alex Forrester, Grant Gulla, Chad Lindberg, Adolfo Lopez, Gary Sheffer, and David William Voorhees, with narration by John Craig. Black & white photography is by Grant Gulla, and music is by Stephen Bluhm, Katharine Petkovski, and The Birdhouse Babes. The premiere event will also feature music by pianist Stephen Bluhm and a brief discussion about the church’s future. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.

The documentary trailer can be viewed here.