First Presbyterian Church (Jackson, Mississippi)

First Presbyterian Church of Jackson
The First Presbyterian Church of Jackson
First Presbyterian Church of Jackson
Location	1390 North State Street, Jackson, Mississippi
Country	United States
Denomination	Presbyterian Church in America
Previous denomination	Presbyterian Church in the United States
Churchmanship	Evangelical, Reformed
Website	www.fpcjackson.org/
History
Founded	8 April 1837 (1837-04-08)
Administration
Presbytery	Mississippi Valley
Clergy
Senior pastor(s)	Rev. David Strain

The First Presbyterian Church is an historic congregation currently housed at 1390 North State Street in Jackson, Mississippi.

History

During a meeting in the MS state campaus on a Monday afternoon, April 8, 1837, Rev. Jack Donan, Mrs. Margaret E. Willion, Mrs. Susan Patton, and Mr. and Mrs. John Robb organized the congregation. Rev Donan was a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary under Charles Hodge and Samuel Miller. There were no elders for 2 years, no deacons for 6 years, nor a Presbyterian house of worship for nearly 9 years. n 1841, Reverend Donan was followed by Reverend S. H. Hazard, who was pastor for little more than one year. He was succeeded by the Reverend Leroy Jones Halsey, under whose ministry the congregation commenced to grow. Halsey spurred the building of the first sanctuary on the northwest corner of North State and Yazoo Streets. When Dr. Halsey resigned in 1848, the pulpit was supplied until February 22, 1849. The congregation then called as pastor the Reverend Isaac James Henderson, who served until he was succeeded by the Reverend L. A. Lowry on December 3, 1853. Mr. Lowry was a fine pastor and effective preacher, but died of Yellow Fever after but two years’ service. Later a call was extended to the Reverend John Hunter on January 24, 1858. The Reverend John Hunter was born and raised in North Ireland, received his seminary training at the Presbyterian Seminary in Danville, Kentucky, and was a vigorous, faithful and able preacher of God’s word, and pastor of First Presbyterian Church for 37 years. John Hunter’s wife, Rosa Farrar Petrie Hunter, worked ably with him through all his years. Dr. Hunter’s pastorate was followed by that of James Buchanan Hutton, a native of Virginia and graduate of Union Theological Seminary at Hampden-Sydney, Virginia, who with his wife, Rosalind Gwin Hutton, were loved and admired by our congregation through his pastorate of almost 44 years. The next minister, R. Girard Lowe, was another consecrated, spiritually-minded, conservative man of God. His ministry ended with death by cancer, and it was a saddened congregation. During Dr. Lowe’s ministry our present sanctuary was built, the final service in the old church of North State at Yazoo Streets being on August 29, 1951. Dr. John Reed Miller, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, then was called and served as pastor from 1952 until 1968. Previously he held pastorates in Ohio, West Virginia, and Tennessee. He had served as president of Knoxville College, taught at Belhaven College, and was the founding pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Jackson. Under his leadership, First Presbyterian Church became more vitally interested in missions, and the Church began holding annual World Mission Conferences. In 1962, he led the church in founding a Winter Theological Institute, which was continued at Reformed Theological Seminary after that institution was founded, with Dr. Miller’s counseling and encouragement. Dr. Miller was known for his commitment to pastoral ministry and to biblical preaching. His scholarship and careful sermon preparation were always apparent, as was his love for his Lord, and his conviction that "the message must be saturated with the profound conceptions of God's Word." With Dr. Miller's profound sermons, for the first time the sanctuary was filled to capacity for Sunday evening services. For 16 years his evening sermons were broadcast on WSLI radio, and beginning in the early 1960s, the morning worship services also were televised. Also under the leadership of Dr. Miller, the church established in 1965 The First Presbyterian Church Day School, which to this day has provided outstanding scholastic training and strong biblical teaching to thousands of young people in this city. Dr. Miller preached the doctrine of segregation in some of his sermons to the all-white congregation of the church. It was during his tenure in the 1960s that mixed-race groups of students from Millsaps College attempted to attend Sunday morning services at the church. These students were turned away by the church's deacons. The First Presbyterian Church is now racially integrated. Dr. Donald B. Patterson was installed as the next pastor in September, 1969, and served until 1983. Under his leadership the World Mission Program was greatly expanded and the Church experienced substantial growth. During Dr. Patterson’s pastorate Twin Lakes Conference Center was developed, an outstanding addition to our Church’s ministry. Also during Dr. Patterson’s ministry at First Church, The Presbyterian Church in America was formed, with Dr. Patterson and several of his church’s ruling elders serving on the various committees which wrote the fundamental documents for the new denomination. Dr. Patterson served as Chairman of the Steering Committee that formed The Presbyterian Church in America. During Dr. Patterson’s pastorate, his wife, Jeanne, served as the leader of the Explorer’s Bible Study, which involved more than 450 women from 72 churches, and continues to attract men and women from over the city of Jackson. Subsequent to his retirement, Dr. Patterson was appointed "Pastor at Large" for Mission to the World, the foreign mission arm of the Presbyterian Church in America. Dr. and Mrs. Patterson traveled throughout the world, counseling and encouraging our growing numbers of missionaries (over 60 have come out of First Presbyterian Church). When Dr. Patterson asked to be relieved of this responsibility in 1993, his pastorate included more than 600 missionaries located in 60 countries. Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III, a native of Greenville, South Carolina, and the son of an eighth generation Southern Presbyterian Ruling Elder, became the Minister of First Presbyterian Church in August of 1996. He is a graduate of Furman University.(Adopted from First Presbyterian Church History webpage)

Statistics

First Presbyterian Church is the largest Presbyterian church in Mississippi and a flagship and founding congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America. Its communicant membership is over 2,500.

With 3,100 members, it has become the largest Presbyterian congregation in Mississippi and one of the largest in the United States. It has played a significant role in the establishment of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), and the congregation has remained one of the flagship congregations of that denomination. The church played a significant role of establishing the Winter Theological Institution in 1962, which became Reformed Theological Seminary.

Doctrine

The congregation adheres to the Westminster Confession of Faith.

The church describes itself " A steadfast witness to historic Reformed Christianity for over 175 years".

It is a member of the Mississippi Valley Presbytery.

External links

• Official website