Prepared by Everett E. Wicker in “First Presbyterian Church of Wilkinsburg: 117 Years in Christ’s Service 1866–1983” Program
The First Presbyterian Church of Wilkinsburg had its beginnings in the middle third of the nineteenth century when Beulah Presbyterian Church, organized in 1784, spread her influence from the hilltop on which she still stands to the village in the valley about two miles west. At that time, Beulah was the dominant Presbyterian presence for miles around and the center of community life. A Sabbath School mission was established in Wilkinsburg and met in a carpenter shop that was converted to a day school. The meetings were moved in the 1850’s to the Wilkinsburg Academy, which was located on Center Street near the present Baptist Church, and a Sabbath afternoon service was inaugurated, presided over by the officers of the Academy, the pastor of Beulah and others. This demand for expanded Bible study, religious services and prayer led inevitably to the establishment of a church in the village.
In April 1866, a petition was presented to the Presbytery of Blairsville, meeting in Donegal, by John W. Milligan for the organization of a Presbyterian Church in Wilkinsburg. The church was organized May 10, 1866 in the old Academy building with twenty-seven charter members, eighteen of whom were from Beulah. The first two elders were Dr. John Semple, who was clerk of session, and Mr. John W. Milligan. In 1866 Mr. Milligan was elected clerk and in 1870 Mr. Robert S. Davis was elected to that office.
These twenty-seven charter members were determined that this church should endure at any cost. That their determination has been carried out may be understood from the records which show that the church has never received financial aid from any Boards of the Presbyterian Church but has contributed to them as well as to other benevolent causes ever since the day of her organization.
The church was without a pastor for the first eighteen months but the vigorous spirit of the congregation is shown by the fact that thirty-seven new members were added to the roll. Although there was no ordained clergyman leading the church, the presence of Dr. and Mrs. Semple, the Milligans, the Homers and especially Professor Levi Ludden, recently discharged from the Union Army, was apparently a vital force in maintaining and strengthening the church.
In October 1867, the Reverend Samuel M. Henderson became the first pastor of the, then, Wilkinsburg Presbyterian Church. He was installed on November 26, 1867 and continued as pastor until July 3, 1878 when he resigned because of failing health. It has been said that Mr. Henderson’s chief characteristic was “deep spirituality manifest both in his preaching and in his life.” During his pastorate, two hundred seventy-two members were added, ninety of whom came on confession of faith, and Sabbath School attendance more than doubled.
In April 1868, ground was broken for a church building on the northwest comer of South Avenue and Wood Street. The land was given by James Kelly, benefactor of many churches in Wilkinsburg and he was given a choice pew in the new church. The brick building, which was sixty-five feet long and forty-five feet wide, cost over $9,000 when completed. The basement was used as a place of worship from January 1869 until the church was dedicated August 29, 1869. The sermon of dedication was preached by the Reverend S. F. Scovell, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh. His text, taken from the Revelation of John 19: 10, was “Worship God.”
In 1870 the Presbyterian Church in Swissvale was organized as the first daughter church and Mr. John W. Milligan became one of the first elders there as he had been at the Wilkinsburg church just four years earlier. Also, on June 23, 1870, with the reunion of the Old and New Schools of the Presbyterian Church, Wilkinsburg became part of the Pittsburgh Presbytery. Mr. Henderson became the permanent clerk of the Pittsburgh Presbytery indicating the growing importance of the Wilkinsburg Church in the community of Presbyterianism.
The first women’s organization of the Wilkinsburg Presbyterian Church dates from November 22,1872 when Mrs. Henderson, wife of the Pastor, called a meeting of the ladies to organize their missionary effort. Mrs. Henderson had three brothers and a sister in missionary work in China and was, herself, a vice-president of the then recently formed “Ladies Board of Missions.” She and the five ladies who met with her on that day in November, 1872 joined themselves together as the Foreign Missionary Society to do what they could toward spreading the Gospel throughout the world.
In June, 1873, Professor Levi Ludden was elected Clerk of the Session and continued in that post until 1898 when Professor Unnaeus Roberts succeeded him.
