Lakeland Presbyterian
by Laurie Perry
Title
Lakeland Presbyterian
Artist
Laurie Perry
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
A historic Presbyterian church located in Lakeland, Florida. The First Presbyterian Church of Lakeland was formally organized in the community schoolhouse on March 7, 1885. The organizing pastor was The Reverend Caleb Jones. Two months later, the congregation built its first sanctuary the first church building in Lakeland on south Tennessee Avenue between Main and Lemon streets. By 1919, the church had outgrown the first building, and a new building of buff brick was built on South Massachusetts Avenue overlooking Lake Mirror. FPC was well-known for its large adult Sunday School classes. The Regular Fellows Mens class, had a membership of over 200 and its own radio program. The Florida boom of the 1920s brought great growth, and First Church became a prominent congregation in the community. The church endured a fire in 1941 and a congregational split in 1950. FPC recovered and built a new sanctuary in 1955 immediately to the South of the old facility. In 1958 FPC, in conjunction with the presbytery, started Chapel in the Grove. By the mid 1970s, the churches expanding membership and programs had outstripped both the building and parking capacity downtown. The congregation made a bold move to build a brand new facility in an orange grove on the east side of Lake Hollingsworth. The first service in the current location was held on Christmas Eve, 1978. The first words from the pulpit by Dr. Henry Dahlberg, the Senior Pastor, were "Jesus Christ is Lord."
Uploaded
January 22nd, 2014
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Viewed 1,134 Times - Last Visitor from Ottawa, ON - Canada on 04/24/2024 at 12:48 AM
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