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Westminster Presbyterian Church began its ministry in an unusual way
with its first worship service on July 9, 1981. The need for a new
Presbyterian Church in Gainesville had been proved when church leaders
from nearby Chestnut Mountain PCA discovered that approximately one-half
of their membership came from the Gainesville area. Their cramped
facilities due to overcrowding indicated that God desired to do something
new and significant. Initial plans were to locate a storefront or
other suitable space in the Gainesville area, but another opportunity
presented itself instead.
The historic old First Methodist Church building in downtown Gainesville
had been vacant for over a year. If Westminster would commit to leasing
it, the new church would be given six months rent-free. There was
great excitement as plans quickly solidified, and people quickly volunteered
to do whatever was necessary to make it happen. The name 'Westminster"
was chosen because the church would proclaim the whole counsel of
God's word and because the theology of the Bible is best expressed
in the historic Westminster Confession of Faith. The church would
be "Presbyterian" because that is the form of government
found in the Bible, with elders who are elected by the people that
they shepherd.
The opening service was scheduled at a time when there would not be
any conflict with other churches in the community. To everyone's amazement,
673 people showed up for that historic service on a Thursday night;
latecomers had to be ushered into the Fellowship Hall for seating.
Ben Haden, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga, was
the special speaker for the evening. There were floral arrangements
given by several local churches as well as many community and business
leaders that welcomed the new church to Gainesville.
In 1983, the church decided to purchase the old First Methodist facility.
The officers also determined that there was sufficient interest to
establish a Christian School in Gainesville. Westminster Christian
School was begun in 1984 with the mission statement: "To provide
a Biblically balanced education in partnership with the Christian
family." The school became a reality the fall of 1984 and is
known in the community for providing quality education with a unique
Christian world-view. Students from Westminster have gone on to distinguish
themselves in a number of other academic arenas.
Westminster's presence in the community resulted in growth that brought
about another change in 1997. The success of the church and school
resulted in overcrowding of the facility. Insufficient parking and
recreation space resulted in the conclusion that God was leading them
to move the church and school to a facility that would allow additional
growth. The decision was made to purchase Lakewood Baptist Church's
property with 10.5 acres, and Westminster moved two miles to its present
facility.
In 2002 and 2003, the officers crafted new Vision and Mission statements
to distinguish Westminster Church that resulted in other substantial
changes. A capital campaign was held to raise funds for a complete
renovation of the church nursery, church offices, school offices,
educational space, and a new front façade for the building.
The transformation of the facility has underscored Westminster's long-term
commitment to impacting the community by making disciples. A special
series of messages was preached so that the congregation would understand
and support the new Vision/ Mission:
Vision: "Believing in, clinging to, and living out
the gospel of Christ."
Mission: "Westminster Church is a community of redeemed
sinners, believing in the gospel of grace to transform us, clinging
to Christ and His Word to equip us, and living out lives of faith
and repentance, to make disciples who impact Gainesville and the world,
all for the glory of God."
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