The year 1875 saw a remarkable occurrence in Wilkinsburg and it is given a lengthy description in Dr. George Taylor’s Brief History of the First Presbyterian Church<>/cite. There was, apparently, a very discouraging weakening in the spiritual fervor of the town to the point where the communion to be held the last week of January was postponed because of “the exceptional cold and lifeless state of the religious feeling.” Somehow, through an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, this attitude was completely reversed during the six weeks in the spring when evangelistic services were held in many homes as well as in every church. For six weeks the church was packed to the doors every night and all denominations were partners in this religious revival. In April alone, 35 adults confessed their faith in Jesus Christ in the Presbyterian Church.
On September 25, 1878, the Reverend John C. Irwin was called as the second pastor of the Wilkinsburg Presbyterian Church. He began his work October 1, 1878 and was installed July 9, 1879. He resigned June 10, 1884 to become the pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Albert Lea, Minnesota.
The women’s work expanded with the formation of the Woman’s Home Missionary Society on January 10, 1879, and the organization of the “Young Ladies’ Missionary Society” on July 21, 1882. Since this latter group had its beginning in Mrs. R. J. Reed’s Sabbath School class, it took the name in June 1883, of the R. J. Reed Mission Band. In its eariy years this Society devoted great efforts to the support of Sarah Love who had gone out from our church to work for “the betterment of negroes in the South.”
On October 1, 1882, the Park Place Mission was dedicated without debt. It had begun some two and a half years earlier in a Sabbath School taught by Lavinia M. Smith in her home at the comer of Peebles Street and Park Place. Twelve ladies of the Wilkinsburg Church had pledged themselves to raise $200 each for the building of a chapel. The first check of $50 was contributed by H. C. Frick and the land was donated by George Peebles.
The Reverend Samuel H. Moore was called to be the third pastor of the church on January 7, 1885. He began his work in February and was installed on February 24, 1885. He served until May 1, 1895 when he resigned to become pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church of Peoria, Illinois. Dr. Taylor said of Dr. Moore that his one outstanding trait was his “love for humanity. He craved the fellowship with people and manifested a deep interest in all their experiences.”
The pastorate of Dr. Moore was a period of revitalization and growth for the church. The first parsonage, located beside the church, was completed two months after the arrival of the new pastor. In May of 1886, the need for an enlarged facility led the congregation to build an addition to the church. The back wall was removed and the building expanded to double the seating capacity. The new structure was occupied on the last Sabbath of May, 1887 and all seats were taken at both the morning and evening services. The church was not rededicated until September 4, 1887 with a sermon preached by the Reverend George T. Purves, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh. The expansion proved to be inadequate, however, and in 1893 the church “was compelled to declare all seats free on account of the utter impossibility to accommodate even a goodly part of the congregation.”
Other signs of growth during Dr. Moore’s pastorate were the addition of eight hundred eighty members—two hundred and seventy-four by profession of their faith in Jesus Christ (It should be noted that this was a period of great growth for the village of Wilkinsburg when many people were moving out from the city of Pittsburgh and when a petition signed by two hundred and thirty-four resident freeholders was presented to the court, April 11, 1887, regarding incorporation as a borough.) The Sabbath School doubled in three years and continued to grow until it reached a membership of six hundred fifty-two. Professor Ludden was the superintendent and brought many new and vigorous ideas to the School. The Christmas entertainments were models for all other Sunday Schools in the vicinity with Santa Claus, chimneys, sleighs full of presents and other attractions for the young children. The Foreign Missionary Society and the Home Missionary Society both prospered during this pastorate to the point where their combined gilts exceeded $1600 per year. The R. J. Reed Missionary Society had some years of struggle but began a new period of vitality in 1894, and another missionary agency, known as the Moore Band, was organized in 1889 and prospered for some six years giving as much as $300 per year to mission work and furnishing a room at Presbyterian Hospital. Also during Dr. Moore’s pastorate, the young men’s evening prayer meeting was converted into a Christian Endeavor Society with both men and women participants.
In May 1894 the Park Place Mission became the East End Presbyterian Church by action of the Pittsburgh Presbytery. Thus was born the second child of our church. East End Church later joined with Grace Presbyterian Church to become the Waverly Presbyterian Church.
In January 1896 the Reverend Thomas Parry was called. He began his work in March and was installed on April 23, 1896. During his pastorate there was a phenomenal growth in numbers of church members due partly to a surging expansion of the Wilkinsburg population, partly to the establishment of evangelistic services featuring outstanding nationally-known speakers and partly, but most significantly, to the leadership of Dr. Parry.
