Gatesville was a rapidly growing frontier town of about one thousand inhabitants when the First Presbyterian Church was organized in 1885. Outstanding Presbyterian evangelists were instrumental in organizing many churches in the vast area that was then included in the Central Texas Presbytery. Gatesville remained a part of it until 1972, when it became part of the Presbytery of the Trinity and Presbytery of the Covenant. In 1987 it became a part of the Grace Presbytery.

Clippings from the "Christian Observer" in 1885 and 1887 give accounts of the progress of the church. They state that the church organized in March of 1885 with sixteen members and they were concerned considerably about finding a suitable place to meet. The little band of Presbyterians bought a lot at a cost of $150.00, and built a neat church, ceiled and painted it, bought an organ, stove, a marble-top table, and put blinds to the windows, costing forty dollars.

The present site of the First Presbyterian Church was purchased in 1899. The J. C. Chrisman "cow lot" on Main Street and his home on Leon Street were purchased and the church was moved to this location.

At the turn of the century the church membership numbered seventy-two. The first Vacation Bible School in Gatesville was held at the First Presbyterian Church in 1929. On March 10, 1935, the church celebrated its 50th anniversary with a pageant depicting many interesting events in its history. In 1950 it was decided that a new building should be constructed. It was a happy occasion when, on March 2, 1952, the congregation celebrated its 67th anniversary in the new church.

On April 28, 1985, the church celebrated its 100th anniversary. The centennial year was an exciting year for the congregation with all of the special activities and work that went on in preparation for the celebration. In 1986, a fund drive was initiated to build a church annex, that would include needed Sunday School rooms and kitchen and dining facilities.

The membership numbers of the church have never been large, but throughout its history it has remained a loyal, devout, and close-knit family.

The earliest Christian church consisted of the Jews and Gentiles who had known and heard the teachings of Jesus. From this group, the faith spread from the middle east to other parts of the world, despite persecution from governments and other faiths and controversy among its adherents.

During the 4th century, the church became established as a political and spiritual power under the Emperor Constantine. Theological and political disagreements between members of the eastern (Greek-speaking) and western (Latin-speaking) branches eventually caused the church to divide into two main branches: the Eastern Orthodox Church in the east and the Roman Catholic Church in the west.

In western Europe, the political and religious authority of the Roman Catholic Church remained largely unquestioned until the Renaissance in the 15th century. The invention of the printing press in Germany around 1440 made it possible for common people to have access to printed materials, including the Bible. This enabled many to discover the religious thinkers who had begun to question the practices and authority of the Roman Catholic Church. One of these figures, Martin Luther, a German priest and professor, is credited with starting the movement known as the Protestant Reformation when he posted a list of ninety-five grievances against the Roman Catholic Church on a church door in Wittenburg, Germany, in 1517.

Some twenty years later, a French/Swiss theologian, John Calvin, further refined the reformer's new way of thinking about the nature of God and GodÕs relationship with humanity in what came to be known as Reformed Theology. John Knox, a Scotsman who studied with Calvin in Geneva, Switzerland, took CalvinÕs teachings back to Scotland. Other Reformed communities developed in England, Holland, and France. The Presbyterian Church traces its ancestry primarily back to Scotland and England.

Presbyterians have played an important part in United States History. The Rev. Francis Mackemie, who arrived in the U.S. from Ireland in 1683, helped to organize the first American Presbytery at Philadelphia in 1706. One of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, the Rev. John Witherspoon, was a Presbyterian minister. The Rev. William Tennent founded a ministerial "log college" in New Jersey that evolved into Princeton University. Other Presbyterian ministers, such as the Rev. Jonathan Edwards and the Rev. Gilbert Tennent, were driving forces in the so-called "Great Awakening," a revivalist movement in the early 18th century.

The Presbyterian Church in the United States has split many times, and some parts have reunited. Currently the largest group is the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), with which our congregation is affiliated. Its national offices are in Louisville, Kentucky. The PC(USA) was formed in 1983 as a result of the reunion between the "southern" Presbyterian Church in the U.S. (PCUS) and the "northern" United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A (UPCUSA).

(Adapted from PCUSA web site (www.pcusa.org) information)