History
First Presbyterian Church
Whiteville, North Carolina

 The following history of First Presbyterian Church is compiled from an historical sketch used for the 125^th anniversary, a history found in the church directory of 1967, a history written by Rosa Caine Powell Bacon in 1989, and additions by the 150^th Anniversary Committee:

 Organized in 1856, the First Presbyterian Church of Whiteville traces its heritage to the Scottish migration which made its way up the Cape Fear River in the decades preceding the American Revolution. The charter members of this congregation were descendants of those early settlers. Since that time the membership has been enriched with Presbyterians from all parts of the country and with a variety of God’s people from other denominational backgrounds who have found their spiritual home in the Presbyterian Church.

 As late as 1856 the community of Whiteville had only about 200 people. There were no church buildings, and no Presbyterian churches in the county. The Reverend Hugh A. Munroe, great-grandfather of Dr. John F. Munroe of this church, was the evangelist of the area, holding services wherever he had the opportunity. On February 10, 1856, upon petition by a group of local people, Fayetteville Presbytery organized the Whiteville Presbyterian Church with one Ruling Elder, Robert McKenzie, and eight members.

 The unsettled conditions prior to the Civil War cast an ominous shadow on the life of the people. For a number of years the church seemed to have existed in a state of suspended animation. There was no installed pastor, but the church was served occasionally by pastors of Presbyterian churches in Bladen and other river counties. From minutes of Fayetteville Presbytery we have occasional items concerning the Whiteville Presbyterian Church: in October 1857 Robert McKenzie attended Presbytery meeting at Center Church, Robeson County; in 1863 there is the first record of any reports given by members of this church at Presbytery; and in October of 1866 Robert McKenzie attended Presbytery meeting in Goldsboro and in 1867 in New Bern.

Wilmington Presbytery was organized on November 21, 1868, with the Whiteville Presbyterian Church as an original member. At the April 3, 1869 meeting, a communication was read from this church, signed by The Reverend Hugh Munroe, missionary, asking Presbytery for permission and help in erecting a building on a 100 by 80 foot lot on Jefferson Street (site of the present McKenzie Mortuary). The deed was recorded on March 22, 1870. The Reverend Munroe was named Stated Supply minister. John H. Maxwell and William H. Sellers were Ruling Elders, and Dr. Malcolm R. Morrison was trustee.  The third stated meeting of Wilmington Presbytery was held in the new building in April of 1870. The church was a one-room building with burlap curtains for dividers between Sunday School classes and was heated by a large central wood heater. The pews were from First Presbyterian Church of Wilmington. Two of them remain in the present church narthex, as does the original communion table. The original communion cup and bread plate still rest on the present communion table. The original bell is mounted in the courtyard.

Minutes from 1871 show twelve members of the church, with Rev. Munroe still Stated Supply (at an annual salary of $30). Presbytery assessment was $3. Other congregational expenses totaled $1,290.00 (presumably money spent on the new building). The first Session minutes were recorded December 20, 1874. At that time there were two elders – William H. Sellers (Clerk) and John H. Maxwell. On that same day Miss Flora Brown and Mrs. Patience Brown were received as members. A report to Presbytery in 1875 indicated that F. Frazier, J.F. Frazier and H.H. Robbins had been elected deacons. The church membership had increased by sixteen. Another fifteen members were added during 1876, bringing the total to 37. In that same year, a member was charged with drunkenness, tried, and acquitted. Another member was charged with drunkenness and profane swearing and summoned before the Session. He confessed, asked forgiveness, and promised to reform. He was later suspended from communion and still later restored at his own request. By 1879 the church membership had grown to 62, and total giving was $338.00.

It was during the 1870’s that young Woodrow Wilson, future President of the United States, attended this church with his father, the Reverend Joseph R. Wilson, who served as a supply minister.

By 1883 membership had dropped to 40 because of difficulties within the church. In 1886 a narrative indicated that intemperance was the supreme evil of the day. Membership in 1887 dropped to 30.