During the year 1896, the congregation began the weekly system of giving and communicant’s cards were adopted to assist the pastor in keeping in touch with the members who attended the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Individual communion cups were introduced in 1900. On June 3, 1896 the Deacons Board was established with nine members.
The missionary work continued to thrive during the decade of Dr. Parry’s pastorate. Gifts of the Foreign Missionary Society reached $1635 for one year and the Home Missionary Society contributed $2354 in 1900 to work in Allegheny County. These two organizations were joined in 1900 into a new organization known as the Home and Foreign Missionary Society. A new group, known as the Dr. John Semple Mission Band, was organized on January 13, 1904 specifically to serve the interests of the girls and young ladies of the congregation.
During this period two more daughters of our church emerged. On May 4, 1903, Crab Hollow Mission or Swissvale Avenue Chapel became the Calvary Presbyterian Church and our church contributed to the expenses until 1909. A much more traumatic event was the establishment of the Second Presbyterian Church, now known as Mulberry Presbyterian Church. This came about simply because the Firrst Presbyterian Church became so large that one pastor could no longer handle the responsibilities. Discussion about dividing the church began as early as January 1899, and the first step was taken in March of 1899 when one-third of the proceeds from the anticipated sale of the old church at Wood Street and South Avenue was designated for the new organization. The new church was organized on October 27, 1903 with two hundred and twenty-three charter members, two hundred of whom came from the mother church.
Of course, one of the major events of Dr. Parry’s pastorate was the construction of the present church building. On January 27, 1897 the Trustees were authorized to buy the land on which the church now stands for $19,800 but two years passed before any definite action was taken. In March of 1899 a building committee was appointed with an advisory board consisting of Charles D. Armstrong, M. K. Salsbury, John McLeod and Daniel Carhart. The building contract was let to E. Z. Peffer, a member of the congregation, and the building stands today as a testimony to his fine workmanship.
The entire cost of the lot, building and equipment was $115,000. The building was dedicated on June 23, 1901. The only remnant of the old building at Wood and South, which was destroyed by fire in 1915, is the bell currently hanging in the tower of our church and still rung by hand each Sabbath morning.
During this pastorate there were also two events of a melancholy nature that should be remembered. Dr. John Semple, the only charter elder who had remained with the church until his death, was taken on November 9, 1901. The other loss was the death of Professor Levi Ludden on December 6, 1903. Under his leadership the Sunday School had reached a membership of nine hundred and two before the organization of the Second Church. For thirty-two years he had arisen at dawn on Sabbath morning, gone to the fields or woods or his own garden to gather flowers that the church might be decorated.
In the fall of 1905 after a continued and profitable service of ten years, Dr. Thomas Parry resigned to become pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Wichita, Kansas.
The church was without a pastor for nearly a year, but in September, 1906, the Reverend E. Trumbull Lee was called. He began his work on the first Sabbath in November and was installed the following Tuesday as the fifth pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Wilkinsburg. Dr. Lee died while still serving as pastor on May 4, 1913.
During his tenure, the growth rate of the church decreased due to the presence of other Presbyterian churches in the community, but the importance of our church in the Presbytery, Synod and General Assembly affairs increased greatly. The administrative burden imposed by the meeting of the Synod of Pennsylvania in this church in 1910 led to the employment of the first secretary, Sara Alma Johnston. On October 18, 1910, Mr. Luman R. Hagan, who had been employed as church treasurer and financial secretary since January 1902 was elected Pastor’s Assistant with primary responsibilities in the area of Sabbath School calling. In the Interval following Dr. Lee’s death, Mr. Hagan worked diligently with the sick and needy while Dr. David R. Breed of Western Theological Seminary supplied the pulpit.
The Sabbath School and missionary work of the church continued to prosper under Dr. Lee’s leadership. The Sunday School membership was six hundred and eighty-five at the end of his ministry. The Woman’s Home and Foreign Missionary Society, the R. J. Reed Missionary Society and the Semple Mission Band grew substantially. The Christian Endeavor and Intermediate Endeavor experienced both trials and successes during this period.
