Our History
In the mid to late eighteenth century, the
original settlers along Irish Buffalo Creek and Templeton Mill Creek west of what is now
Kannapolis were primarily Presbyterians. By the end of the century they built a meeting
house which became Bethpage Presbyterian Church, the first church in this area and the
mother church of five other Presbyterian congregations--including First Presbyterian
Church of Kannapolis.
First Presbyterian was born and grew up with the city of Kannapolis. The pastor of
Bethpage Church organized a Sunday School for the Presbyterians in and around the new
textile town of Kannapolis in 1908. On June 27, 1909, a church was organized with 25
charter members. The church met first on the second floor over a drug store and then at
the YMCA. By January of 1911 the church had built its first house of worship, a frame
structure located on South Main Street.
By 1917 the membership had grown to 250 and Sunday Schools were being founded in other
parts of town. Having outgrown the Main Street structure, First Presbyterian built a new
brick sanctuary on the corner of West Avenue and West "C" Street (now Vance
Street) in 1924. The membership continued to grow, reaching 530 in 1939. That year First
Presbyterian planted its first daughter church, Second Presbyterian, on Centergrove Road.
In 1943 members of First Presbyterian planted another church, Royal Oaks Presbyterian
Church, on Tennessee Street.
In 1962 an Education Building was completed adjoining the church. As soon as the debt was
relieved on this building in 1967, a Sanctuary Building Fund was established. Work was
begun on the new Sanctuary building on the site of the old one in 1974 and the first
service was held in the new sanctuary on December 7, 1975.
The church has had eleven ministers in its 95-year history. Dr. Joseph R. "Joe"
Crawford began his service as pastor in February 2000.
At least ten of the church's members have answered God's call to be ministers of the Word.
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This page was last updated on
July 26, 2005. |
