Proud to have served St Marys for over 219 years.
Our History
On April 2, 1807, $1823.50 was raised by public subscription “for the promotion of divine worship in this place and for the building of a small but convenient church for that purpose.” Later subscriptions brought the total to $3442.00. The building was completed in 1808. The church was non-denominational until a young Presbyterian missionary, The Reverend Horace Pratt of the Presbytery of New Brunswick, New Jersey came to St. Marys in 1821. With 29 people desiring to form a Presbyterian church, they called Reverend Pratt as pastor and the Presbytery of Georgia chartered the church as an organized congregation in June 1822. . In 1828, by an act of the Georgia legislature, the congregation was incorporated under the name of The First Presbyterian Church of St. Marys, Georgia.
The first floor of the church was used for a weekday school for the children of the town for many years. Originally, a double staircase led to a landing at the main entrance on the east side of the church (facing Osborne Street) and was moved at the same time that the bell tower was moved from the north end to the south end of the church in 1898. Prior to 1898, a stairway on the northwest corner of the sanctuary led to a balcony known as the slave gallery. The balcony was removed during the 1898 refurbishing.
On December 6, 1956 a fire at the church destroyed the south entrance along with much of the roof and ceiling. The original bell which had inscribed these words, “My sound to thy people O Lord, shall call them to thy Word” was completely melted by the f ire. The church was rededicated within a few months and continues to this day to be one of the finest examples of early church architecture in the state of Georgia.
First Presbyterian Church is the oldest Presbyterian church building in the state of Georgia, and has the distinction of being the oldest building in Georgia that has been in continuous use as a church since 1808.
small but mighty
We may be a small congregation, but we have the largest heart for doing God's work. 10% of our budget goes to local missions and we open our Fellowship Hall to many local clubs and organizations.