In February 1912, the Boy Scout work was started in the church as Troop 2, with Mr. Parke A. Lambert as Scoutmaster and Mr. Harry M. Ryder, assistant.
Dr. Tayior in his Brief History of the First Presbyterian Church of Wilkinsburg says that Dr. Lee’s “one prominent characteristic was his fondness for method . . . it enabled him to do extensive pastoral work, to keep up his standard in the pulpit and to take an active part in the governing bodies of the church at large.”
On December 30, 1913, the Reverend George Taylor Jr. was called to the pastorate and he was to serve more than thirty years. His first sermon was preached March 8, 1914. He is remembered fondly by many of the present members as an outstanding leader of the church, a pious, warm personality and a scholarly but exciting preacher.
One of Dr. Taylor’s first actions was to establish the mid-week prayer service as a Bible class. This, he felt, brought a spiritual uplift to the whole church. He also inaugurated a policy of special instruction for those about to be married, whether or not they were members of the church.
In 1915, the Ardmore Memorial Church (now Forest Hills Presbyterian Church), became a mission under the Session of our church. The temporary building it occupied was destroyed by fire in 1920. In 1921 the Forest Hills Chapel was rebuilt on land donated by Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. On April 16, 1923, the Forest Hills Presbyterian Church was dedicated with the Reverend H. L Olewiler, previously the Assistant Pastor at our church, as pastor. Four hundred members were dismissed to the Forest Hills Church.
The First World War caused one hundred twenty-four members of our church to enter the military and naval services, and five women joined the welfare work of the Red Cross. The pastor volunteered as a chaplain in 1918 and served at Camp Upton, New York. Only one member failed to return from military servicemdash;Private Henry Tounsend Carpenter was killed in action November 2, 1918. Four members from the church were wounded, two gassed, and one suffered shellshock. A memorial tablet to the World War I veterans was unveiled in November 1921 and it contains a parchment listing the names of those who served.
During Dr. Taylor’s pastorate a number of missionaries either went out from the church or received principal support from her. In 1918 Mrs. Grant Jones began her work in India, supported mainly by the Missionary Societies. In 1920, the Reverend and Mrs. Charles V. Reeder began their missionary work in China. In 1924 the Reverend Harry P. Midkiff began missionary work in Brazil supported by the church. The Reverend David Waggoner began his work in the Memorial Church in Juneau, Alaska, in 1925. The Reverend and Mrs. Walter Soboleff took over this work in 1940 and the church pledged continued support The Reverend R. Alvin Wilson represented the Church on the Indian Mission Field from 1933 to 1945.
On September 1, 1924, the Reverend George O. Reemsnyder became Assistant Pastor and remained with us until 1927.
On Easter 1925, the Echo Organ and Chimes were dedicated, the gift of Mr. and Mrs. C. D. Annstrong.
In 1930, a Common Sense Sewing Committee was appointed. This group developed into a pennanent Quilting Committee in 1934 and continued meeting until just the past few years. The proceeds were given to extending the missionary work of the church. Also in 1930, the Girl Scout work was added under Miss Ellen Connor.
The church lost two of its staunchest members in 1935-36. On April 2, 1935, Mr. Charles Dickey Armstrong, a great benefactor of the church, died. He had been chairman of the committee responsible for erecting this church building; he had been a trustee since 1897 and was Chairman of the Trustees at the time of his death. On March 2,1936, Mr. Henry Carpenter, Clerk of the Session since 1921, passed to his eternal reward. Mr. Joseph Thomas succeeded him and served until December 12, 1962.
In 1932 a volunteer choir was organized by Mrs. Mathilda Rinn Edgar and continued under her direction until she resigned in May 1938. At that time, Mr. William A Hazle~ who had been organist since 1935, became director of the Choir as well as organist. He left at the end of 1946, and Mr. Ralph W. Crawford became organist and choir director in February 1947. He continues in the post today, after 36 years of dedicated service. The volunteer choir has worked diligently under his leadership to enrich the worship service of the church.
On February 27, 1937, the Woman’s Home and Foreign Missionary Society foonally ceased its active work and the members joined other missionary groups such as the R. J. Reed Missionary Society, the Dr. John Semple Missionary Society and the World Friendship Guild. These latter three societies merged February 28, 1946 into the Women’s Missionary Society, Afternoon Group and Evening Group. The women’s work of the church was finally unified at the end of the church year in 1947 when these groups became part olthe two-year-old Women’s Association.
