200 Church Street
The First Presbyterian Church of Neenah, Wisconsin has been an active and important part of the city for over 150 years. When it was first founded on December 15, 1848 by Reverend H.M. Robertson as the First Presbyterian Church of Winnebago
Rapids, the congregation was a church only in name, having no building of its own. Instead, they met regularly in a single room of a store named Yale and Jones. Under the Reverend H. M. Robertson, First Presbyterian Church was established on December 15th, 1851, and the first formal church building was finished in 1852. In 1860, the congregation of the Church split over the issue of predestination. Until 1870, there existed a Second Presbyterian Church with nearly identical creeds to the First Presbyterian Church; however, due in part to the split, both small churches struggled, which eventually led to the successful efforts of First Presbyterian pastor James Kelly to reunite the church in 1870. The congregation then moved into the newer building the Second Presbyterian Church had constructed. Under Dr. John Chapin, the newly unified First Presbyterian flourished, and a larger edifice was built on Church Street in 1901. The church's congregation once again began to outgrow this space, and in 1939 discussions among church elders began of further expansion. However, World War II delayed any plans of remodeling and expansion. The construction campaign restarted in 1946. The education and office wing, including the chapel, was completed in 1951. The congregation continued to worship in the 1901 building, located across on Church Street until the new sanctuary was completed in 1954. Today, the First Presbyterian Church of Neenah boasts a congregation of nearly 900 members, making it the largest church in the Winnebago Presbytery. Like many religious institutions, the church is extremely engaged in community outreach, and today offers a multitude of activities from adult Bible study, mission trips, and Christian education, as well as providing a venue for community use. |
"Wisconsin Historical Society." Property Record | Wisconsin Historical Society. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2017.
Moore, Richard J. "First Presbyterian Church." Together In Faith [Fox Cities] 22 Mar. 1992, 1st ed., sec. 11: 1-4. Print. “1901 Church Construction,” First Presbyterian Church of Neenah, accessed May 18, 2017, http://firstpresneenah.omeka.net/items/show/238. |