First Presbyterian Church of Prosper

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the First Presbyterian Church of Prosper, up in Collin County. Pull over if you want, because this one's got some miles on it. It starts on July 7, 1878.

A group of 26 members, led by Reverend R.H. Hacker, gathered together and organized what they called the McAdew Congregation of Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Now, they needed a place to meet, and the Pleasant Valley School House answered the call.

That school served as their meeting place for the next 14 years. Think about that for a moment. Fourteen years of Sunday mornings, prayers rising up between chalkboards and lesson books.

Then in 1892, something changed. The James Barnes Bell family donated land out in the Rock Hill Community, and on that land went up a one-room, white frame church. Simple, sturdy, and theirs.

Four years later, in 1896, the church building was moved, and the name was changed to Rock Hill Cumberland Presbyterian Church. This congregation was not the kind to stay put when the work called them somewhere else. And sure enough, in 1902, they moved again, this time to Prosper, on land donated by Mr. and Mrs.

J.L. Baker. The very next year, as requested, the name of the church changed to Prosper Presbyterian Church.

New town, new name, same determination. Over the years, the building grew along with the congregation. The south and north wings went up.

A pastor's study was added. Minor repairs were completed here and there. A church, like a community, requires tending.

But here's where the story gets bigger than any single building. The First Presbyterian Church of Prosper didn't just look inward. The Prosper Presbyterian Women's Association got to work.

Weekly revivals brought people together. Funerals gave comfort to the grieving. Senior Citizens Game Day gave neighbors a reason to gather.

Transportation assistance made sure nobody got left behind. And then the reach stretched further still. The congregation sent supplies to the Salvation Army.

They reached out to disaster victims in other states. And if that weren't enough, they crafted stained glass Peace Panels and sent them as messages of hope to locations around the world, including Sarajevo, South Africa, and Jerusalem. A little congregation that started in a schoolhouse in 1878, and their windows of peace ended up circling the globe.

For well over a century, the congregation of the First Presbyterian Church of Prosper has served the community, the state, and the country through outreach and service. Twenty-six members and a reverend named Hacker walked into a schoolhouse one July day, and what they started is still going strong. That, friend, is how you build something that lasts.

What the marker says

THE McADEW CONGREGATION OF CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH WAS ORGANIZED ON JULY 7, 1878 BY A GROUP OF 26 MEMBERS LED BY REVEREND R.H. HACKER. THE CONGREGATION FIRST ASSEMBLED IN THE PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL HOUSE. THE SCHOOL SERVED AS THE MEETING PLACE FOR THE NEXT 14 YEARS. IN 1892, THE JAMES BARNES BELL FAMILY DONATED LAND WHERE A ONE-ROOM, WHITE FRAME CHURCH WAS CONSTRUCTED IN THE ROCK HILL COMMUNITY. THE CHURCH BUILDING WAS MOVED IN 1896 AND THE NAME WAS CHANGED TO ROCK HILL CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. THE CHURCH MOVED TO PROSPER IN 1902 ON LAND DONATED BY MR. AND MRS. J.L. BAKER. THE NEXT YEAR, AS REQUESTED, THE NAME OF THE CHURCH CHANGED TO PROSPER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. SEVERAL ADDITIONS HAVE BEEN MADE OVER THE YEARS, INCLUDING THE SOUTH AND NORTH WINGS AND A PASTOR'S STUDY. OTHER MINOR REPAIRS HAVE ALSO BEEN COMPLETED. IN ADDITION TO SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE IN THE COMMUNITY, THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF PROSPER HAS ALSO FULFILLED A CHARITABLE ROLE WITH THE PROSPER PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION, WEEKLY REVIVALS, FUNERALS, SENIOR CITIZENS GAME DAY AND TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANCE. THE CHURCH AND CONGREGATION ALSO REACHED OUT TO DISASTER VICTIMS IN OTHER STATES AND FURNISHED SUPPLIES TO THE SALVATION ARMY. STAINED GLASS "PEACE PANELS" HAVE BEEN SENT AS MESSAGES OF HOPE TO LOCATIONS AROUND THE WORLD INCLUDING SARAJEVO, SOUTH AFRICA AND JERUSALEM. FOR WELL OVER A CENTURY, THE CONGREGATION OF THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF PROSPER HAS SERVED THE COMMUNITY, STATE AND COUNTRY THROUGH OUTREACH AND SERVICE.