But within its structure a Christian community meets and worships, and from its central location it goes out to serve others. This brief narrative focuses primarily on the place where we were planted, where we have grown and where we are thriving. more >>
Our Originsas one might expect with all that was going on in the first forty or so years of the 1700`s. New settlers by the boatload coming in to Philadelphia and being encouraged by the well settled Quakers to keep moving west. There they soon found themselves on the frontier, serving as a buffer against hostile Indians. There was lots of shooting going on, as well as scalping and kidnapping of whole families.
In Lancaster, Presbyterians and some other congregations were making use of the county courthouse for worship whenever preachers could be had. Most of them lacked adequate meeting places, and few had their own full time pastors. Most preachers had to divide their time among several churches
The earliest documentation we have of our existence as a congregation—and the reason we can date our origins from 1742—appears in the minutes of Donegal Presbytery, meeting at Chestnut Level on June 16, 1742, ordering that: Mr. Elder is to supply at Lancaster 1 Sab. July… Mr. Bell at Lancaster 3 Sab. 7br…”
Both names are identified as members of Donegal Presbytery. The Rev. John Elder was the formidable pastor of Paxton church, known to history as “the fighting parson” as he often had his musket with him in the pulpit. And the Rev. Mr. Hamilton Bell was installed as pastor of Donegal church, and later the same year—please keep this under your hat—was admonished and suspended from the ministry for “disgraceful conduct.” The details of his misconduct were evidently so unmentionable that they never made it into a lasting record. Later, Mr. Bell renounced the authority of Presbytery.
Starting on Orange Street
Lot No. 19 on Orange Street to the Presbyterian congregation as an English Presbyterian burial ground. This lot is the center lot of three on which our present sanctuary and chapel now stand. It was also the site of our original house of worship. That building was soon surrounded by the old cemetery, which now lies beneath the present chapel and some adjacent rooms. The appearance of that first building in 1844 can be seen in a painting by itinerant artist E. R. Hammond. Now on permanent loan from the Presbyterian Historical Society, it hangs in our foyer.
In 1968, Senior Pastor Donald Wilson and a group of young people undertook the task of exploring the old cemetery and moving tons of tombstones out to spaces where they could be read and cataloged. Several of the most interesting stones were later incorporated into walls of our remodeled foyer and into a nearby basement youth area known as the “Tomb Room.”
The Beginning of Our Present Sanctuary
Robert Fulton Sr. (father of the inventor/artist) dedicated on May 11, 1851 is the one we worship in today. It is on Lot No. 25, at the corner of Orange and Cherry Streets. The building contained a central tower topped by what appears to be the same octagonal belfry we have today. And above all this was a roof-like structure that looked somewhat like a lid. It was also octagonal and curved upward only a few feet from its top. Everything above the belfry was replaced in 1877 with a well-proportioned spire.
Unfortunately, the total effect was not all that had been hoped for until 1913, when Lancaster’s noted architect, C. Emlen Urban, entered the picture. With relatively small changes, he created the attractive façade we now have. These changes included the three marble doorways and the windows above them, as well as a round window on the next higher level. He also added white painted cornices which emphasize the architectural lines of the façade
were given over a period of years from 1909 to 1923. Nine of them are from the Tiffany studios of New York. Three others—one in the sanctuary, another in the Narthex, and one in a back corridor—are all from the Nicola Goodwin D’Ascenzo Studio, Philadelphia, 1937. They are priceless and define the beauty of our sanctuary. more >>
The Great Organ
master builders from Boston, Massachusetts. It contains nearly 5,000 pipes with 75 sets of pipes covering a wide tonal range. One of the finest organs in America, it has served both as an accompaniment to our worship services and as a solo instrument in concert. Many of the world’s most renowned organists have given concerts. The late Virgil Fox described its ensemble as “white hot heat.”
Sponsoring New Churches
went forth to found both Memorial and Bethany Presbyterian Churches in Lancaster in the early years of the 20th century. In 1957, thirty-five families formed Highland Presbyterian Church in Manheim Township. Coming full circle, our church welcomed into membership the people who worship at Resurrection Chapel in the former Memorial church building on South Queen Street.
The Celtic Cross
was given to the church in 1967. It was cast on the island of Iona, off the west coast of Scotland. It’s a reminder of our Scottish Presbyterian background, for on Iona, about A.D. 563, St. Columba, with 12 disciples, erected a church and a monastery and from there evangelized all of northern Scotland. These Christians, after the Reformation, became the Presbyterians who fled to Ireland, and later to the New World, to escape political and religious persecution.
New Education Building
It now encloses our chapel, foyer, and classrooms used not only on Sundays but also through the week. (Within a year back then, Sunday School attendance leaped from 600 to 1,100 !)
Changes to the Sanctuary
in which the pews were realigned to create a center aisle. In 2004, the choir loft was shifted and the pulpit was moved to the center of the chancel, signifying the central place in our worship for the Word of God.
The Social Hall
Commonly called “the social hall”, the former Esbenshade Hall on the lower level was remodeled and renamed Shirk Hall in 2006. It is the home of Cherry Street Worship at 9:16 on Sundays, congregational gatherings, some community events and recreation for Open Arms Day Care during the week.
Discovering the Heart of Christ in the Heart of the City
thousands of Christians have been baptized, joined our church, married, worshipped, served and have had their lives celebrated in memoriam in our church. We have been led by 20 senior pastors, serving from two to forty years each. Now we are writing new chapters in our history, as a warm and welcoming downtown church that draws from all across Lancaster County, with its principal focus on Christ in Lancaster City. With this as our adopted Vision for Ministry we face the future with much ahead of us that is bright and new.
