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The First Presbyterian Church in
Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020 ...
, located at 554 McCallie Avenue, is a historic, downtown congregation of the
Presbyterian Church in America The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is the second-largest Presbyterian church body, behind the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the largest conservative Calvinist denomination in the United States. The PCA is Reformed in theology and presb ...
(PCA) and the first Christian congregation founded in Chattanooga.


History

First Presbyterian Church was formed as the Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga on June 21, 1840, under the leadership of missionaries who had previously served at the
Brainerd Mission The Brainerd Mission was a Christian mission to the Cherokee in present-day Chattanooga, Tennessee. The associated Brainerd Mission Cemetery is the only part that remains, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. History B ...
to the
Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...
. After the "
Trail of Tears The Trail of Tears was an ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of approximately 60,000 people of the " Five Civilized Tribes" between 1830 and 1850 by the United States government. As part of the Indian removal, members of the Cherokee, ...
" the missionaries returned to Chattanooga and began to work among the
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
, Scots-Irish, and Welsh in the community and helped plant the new church. At first, the congregation worshiped in a log cabin. Its first purpose-built church, completed in 1845, was on the west side of Walnut Street near Third Street. That building was the home of First Presbyterian until the mid-1850s, when it was replaced by a new brick church building on the northeast corner of Seventh and Market streets. During the
Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...
occupation of Chattanooga in 1863, that church was stripped to serve as a
military hospital A military hospital is a hospital owned and operated by a military. They are often reserved for the use of military personnel and their dependents, but in some countries are made available to civilians as well. They may or may not be located on a ...
. For a period after the
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, worship services were held in the minister's home. Through the years, the congregation grew. It adopted the "First Presbyterian" name in 1871, when Second Presbyterian Church was organized. From the 1880s until 1910, when its current building was opened, First Presbyterian was located at the southwest corner of Georgia Avenue and Seventh Street. There have been thirteen pastors of the church including notable clergy such as Thomas McCallie (whose sons founded
The McCallie School The McCallie School is a boys college-preparatory school located on Missionary Ridge in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. The school was founded in 1905 and now has 250 boarding students in grades 9–12 and 669 day students in grades 6–12 ...
), Jonathan Bachman (former
Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
chaplain, former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in the United States, 1910), James Fowle, and
Ben Haden Ben Haden (October 18, 1925 – October 24, 2013)Carroll, David (October 24, 2013"Ben Haden, longtime Chattanooga pastor, dies at 88" ''WRCBtv.com''. Chattanooga. Retrieved October 24, 2013. was an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in A ...
. Michael A. Milton served the church from 2001 to 2008, when he became president and professor of practical theology at
Reformed Theological Seminary Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) is a theological seminary in the Reformed theological tradition with campuses in multiple locations in the United States. Founded by conservatives in the Southern Presbyterian Church, the Presbyterian Church i ...
in
Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
. The Reverend Michael Preg served as the interim pastor before the church called its current senior minister, the Reverend Timothy Tinsley. First Presbyterian minister Joseph Glass Venable, who served the church from 1924 until his death in 1928, was the first minister to preach a worship service on a local
radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...
. A congregation history states that the program series he initiated "is believed to be the longest continuing radio program in the United States". One of his successors, Ben Haden, who served First Presbyterian from 1967 to 1999, was later to inaugurate the long-running radio ministry "Changed Lives" on WFLI in Chattanooga.


Church building

The church building was designed by notable architect
Stanford White Stanford White (November 9, 1853 – June 25, 1906) was an American architect. He was also a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, one of the most significant Beaux-Arts firms. He designed many houses for the rich, in addition ...
and was built in 1910 at a cost of $152,000. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in December 2009. A centennial dedication of the sanctuary was held on December 18, 2010. Pastors or representatives of deceased pastors each spoke during the service of dedication.


Missions

The congregation has sponsored other local congregations in Chattanooga and in other parts of the United States. The congregation has a history of support for foreign missions and is active today, through partnerships with other churches and agencies, in numerous parts of the world. The church sponsors a year-round camp and conference center, Camp Vesper Point. It supports 63 missionaries, 5 church planting partnerships in 31 countries.


Gallery

Historic American Buildings Survey Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...
1933"> File:DETAIL OF ENTRANCES, NORTHEAST FRONT, FROM NORTH - First Presbyterian Church, McCallis Avenue and Douglas Street, Chattanooga, Hamilton County, TN HABS TENN,33-CHAT,4-8.tif File:VIEW OF NAVE, FROM NORTHEAST - First Presbyterian Church, McCallis Avenue and Douglas Street, Chattanooga, Hamilton County, TN HABS TENN,33-CHAT,4-13.tif File:DETAIL OF CHOIR LOFT, NORTHEAST WALL - First Presbyterian Church, McCallis Avenue and Douglas Street, Chattanooga, Hamilton County, TN HABS TENN,33-CHAT,4-14.tif File:DETAIL OF CUPOLA, FROM NORTH - First Presbyterian Church, McCallis Avenue and Douglas Street, Chattanooga, Hamilton County, TN HABS TENN,33-CHAT,4-10.tif


References


Further reading

*


External links


Official website
{{Authority control Presbyterian Church in America churches in Tennessee Religious organizations established in 1840 Presbyterian organizations established in the 19th century 20th-century Presbyterian church buildings in the United States Churches completed in 1910 Churches in Chattanooga, Tennessee Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Tennessee Neoclassical architecture in Tennessee 1840 establishments in Tennessee Presbyterian megachurches in the United States Megachurches in Tennessee National Register of Historic Places in Chattanooga, Tennessee Neoclassical church buildings in the United States