The First Presbyterian church of Brainerd will have completed its 82nd year in this community on June 14, 1971. The church grew out of a Sunday School which had been started by a missionary sent out by the Board of National Missions of the Presbyterian church in February of 1888.
Ten pioneers launched the movement to begin the church which had its first meetings in Gardner hall. In the fall of 1889, the group moved to the YMCA building, and a drive was begun to raise funds to build a sanctuary. The site at Eighth and Norwood was bought for $850, and work was started on the new building in May, 1890. The following September 18, the first service was held in the finished sanctuary. At this time, the membership of the church was 33. By 1909, the membership had grown to 180 persons and the church building cost was paid.
By 1926, a movement for a new and larger church building was begun. Plans were presented and a fund campaign launched with construction to begin the next year. The corner-stone of the brick Gothic structure was laid Sept. 11, 1927, and the sanctuary was dedicated on Oct. 21, 1928. The mortgage was burned at the New Year's Eve service, Dec. 31, 1945.
To celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Sunday School, a campaign was begun for funds to build an Educational wing to give added facilities for teaching. Ground breaking ceremonies were held Sept. 19, 1954. In March, 1956, the building was ready to use. The dedication was held Oct. 14, 1956, and by January of 1958, the building was debt-free.
In 1959, a member of the church expressed her desire to enlarge the sanctuary as a memorial to her husband. After much study and discussion, plans were made at a congregational meeting, on Aug. 20 to accept the preferred gift. Ground breaking ceremonies were held on Oct. 16, 1960 and on Sept. 10, 1961, the project was dedicated debt free. An office wing and balcony were completed the following spring.
On March 22, 1970, carillon bells were dedicated as a memorial to Mrs. Zella Hendricks. The Little Chapel has also been remodeled and will be refurnished to make the facility more adaptable to small group use.
The church has two parsonages. The associate pastor lives in a home at 515 South 16th Street, which was purchased in 1951, and the senior pastor lives in a home at 461 Tyrol Drive, which was purchased in 1967.
In recent years, many young people have given their lives and many have gone out to the far corners of the earth including: Mary Hewey Prescott, mission work in Southwest and Alaska; Geraldine Peterson Remington to Formosa and India; Marion Scott to Ethiopia Eileen Stark to Brazil; Janet Carbine to Ethiopia. Ordination has been conferred on: Dean Hendricks, Ronald Hess, James Elvig, Richard Manning, Robert Falconer and Edgar Bender.
The First Presbyterian church has daily local radio programs; dial-a-prayer is available day or night by telephone; active, growing Sunday School youth and adult programs; released time classes from the public schools; and worship services twice on Sunday and weekly prayer meetings, under the leadership of the two pastors, Dr. Paul K. Hendricks and the Rev. William Moore.
The congregation participates actively in the support of missionaries and mission programs throughout the world. A summer Deputation program was begun with the youth of the church participating for the summer vacation months. They have served with Eileen Stark in Brazil, in Daily Vacation Bible schools in North Dakota, at the Word of Life Camp in New York state, in work programs in the Ozarks and in assisting the pastors in the local church programs.
Reproduced from the Centennial Edition of the Brainerd Daily Dispatch (1871-1971).
