First Presbyterian Church is a historic

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

church located at 642 Telfair Street in

Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

History

The church was established in 1804, and the building was completed in 1812. In 1808, while the congregation was still holding services at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, members helped start a church in Smyrna in Wilkes County. In 1925 the Ladies' Foreign Missionary Society already was collecting donations, making it the first such ministry in the world, according to the statistics of the church. During his childhood, United States president

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

's father, Joseph R. Wilson, was minister at First Presbyterian from 1858 to 1870. The Woodrow Wilson Boyhood Home is a historic site nearby. In 1861 the Church hosted the first General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the Confederate States and the first minister in this new denomination was President Wilson's father. During the Civil War the building was used as a hospital for men wounded, and the churchyard was a detention camp for Union prisoners in the Battle of Chickamauga. Men who died were buried in the Magnolia Cemetery. During this time Joseph Wilson was called to the chaplain ministry in the army, and in 1870 Wilson was called to serve at a seminary in South Carolina. Westminster Schools of Augusta was started in 1972. The campus of Westminster Schools, located on Wheeler Road, now has more than 500 pupils, grades K–4 through 12. First Presbyterian Church started a missions conference, and the annual event is a combination retreat and workshop for missionaries and their families. It also is an opportunity for the people of Augusta to hear about work in the field. In 1973, First Presbyterian dropped its affiliation with the Southern Presbyterian Church over issues such as the authority of scripture and the role of women in the church, and became independent. It aligned itself with 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 Calvinist, Reformed in theolog ...

in 1977.

Church building

Later the church served as a center of social and religious activities during World War I and World War II. It was designed by architect Robert Mills in the Romanesque style. Mills was also Presbyterian, and was an elder in the First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, SC. The church sanctuary was built in 1809–12. The church was finished and dedicated in 1812 in Classical style. The church was significantly changed in 1847 to incorporate Romanesque round-arched windows and doors and crenellated parapet walls. Mills' design, however, is still evident in the shape and scale of the historic building. A plaque marks the Wilson pew in the sanctuary. A letter signed by President Wilson and some furniture used by his family when they lived in the manse were installed in a classroom. Four halls on the sides and rear of the sanctuary were added to the building from 1951 to 1978. On February 21, 1997, it was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

, listed as First Presbyterian Church of Augusta. The church celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2004

Doctrine

First Presbyterian Church is a member congregation of the

. It adheres to the Westminster Confession of Faith, Westminster Shorter Cathechism and Westminster Larger Catechism. The church has about 1,900 members. The lead pastor is Rev. Michael K. Hearon.

References

External links

First Presbyterian Church of Augusta website
{{National Register of Historic Places Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Augusta, Georgia Presbyterian Church in America churches in Georgia Buildings and structures in Augusta, Georgia Churches completed in 1812 Religious organizations established in 1804 1804 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Romanesque Revival church buildings in Georgia (U.S. state) Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state) National Register of Historic Places in Augusta, Georgia Woodrow Wilson