 In 1888 the first meeting of the Women’s Foreign Missionary Society was held at the home of Mrs. R.H. Powell on May 9. Mrs. Lucy Stanley was elected president. The organization was a charter member of Wilmington Presbytery.

 From 1890 to 1910 the church experienced slow growth; by 1916, however, the membership was reported as 77. Total gifts to all causes were $934.00.

 As early as 1912 discussions were held regarding relocating the church nearer the railroad station. On March 7, 1920, twenty-four members were dismissed by the Session on their own request to form the nucleus of Vineland Presbyterian Church (later re-named Westminster), which was organized by Wilmington Presbytery on March 16.

 In 1924 the congregation voted to build a new church at the corner of Madison and Wyche Streets at a cost not to exceed $10,000, with at least $7,500 to be on hand before the start of construction. It was 1927 and 1928 before funds were available. The building was completed in December of 1929 and the name changed to First Presbyterian. Membership was 125. The Reverend Lawrence I. Stell was the first pastor of the new church. He served the Chadbourn church as well.

 In 1938 the Women’s Auxiliary celebrated its Fiftieth Anniversary at the home of Mrs. J.K. Powell.

 A great step forward was taken on April 1, 1942, when the church assumed the full support of its pastor, the Reverend J.R. Kennedy, for the first time. Church membership was 170. Under Mr. Kennedy’s leadership the Tabor City church was reorganized and a Sunday School, which grew into an organized church, was begun at Brunswick. Other chapels and Sunday Schools were started but were short-lived. 

In 1948 the manse on Pinckney Street was sold and a beautiful new manse erected on the corner of Franklin and Wyche Streets. The first occupant was the Reverend David Alexander “Alec” Bowles, who was pastor from 1948 until 1953.

 In 1949 a splendid new educational building, which had been under consideration for three years, was erected at the Madison and Wyche Street location. The building was dedicated debt-free in 1953.

 The Reverend Charles W. Worth, a former missionary, served as pastor from 1954 until 1967. In 1956 the church celebrated its Centennial with appropriate services and a picnic dinner in the old Armory on Wyche Street. The planning committee, chaired by Walter H. Powell, Sr., consisted of Mrs. T.J. Edwards, Mrs. G.O. Rogers, Mrs. W.P. High, J.R. Maxwell, and Mr. Worth.

 Soon the congregation began to plan for an expansion of facilities. Since space was limited, it was decided to relocate once more. In January of 1960, a re-location committee was appointed composed of Kenneth Dorward, chairman, W.E. Baldwin, Ralph Beason, Mrs. W.P. High, Mrs. J.B. Lee, D.L. Love, and J. Elbert Thompson. The present property on the corner of Thompson and Wyche Streets was purchased on May 8 of that year.  In January 1961 a building committee was elected as follows: T. Ward Guy, chairman, A. Dial Gray, Jr., Richard Grist, Mrs. J.B. Lee, and B. Kent Thurston, with the Reverend Charles Worth and W.F. Floyd as ex-officio members. Plans were developed for a new church plant, beginning with the erection of an education building at a cost of $100,000, including the land. Bids were let on May 15. The education building was occupied on January 21, 1962 and declared debt free in February of 1967. This building, which was completed during Mr. Worth’s pastorate and is still used today, was in 1982 re-named Worth Hall in his honor.

 The Reverend Thomas K. Spence, Jr. became pastor in 1967, and the congregation moved toward a resumption of the building program. In 1968 a planning council was elected, and a building program was adopted in 1970. However, a fire partially destroyed the Education Building on July 18, 1970, and the expansion program was placed on hold. Services were held in the Whiteville Primary School until the last week in November when the education building had been repaired. On August 24, 1969 a proposed merger with Westminster Presbyterian Church was approved by a vote of 121 to 11. The proposal was defeated by Westminster.  At the end of 1969 a total membership of 274 was reported on the active roll. Contributions for the year totaled more than $28,000.00.

