What keeps a church thriving for 175 years?
“The people,” says Mary Haley Flautt, a member of Greenwood’s First Presbyterian Church, which is celebrating its dodransbicentennial anniversary this year. “They are so giving, and they are such hard workers. Everybody really works hard to make the church great, and that’s one thing I’ve admired and learned as an adult in our church. That’s the Presbyterian way — it’s hard work and giving, and our church is very strong in those characteristics.”
The church’s 175th Anniversary Committee will present a two-day celebration on the weekend of June 5-6.
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First Presbyterian Church was organized in 1846. The first members of the church began meeting and worshipping together at a two-story wooden building known as a “Union Church” that the Presbyterians shared with the Methodists for 40 years.
In 1887, the building was sold and was removed from the downtown Greenwood lot on the corner of Market and George streets.
A second edifice was soon erected in 1889 on the same site. The earliest photo of First Presbyterian Church was taken in April 1903 and shows the sanctuary decorated for an Easter pageant. Later that year, however, the wooden A-line structure was destroyed by a fire. Although the building could not be saved, many of its furnishings, liturgical items and books were salvaged and are on display in the church’s Heritage Library and parlor today.
The lot on the corner of Main and East Washington streets was soon purchased and work began on a new church building. The design was an elaborate Romanesque revival featuring a bell tower, turrets, spires and stained glass windows.
The work was completed in 1905, and the building included an Akron Plan-style sanctuary with a Pilcher pipe organ of 10 ranks, Sunday school assembly building, fellowship hall and offices.
Construction of an extension, which included a large Neo Classic-style sanctuary with vaulted ceilings, began and was completed in 1925. The first worship service in the new sanctuary was held in January 1926.
The original structure was renovated to now house the church’s parlor, Heritage Library, church offices and choir room.
Since then, the church has had several expansion and renovation projects, such as the construction of the Van M. Arnold Education Building — the location of the church’s weekday kindergarten, which started in 1959 — and the purchasing and remodeling of the building that is now known as the Lolla Boyd Parish Youth Center.
In 1991, there was a major sanctuary renovation, which included the addition of a Casavant organ console, a gift from Mr. and Mrs. L.B. Jones. The organ was enlarged again in 2007 and contains 52 ranks (52 sets of pipes) for a total of 2,900 pipes.
Known as a music church, First Presbyterian hosts many events for the community, such as free concerts and performances and its “Classics at First” series of concerts.
Another one of First Presbyterian Church’s musical offerings is a Greenwood tradition — the annual Singing Christmas Tree, which includes 100 singers standing on a tree-shaped metal structure adorned with 1,500 lights. The event, held outdoors across the street from the church’s sanctuary, also features a live Nativity scene.
In celebration of its Scottish-Presbyterian heritage, the church holds an annual Kirkin’ O’ the Tartans, featuring an outdoor concert by the Lyon College Pipes and Drums and a worship service.
As a choir member, Flautt’s favorite church tradition is its annual “Lessons and Carols” held the Sunday before Christmas. The choir sings about 10 pieces of classical Christmas music.
“We usually have some drums, a little percussion, maybe some horns or a flute player that particular Sunday,” she said. “It’s very moving and emotional.”
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Flautt is a descendant of the first generation of members of First Presbyterian Church.
Having this 175-year-old connection to the church is special, she said.
“And it means a lot to my kids. They know what strong ties my family has in that church,” Flautt added.
Her sister, Millie Vemer, is also a member, and she said it makes her proud to continue her family’s legacy of attending First Presbyterian.
“That just makes it more special to me,” she said. “I feel more sense of belonging because I feel like my family has been there from the very beginning.”
There are several current members of the church who have familial ties dating back to 1846.
Reese Pillow is a fifth-generation member, and his twin sons are the sixth.
Pillow’s ties to the Presbyterian Church, however, go back even further. One of Pillow’s ancestors was the Rev. George Gillespie, an influential Scottish Presbyterian theologian in the 1600s. A painted portrait of Gillespie hangs on a wall in the church’s Heritage Library.
One of Reese Pillow’s ancestors was the Rev. George Gillespie, an influential Scottish Presbyterian theologian in the 1600s. A painted portrait of Gillespie hangs on a wall in the church’s Heritage Library.
