Westminster Presbyterian Church Centennial Books

Chapter Two

There are three different dates that could technically be used for the

beginning of our church.

April 16, 1922

There ’ s April 16, 1922, Easter Sunday, for that very first meeting of the Sunday School on the new property, purchased by the Bluefield Presbyterian Church.

While my grief, confusion, and anger have not totally disappeared, I am confident God has been present every step of the way and has seen every tear … as we continue to rely on God ’ s Word and character as our hope.

December 2, 1923

December 2, 1923, when the name -- Westminster -- was officially adopted, and a new church was formally organized, and they were still meeting in the gymnasium in the upstairs of the building behind the sanctuary.

June 14, 1925

Abbey Le Roy

And June 14, 1925 -- the first official worship service in the wonderful, brand new sanctuary – right in these very pews that are still in our sanctuary today. Many decades ago, it was decided to go with Dec. 2, 1923 as the beginning date for our church. In Chapter One, we mentioned a lot of dates. In

Chapter Two, we ’ re going to repeatedly mention one year, 1923. In America, in the 1920s, the popular architectural style was Greek Revival with beautiful tall columns,

I am so grateful that Mom and Dad raised my brothers and me in a church that made a priority of “ contending for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. ”

pediments, and capitals.

Isn ’ t this just beautiful? Back in the 1920s, architects just loved to have the freedom - and

Grady Davidson

the funds, to add these beautiful elements to Greek Revival structures that they were designing. That ’ s

the style of our church, the style of College Ave Baptist, and lots of homes that were built in Bluefield in that era, like the house across the street where the pastor ’ s family lives, what was historically known as the Mitchell house. When we bought our old brick South Bluefield house 37 years ago, it also had some elements of Greek architecture in it, and surprise, it was built in 1923. Over the past months, as I ’ ve done some research, I ’ ve just felt a kinship to 1923 – it ’ s even the password for my phone – probably too much information here. Sorry!

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