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The First Presbyterian Church is a church in the Museum District of
, accessed October 08, 2014. Uploaded on June 15, 2010. Published by the Robert Finney Miller, 'Early Presbyterianism in Texas as Seen by Rev. James Weston Miller, D. D.', ''The Southwestern Historical Quarterly'', Vol. 19, No. 2, 1915, pp. 159-18
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In November 2016, the church decided to leave the PCUSA and align with
First Presbyterian Church in Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
. "Vanderbloemen said First Presbyterian is in the middle of a growing Museum District that is attracting new residents." it had 3,567 members. The church has been located in the Museum District since 1948.
History
The church was founded in 1839 by Rev. James Weston Miller.Carole E. Christian, "MILLER, JAMES WESTON," Handbook of Texas OnlineTexas State Historical Association
The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) is a non-profit educational organization, dedicated to documenting the history of Texas. It was founded in Austin, Texas, on March 2, 1897. , TSHA moved their offices from Austin to the University of N ...
./ref> He was from
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
as a foreign missionary in the Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas ( es, República de Tejas) was a sovereign state in North America that existed from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846, that bordered Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840 (another breakaway republic from Mex ...
. The congregation consisted of 13 charter members. Initially, the church met in the Senate Chamber of the Republic of Texas, moving nearby to its first building in 1842. Later the congregation become a prominent member of the Southern Presbyterian Church, and planted several Presbyterian congregations in Houston. The church grew rapidly. First Presbyterian begun mission efforts to South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
and Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
.
The church moved to its current location in 1948. The new sanctuary building was the first air-conditioned sanctuary in Texas.
In 2001 B. William Vanderbloemen was elected as the church's pastor. Vanderbloemen resigned in January 2007 after taking leave in December 2006.
In February 2014 the church voted whether or not to sever ties with the PCUSA, following a policy change in which the latter organization opened the possibility of the ordination of openly gay ministers. First Presbyterian narrowly voted to stay with the denomination.
In November 2016, the church decided to leave the PCUSA and align with ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians
ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians is an evangelical Presbyterian denomination in the United States. As a Presbyterian church, ECO adheres to Reformed theology and Presbyterian polity. It was established in 2012 by former congreg ...
.
The senior pastor is Jim Birchfield.http://www.fpchouston.org/senior_pastor.php www.fpchouston.org/senior_pastor.php
School
Presbyterian School
Presbyterian School is a private, coeducational Christian PreK-8 day school in the Museum District, Houston. Presbyterian School is composed of three divisions: an Early Childhood division, Alpha through Pre-kindergarten, a Lower School divis ...
is on the grounds of the church.
See also
*Christianity in Houston
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...
External links
First Presbyterian Church in Houston
References
{{Authority control Presbyterian churches in Texas Presbyterian Church (USA) churches Religious organizations established in 1839 Churches in Houston Presbyterian megachurches in the United States Megachurches in Texas