First Presbyterian Church of Lancaster

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Way back in 1856, a preacher named Reverend Michael Dickson and nine (just nine) charter members gathered themselves together in a crude cabinet workshop. Not a chapel, not a hall, not even a schoolhouse.

A cabinet workshop. That's where the First Presbyterian Church of Lancaster drew its first breath. Now, they didn't stay in the workshop forever.

Early on, services moved to a schoolhouse, and they shared that space with other denominations (which, if you've ever tried to share a kitchen on Thanksgiving, you understand requires a certain kind of patience and grace). Then the Civil War came and went, and when the smoke cleared, it was the Ladies Aid Society that stepped up. They raised money, pooled their resources, and donated a hundred dollars to launch a building fund for a permanent church site.

A hundred dollars. You think about what that took to collect, and you start to understand the kind of people we're talking about. That effort eventually bore fruit; the first church was erected in 1884, nearly thirty years after that cabinet workshop meeting.

And the congregation kept building. The present structure was completed in 1912 and dedicated in 1917. From a cabinet workshop with nine souls to a dedicated house of worship.

And here's the part that really lands: the membership today still includes descendants of those original families. The names changed, the years rolled on, but the line held. That's not just a church.

That's a promise kept across generations.

What the marker says

In 1856 the Rev. Michael Dickson and nine charter members met in a crude cabinet workshop to organize this church. Services were first held in an early schoolhouse, shared with other denominations. After the Civil War, the Ladies Aid Society raised money for a permanent church site and donated $100 to launch the building fund. The first church was erected in 1884. The present structure, completed in 1912, was dedicated in 1917. The membership today includes descendants of the original families. Numerous community service activities are sponsored by this congregation.