Westminster began when a group of 16 men and women met in 1888 with the Reverend John Davis, who had been sent to Decatur by the Presbyterian Home Mission Board. In April 1888, the Reverend John Davis went back to the board to train as full-time pastor for Westminster. But when he returned to Decatur in September of that year, he was not allowed to leave the train because of the yellow fever epidemic.
In the spring of the following year, the Reverend E. Horace Porter was sent to Decatur as the first pastor of Westminster. The Reverend Porter found no church building, only a vacant lot on Eighth Avenue and Jackson Street. But, there were sixteen able and willing members of this new church in Decatur, and with the new pastor, they began to build Westminster Presbyterian Church - both physically and spiritually.
Westminster has suffered through two fires in her history, the most recent in 1951. The fire of 1951 completely destroyed the sanctuary and heavily damaged the educational building. The question on many people’s minds was “would Westminster survive?” Westminster pulled together and through the help of other churches continued to hold worship service and Sunday school. These were very difficult times in the life of the church, and the church not only survived, but has continued to thrive in mission and ministry.
Through the years, Westminster has been served by a total of 24 pastors. The Reverend Edwin Dalstrom has served the longest pastorate of any minister to date (2/15/61 - 12/31/76). Reverend Dalstrom made countless contributions to the life of Westminster. During Reverend Dalstrom’s ministry at Westminster a Christmas Eve service was initiated, wine began being offered with communion, and the first women officers were ordained and installed.
Westminster has a rich history and a wonderful past. During the past 120 years, Westminster has grown spiritually and physically. Showing its continued love and need for quality Christian education, the church built a “new” education wing that was completed in 1991. In 1997 Westminster began a “Mother’s Day Out” program. In 2000, our Wednesday night Bible study was revitalized.
In January of 2001 the Reverend David N. Rollins was installed becoming the twenty-fourth pastor in the life of the church. Also in 2001, The Christian Education ministry team implemented the workshop rotational model for our children’s Sunday school classes. The fall of 2002 brought about progress as the worship and music ministry team added “Gathering at the Table.” Gathering at the Table is an early worship service that is less formal and celebrates the Lord’s Supper weekly. In 2002 the bell tower having a carillon installed and new supper clubs were formed to provide greater opportunity for fellowship for members.
God had definitely blessed Westminster Presbyterian Church, and while we are proud of our past, we continually look for new ways to expand our mission and ministry. We have a great foundation and look forward to the future that God has in store for us.
Copyright 2009 WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN, 801 JACKSON STREET, DECATUR AL 35601, 256-353-0278
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