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THE
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THE HISTORY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH USA
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THE BEGINNING On November 28, 1832, seven people gathered in a cabin near Rolling Prairie to form the first congregation of La Porte Presbyterians. That was probably the only time that there was ever 100% attendance at a congregational meeting! Shortly after its inception, the church moved to La Porte. The first bylaw adopted by the La Porte Presbyterian Church at its incorporation was a rule requiring abstinence from liquor. When two prospective members from a congregation in Lynchburg, Virginia, requested their membership be approved without examination of their drinking habits the issue caused much “public notoriety” and the first skirmish in the life of the La Porte Church. The issue became muddled by the Crawfordsville Presbytery in that the temperance pledge was required of new members but not of those transferring their membership from another Presbyterian Church. Not surprisingly, the temperance rule was later abandoned entirely.
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THE CHURCH FACILITIES The first services were held in the homes of members William Ross at 912 Monroe Street and David Dinwiddie at 1302 Jefferson. The Cummins School on the northeast corner of Monroe and Harrison also was used until the original church was constructed the corner of Monroe and Maple Streets where the present First Christian Church stands today. From 1844 to 1870, there were two Presbyterian Churches in La Porte. A schism resulted from diverse opinions on slavery and organizational issues. The Old School wanted strict adherence to the Westminster Articles that insisted that God alone acts to save his children. The New School, which became the Second Presbyterian Church, allowed a more liberal interpretation of the free will of man. For a while there was also a third church called the United Church, but it never was large and existed for only a brief period as a church practicing closed communion. The church reunited as The Presbyterian Church of La Porte around 1870, and the Rev. William C. Schofield led services in the building located at Michigan and Noble Streets across from the present day St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church. In the late 1950’s a Building Planning Committee initiated the process to buy the land at the Kingsbury Avenue location. Annette Lewis and Yvonne Elshout, present-day members of the church, served on that committee. From 1958 until 1967, the church family met for Christian Education at the Kingsbury Avenue site and for worship at the Michigan Avenue church, an arrangement less than ideal in sustaining good attendance at either location. In 1964, the decision to sell the Michigan Avenue property to St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church led to the establishment of a Building Finance Committee, co-chaired by Daniel E. Lewis, Sr. and Dr. Louis Moosey. Also serving on that committee were Bill Mitchell and later, Dr. Ross Lawrence, current members of the congregation. The church family moved to the Kingsbury Avenue location in 1968.
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THE PASTORS The Rev. John Morrill was installed as the first pastor of La Porte Presbyterians in 1834. In the past 70 years, there have been eight Ministers of the Word who have served as Pastor of The Presbyterian Church of La Porte. The Rev. Mark Marshall, father to Mark Marshall and Phoebe Lu Borman, current members of the church, served as pastor from 1929 – 1947. The manse was lively with the four Marshall children (also known as P.K.’s or Preacher’s Kids) who ranged from 7 years to 16 years and had been described as “live wires!” The pastorate of Francis A. “Dusty” Rhoades came to La Porte when Rev. Marshall retired in 1947. It was during this period that the church at 1013 Michigan Avenue was renovated and the first Presbyterian carillon was presented to the church in the name of Vera M. Barr. That carillon played hymns from an automatic roll player, not by a carilloneur. Following Rev. Rhoades tenure, Calvin W. Didier came to La Porte in 1954 and the church began a period of growth necessitating the expansion to the Kingsbury Avenue site. The youth of the church enjoyed a renewed vitality in the church programs while a Sunday Evening Study Group was well attended by adults of the church. Rev. Didier was community-minded and was elected an Indiana state representative in 1960; however, before he even took office, he accepted a pastorate in Columbus, Ohio. Rev. Didier has retired from the active ministry and lives with his wife, Arlene, in Minnesota. The completion of the present church facility was completed during the pastorate of John R. Booker, a man of notable speaking and singing talents. From 1968 to 1974, Charles Ross, a much-loved minister, led the church in the dedication of the present church shortly after his installation. A period of ecumenism grew during this time as joint Lenten services were held. The George Mathis Memorial Organ was dedicated as a gift in honor of the years of service that Mr. Mathis had given to the La Porte church. At the same time, 500 new hymnals were received from the Lewis family as a memorial to Mr. And Mrs. Daniel A. Lewis, grandparents to Daniel E. Lewis, Jr., current member. Rev. Ross and his wife and a daughter were killed in an automobile accident two years after his departure from La Porte. John Deason assumed the pastorate in 1975 and served until 1978. During the period, there were changes to the church property. John Hanberg donated the religious symbols that still hang in the front of the sanctuary. The trustees of the church recommended the replacement of the roof of the Christian Education Building at a cost of $10,375. Carol Mc Donald, current co-executive leader of the Synod of Lincoln Trails, served as a part-time assistant pastor with emphasis on the youth ministry for one year prior to her departure forced by her husband’s call to Carmel, Indiana. On December 3, 1979, W. William Wimberly, II, assumed the leadership role of the church and community, as well. Elder retreats in 1980 and 1981 set the forward-looking perspective of the present congregation. The Session created the Foundation of the church in 1983 as a vehicle to encourage philanthropy of church members and to provide funding for needs outside those included in the church’s annual budget. During the Wimberly years, another member of staff was added when Louis Schumm retired from his church in Ohio and returned to his hometown of La Porte. He assumed the duties of Parish Associate, providing pastoral support, preaching and leading adult education courses. On December 1, 2000, Darryl Baker became the minister and head of staff to the La Porte church. While familiarizing himself with the habits and foibles of his new church, Rev. Baker has taken on leadership roles not only within the church but has been actively involved in Presbytery as well. During his brief tenure, the church has begun construction of the Children’s Carillon and also has begun the process of replacing the roof of the Christian Education Building at nearly eight times than in 1975! The need for an associate pastor became evident through continued growth of the congregation. Robert Heimach and later, Rhonda Kruse, held that position until October 1997, when David Gibbs assumed his current role as Associate Pastor. The youth of the church have enjoyed a renewed vitality with DEAGS Day and Mission Trips in Mexico as well as throughout the United States.
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THE HISTORY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (USA)
The beginnings of Presbyterianism began in the early 16th century in Switzerland with the reformed interpretations of John Calvin, and later John Knox in Scotland. The beliefs in the Bible as the inspired revelation of God, the value of education, a representative form of church government, and general expectations of thrift and work ethic became the basis for growth of the early church. In England, the “Westminster Assembly” established the first codified doctrines in 1649. These, coupled with subsequent confessions of faith, provide the basic tenets of the faith today. Those Presbyterians seeking to escape the persecutions in Europe, settled in America. Among the signers of the Declaration of Independence were a Presbyterian clergyman named John Witherspoon and 13 others professing the Presbyterian faith. The representative form of government established in the Constitution of the United States is patterned after that of the Presbyterian Church’s governance. The Philadelphia Presbytery became the first one established in the young United States of America in 1706. Disagreements over slavery and evangelism caused a schism in the church in the 1800’s with two branches being formed. In 1983, the divisions were reunited becoming the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America.
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| Copyright © 2002 The Presbyterian Church of La Porte | |
