The Presbyterian Church of Gonzales

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and here's how I'm gonna tell it to you. On February 29, 1852, a date that only comes around once every four years, the Presbyterian Church of Gonzales was constituted. Eight charter members.

That's all. Eight people, led by the Reverend Joel T. Case, deciding that something worth building deserved to be built.

Now, the Reverend John McRae came on as the first permanent pastor, and for a good while, this congregation had no building to call its own. They held their worship services once a month in the local Baptist church. Neighbors lending neighbors a roof, which says something about the character of the place.

But they kept at it. They kept at it for more than two decades, and in 1875, the Presbyterian church completed its own building at last. Six years after that, the members did something else worth noting.

They established the first Sunday school, and they didn't do it small. Sixty-two pupils. Thirteen teachers.

That is not a modest beginning, that is a statement of intent. Then came 1925, and a new worship facility replaced the 1875 building entirely. The congregation has kept on expanding its facilities since that time, meeting the needs that kept on growing.

Eight charter members on a leap day, and look what they started.

What the marker says

On February 29, 1852, the Presbyterian Church of Gonzales was constituted with eight charter members, led by the Rev. Joel T. Case. The Rev. John McRae served as the first permanent pastor, and the congregation held worship services once a month in the local Baptist church. In 1875, the Presbyterian church completed its own building, and six years later, members established the first Sunday school with 62 pupils and 13 teachers. A new worship facility, completed in 1925, replaced the 1875 building, and the congregation has expanded its facilities since that time to meet the needs of the congregation's activities. (2002)