Prospect Presbyterian Church to celebrate bicentennial
Published 12:05 am Tuesday, August 27, 2024
Prospect Presbyterian Church’s current sanctuary on Hwy. 152. — Karen Kistler
An inside view of the current sanctuary. — Karen Kistler
A photo of the second sanctuary built around 1854-1856. — Karen Kistler
The Heritage Room at Prospect contains pictures, books, and much more. — Karen Kistler
This sign is posted along the highway at the church noting some historic facts. — Karen Kistler
A side view of buildings on the church grounds on wy. 152. — Karen Kistler
Prospect Presbyterian Church will be celebrating a major milestone Sept. 8 as it will be the church’s 200th anniversary.
Located in Rowan County at 9425 N.C. Hwy. 152, Mooresville, the church was organized on Sept. 8, 1824.
When reflecting on their 200 years of ministry and the special event, Rev. Will Gipe, the current pastor at Prospect Presbyterian Church who has been there almost six years, said, “we’re just appreciative and humbled really by 200 years and what God’s been doing for 200 years. I think we certainly feel great joy in being part of something like this and getting to be the people who mark that, but obviously all the people that have come before and what God’s done for 200 years.
He also added that there is also “a great sense of responsibility to the God who brought us here and to the people who have been making this church happen and making it a blessing and doing things for 200 years.”
To commemorate the occasion, the day will feature many special events for members and guests alike.
More than 75 special invitations have been sent to different people, including all of the former pastors who are still living, said Cheryl Chandler, church administrator. A crowd of more than 225 is anticipated for the day, she added.
The day will begin at 9:30 a.m. with Sunday school as normal after which a meet and greet time will be held for everyone.
Worship will begin at 10:30 a.m. with guest pastor Rev. Dr. Clay Macaulay bringing the message. Macaulay is the son of the late Rev. Wilkes Macaulay, who served as the pastor at Prospect from Sept. 1, 1957 to June 30, 1966.
During the worship service, special music will be provided as well as the recognition of members who are 80 and older. Chandler noted that they would be honoring 44 members, with the oldest member being Betty Carrigan Alexander, who is 99. Each member in this age group will be presented a 2024 silver dollar provided by an anonymous donor, something they have done every year, Chandler said.
In addition to being the oldest member, Alexander is the second woman elder installed at the church, with Mary D. Freeze being the first woman elder installed in November 1974.
As is the custom at these occasions, a special gift is given to everyone who is in attendance as a small token from the church. This year’s gift will be a Christmas ornament, which will have the Presbyterian seal and the years Sept. 8, 1824-Sept. 8, 2024 on one side and the church’s name on the other.
The celebration will continue after worship as everyone is invited to a traditional homecoming covered dish meal in the church’s family life center, which was completed just two years ago. Everyone is encouraged to bring their favorite foods to share. Drinks will be provided.
Following the meal, a special cake cutting with two cakes, one with a picture of the old church building and a second with the current sanctuary on it, along with punch and nuts served.
In preparation for the day, people have been asked to bring items to display, including wedding pictures if they were married in the church and other memorabilia they may have in connection with Prospect.
A photographer will be on hand to take pictures of the day, and a photo booth will also be available for those who want to take photos themselves.
Another special part of the celebration is the fact that a flag will be flown on this particular Sunday for Prospect’s 200th anniversary over the North Carolina State Capitol in Raleigh. There will be a ceremony at a later date to present the flag to the congregation.
Many people have worked to plan and organize events for this anniversary, shared Gipe.
“There’s people who step up and do the work and make it happen. So thanks to them,” he said.
A Heritage Committee, which includes chairperson Karen Cornett, Reba Connolly, Nick Cornett, Bob and Mary Beth Edmiston, Adam Lyerly, Rick Lyerly and Tommy McLelland, have been instrumental in preparing for this special celebration.
Prospect Presbyterian Church, which is on the Rowan County Historical Registry because of its cemetery, Chandler said, and also added the church was instrumental in starting Davidson College.
The current sanctuary is the third building with the first, as noted in a book entitled, “Prospect Presbyterian Church A History by Frontis Withers Johnston,” was an old log building.
The book noted that “as the congregation grew and prospered during the 1850s, the need for a new church building to replace the old log one became more evident.”
The second was a “frame structure built in 1854-1856, with most of the work done by free labor, from the men of the church,” as was shared in the book.
The flap of the book provided biographical information about the late Frontis Withers Johnston, telling he was a Davidson College history professor, dean of the college and two time president.
The current sanctuary was built in 1950, with a cornerstone on the right side of the sanctuary at its foundation noting this information and the date of organization.
In the educational building there are Sunday school classrooms, a parlor and a Heritage Room filled with photos of the various buildings, some of the former pastors, original church furniture, books and more.
As for the name of this local congregation, Johnston addresses this in his history book as he wrote that “tradition has it that some men were working at a ‘log rolling’ when someone asked, What are the chances for a church? The reply was, the prospects are good. Thus, Prospect Church had a name before it was organized.”
Through the years, Prospect has had 41 pastors with John Robinson and James Stafford as the two assigned by Presbytery to preach occasionally and help organize the church and with Henry Nelson Pharr as the church’s first pastor hired to serve the church as noted in Johnston’s book.
Rev. Joanne Ruth Hull, said Chandler, was the longest serving pastor, having served 14 years before she left in 2013. She went to a church in Spartanburg, S.C., where she retired last year.
Chandler tells the story of when Hull approached her and her husband Wayne and daughter Taylor Chandler Moffitt to join the church. They started attending after being invited by friends of Taylor in 2006, and after several months Hull asked them about joining.
“We enjoyed everybody and it felt like family,” Chandler said. “They made us feel like family.”
However, she laughed and told Hull she would have to ask permission to move her membership from Unity United Methodist Church where she was born, baptized and raised.
She went to her grandmother and told her she wanted to move her membership and when asked where, she told her Prospect Presbyterian Church, which brought tears to her grandmother.
Chandler quickly told her never mind, she would leave it as it was, and her grandmother told her, “no, no. These aren’t tears of sadness. These are tears of joy.”
This brought a question of why from Chandler and the answer was, “well, you’re not leaving our church, you’re going home.”
This brought another question from Chandler to which her grandmother said, “your great-great-great-grandfather helped build this church.”
With tears, Chandler said she told her grandmother, “that’s why it feels like home, because it’s family. Family helped build this church.”
The family ties are the Williams, Londons and Karrikers, she added.
Family and friends of Prospect Presbyterian will be returning ‘home’ for the day where they will be a part of this special celebration, and Gipe said he hopes people will take with them the knowledge “that God is generous to give us 200 years and to give us a chance to do more. I hope they take that away,” he said.
He also added that it is a “great privilege to be a part of this work and this great group of people and just the joy of wanting to serve.”
Continuing the work that has been going on is what Gipe said they want to do and make God proud and those who came before.
“A 200 year anniversary is a time to make us look back and I think the things we are most proud of are where we’ve served God and the community and people,” Gipe shared, “and I hope people leave the celebration on Sept. 8 just ready to keep doing that and finding purpose and joy in being servants.”