 During these times the church experienced considerable growth, and the need for expansion was overwhelming. In March 1968, the following were elected as the Council for Phase II: Kenneth Dorward, chairman, Mrs. J.B. Lee, Jr., D.L. Love, Hugh A. Moore, Kenwood Royal, Mrs. C. Bion Sears, and B. Kent Thurston. In October 1970, design drawings were approved, but financing was not made available. However, invaluable service was rendered by this committee in setting guidelines for the building of a sanctuary.

 Early in 1973 a committee was appointed to explore the possibility of renovating the fellowship hall into an appropriate sanctuary. Gerald Hege, chairman, Mrs. E.L. Palmer, Mrs. Richard Maxwell, Jr., W.L. Scott, and Paul Woodall served on this committee with Mrs. Jesse Fisher as consultant. With the coming of the Reverend John S. Walkup as pastor in October of 1973, a new interest in a separate sanctuary developed. A committee of officers was named: Chairman A. Dial Gray, Jr., Robert Howe (who later became chairman), Ralph Beason, Mrs. Steve Wall, and Paul Woodall. On May 23, 1976, plans were approved and contract let to Chauncey and Ray of Whiteville. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on May 30, 1976. In less than a year – on May 1, 1977 – the first service was held in the new sanctuary. The completed sanctuary, the re-landscaped yard and parking lot cost $225,000, with a debt of only $70,000 as of January 1, 1978. The sanctuary debt was retired in May 1985. The Sanctuary Construction Committee was composed of Robert Howe, chairman, Mrs. Steve Wall, Paul Woodall, and assisted by Mrs. Richard Maxwell, Mrs. H.R. Sanderford, and Mrs. Richard Spivey. H.G. Reeves and H.C. Blanchard were ex-officio members.

 The church celebrated the one hundred twenty-fifth anniversary of its founding in 1981. Later that year Mr. Walkup retired and was named Pastor Emeritus. He remained active in the life of the church until his death in December, 2002.

 The Reverend J. Sprole Lyons was called as pastor on July 25, 1982.  During his pastorate, the Young Adult Sunday School class requested permission to hold a Love Feast service during Advent. The first Love Feast was held in December of 1983 and quickly became a tradition. It was also at this time that the Session first conducted a major study of the unicameral system of church government. Mr. Lyons left on June 1, 1988 to accept another call.

 In 1990 the Reverend Samuel Rutland became pastor of First Presbyterian Church and stayed until 1995. During his ministry a Needy Fund to assist local residents and a Sonlight program to care for church members were instituted. The church custodian, Isaac Shipman, retired in 1993 after 51 years of service. Longtime member and church secretary, Margaret Oliver, died in 1993. At the end of 1994, membership on the active church roll stood at 359.

 Two major additions to the sanctuary took place in the early 1990’s. Six stained glass windows were installed and dedicated to the glory of God on September 12, 1992 by the congregation and friends of the church. The windows, which trace the history of God’s love for creation and humankind from Genesis to the present day, contain eighteen symbols depicting both Old and New Testament stories. They are unified by the sign of the descending dove with the Trinity Window, installed in 1977 and given by the Harold E. Blanchard family as a memorial to Joanne May Blanchard.

 In June of 1994 a long-awaited pipe organ was installed. Built by the Schantz Organ Company, the organ has a two-manual console, 20 ranks, and 1,263 pipes. The pipes were installed according to an architectural drawing by church member and acoustical architect David Eplee. A service of dedication was held on October 16, 1994 and included a recital by organ consultant Robert Burns King of Burlington.  The organ committee was composed of Paul Pope, chairman, Furney Baker, Dick Coburn, Betty McCaw, Alice Piech, Annette Powell, Terri Powell, Larry Thomas, Enid Walkup, Betty Watson, and David Eplee and Douglas Spivey, ex-officio.