Pillow remembers hearing his family talk about Gillespie when he was younger. He didn’t think about it much until he got older. Being involved in the church as an adult, Pillow began to learn more about the important role his ancestor had in forming the Presbyterian Church’s beliefs.
“You think about those guys. They were at the forefront of putting some of even our faith today into words, whether you’re Presbyterian or not,” he said. “That’s pretty neat.”
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Pillow said the congregation at First Presbyterian is “very caring and very sincere.”
Community outreach and service is a top priority at First Presbyterian Church. It has led the way in supporting the work of the Community Kitchen, the Community Food Pantry, Fuller Center for Housing (formerly Habitat for Humanity) and Delta Streets Academy. It has also supported missionaries who have worked in China and Iran.
“We have a lot of members who are good members of the community and try to do what they can to help and to help the church,” said Pillow. “I feel like everybody tries to use their talents for the good of the community and the good of the church.”
The youth program is also a big part of the church.
“The youth program at our church is so amazing,” said Flautt “It was so important to my children, and it had a big impact on their lives,” Flautt said.
She and her husband, Henry, have three daughters who are now grown, but she said they still talk today about being involved in the youth program.
“They made really good friends whom they stayed close to, and we went on a mission trip through the church as a family,” she said.
Pillow said the youth program is “a high priority for our church, and that intergenerational connection is really a big thing.”
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Flautt has many fond memories of growing up in the church.
One special memory was when she was in about the fourth grade.
“Dr. Childers was the pastor at that time. I just remember my father was in a really bad car wreck, and I remember Dr. Childers pulled me aside and was assuring me that my dad was going to be fine,” she said. “That’s just something that’s real heartfelt for me.”
Vemer said when she and her husband, Mark, joined the church together after moving back to Greenwood, she joined a women’s circle.
“Since I was teaching, I could only be a part of the night circle,” she said. “That was just such a blessing, because I met so many of the older women in the church who I probably would not have gotten to know otherwise. I was 30 years old when we joined, and I was in a circle group with 60-, 70- and 80-year-old ladies. That was just real special.”
Vemer’s 20-year-old son, Hardy, is the youngest of the sixth generation members of First Presbyterian Church.
“He definitely grew up in that church,” she said. “We’ve been involved since he was born. He was the baby Jesus in the Nativity scene when he was 3 months old. I feel like he’s been involved since he was 3 months.”
Hardy Vemer is the youngest of the sixth generation members of First Presbyterian Church. Here, he rings the church bell located in the bell tower. The bell was donated to the church by Vemer’s family on his maternal side — the McIntyres. Generations of First Presbyterian youth have enjoyed ringing the bell.
Pillow said his favorite tradition at First Presbyterian is the Singing Christmas Tree. He and his wife, Allison, enjoy being part of it every year. One memory that makes him laugh is a recollection of the year when he and his wife were Joseph and Mary in the Nativity scene. Their twin sons were supposed to play the role of Jesus in the manger.
“One of them was going to do it one night, and the other was going to do it the other night,” he said. “I can’t remember which, but one of them was fussy, and the same one ended up doing it both nights.”
The Singing Christmas Tree is “always a good time because it gets you in the Christmas spirit.”
Vemer said what she enjoys most about being a member of First Presbyterian Church is the fellowship with her friends and family.
“That’s very nice and makes you want to be there, and it’s fun to worship together,” she said.
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The Anniversary Celebration Events will include an open house tour for former and current members at 5:30 p.m. June 5. A reception will follow.
On June 6, a video showing will be held in the church parlor at 9:45 a.m. A 175th worship service will be held at 11 a.m., and a “Dinner on the Grounds” picnic will follow in Shuler Hall and the Maxwell Courtyard.
The church’s 175th Anniversary Committee is also selling 175th anniversary books for $35 each through the church’s office. Books will be available for purchase and pickup at the picnic.
A banner in First Presbyterian Church’s sanctuary announces its 175 the anniversary.
The 175th Anniversary Committee is composed of Chair Susan Beckham, Christie Beattie, Wanda Clark, Bill Crump, Marion Howard and John Pittman.
“We’re all looking forward to a nice weekend and looking back over history,” said Pillow about the upcoming celebration. “Hopefully we’ll be here in another 175 years.”
To RSVP for the reception and picnic, call 453-4680 or email firstpres@bellsouth.net.
- Contact Ruthie Robison at 581-7235 or rrobison@gwcommonwealth.com.