On March 12, 1939, the twenty-fifth anniversary of Dr. Taylor’s assumption of the pastorate was celebrated. DUring that quarter-century, one thousand six-hundred eighty-five members had joined on confession of their faith in Jesus Christ. Dr. Taylor’s remarkable ministry came to a close on July 9, 1944 after thirty years and four months of exceptional success in every phase of the church activities. He was greatly loved and admired by his large congregation.
The Reverend Paul L. Brown filled the pulpit faithfully for the next four months.
In 1944, Miss Marion Mehlman of the C.H.I. Sabbath School Class and a member of our church left for the missionary field, serving first in West Africa. She later married the Reverend Ramon Rulz-Valera and they took up the work in Colombia, South America. In 1945, the full salary of the Reverend Esau Joseph, minister and missionary to the Pima Indians in Arizona, was underwritten by our church. The record of service in the name of Jesus Christ around the world is a part of the heritage of First Church for which we all should be proud and thankful.
On November 22, 1944, the Reverend James R. Speer was called to be the seventh pastor of First Presbyterian Church. He preached his first sennon here on February 4, 1945 and was installed by Pittsburgh Presbytery two weeks later. He served until June 15, 1966 and is fondly remembered by most of the present church members as a distinguished spiritual leader. His tenure of twenty-one years and three months is the second longest in our church’s history. Among the innovations he brought to the church were the Youth Church (an extension of the Church School), audio-visual aids in Christian teaching, a junior choir and the Church News, published every six weeks.
Early in Dr. Speer’s ministry, the Deacons Board was expanded to twenty-one members and the scope of its activity was broadened.
During the Second World War, the church gave one hundred ninety-one of her sons and daughters to military service on all battle fields. Six of these young men met death as a result of this service: Second Lieutenant Andrew James Cooney, Sergeant James H. Hill, Lieutenant Hamilton M. Lamb, Corporal Fortune 0. Rosenkrans, Air Corps Cadet John Harris Stiltz, and Private First Class Charles R Varvakis. As a token of remembrance and in honor of all those who served in World War II, an electronic organ was installed in the chapel with their names inscribed on a silver plaque affixed to the console. During the war years, the young people of the church sent out a monthly paper, The Inklings, to all those in the services to help them keep in touch with their church.
Following the War, the Restoration Fund of the Presbyterian Church was established to rebuild churches and schools in war-tom countries. First Church undertook to raise its full quota of $21,000 enthusiastically and succeeded. The church delayed construction of its own educational building in order to cooperate fully in the Restoration Fund.
The new curriculum of the Board of Christian Education was introduced in the Church School in 1948 under the direction of Mr. Edward H. Lamberger. Miss F. Myrile Stroud (now Mrs. Pettit) was engaged as Director of Christian Education in 1949.
During this post-war period, a number of improvements to the church were carried out The entire church, including the chapel and Sunday School rooms, was recarpeted. The kitchen was modernized and the dining room refurbished. A lighted bulletin board was placed on the church lawn and new pulpit Bibles were donated. The Youth Council gave the beautiful picture of Christ that hangs in the Chapel.
During the years 1941 to 1951 six men served as assistant or student pastors: Lester Williams, Paul Brown, James Regester, Robert Alvin Wilson, Carol A. Wood, and Kenneth W. Hamstra.
The fiftieth anniversary of the occupation of the present building was the occasion for a great celebration from June 17 to June 24, 1951.
During the 1950’s, a Loyalty Committee was formed to carry out the Stewardship program of the church and a Friendly Calling Guild was organized to help maintain contact with the church membership, which was becoming more decentralized. A chapter of the National Council of Presbyterian Men was formed in the First Church.
A major event in Dr. Speer’s ministry was the construction of the Christian Education Building. This splendid structure contained a gymnasium, activity and class rooms and an apartment for the church custodian. It was dedicated to the Glory of God and the Service of Youth in June 1955.
A cooperative week-day nursery school was opened there the same year. Dr. George Taylor, Jr., retired from the active Christian ministry in 1956 after devoting nearly fifty years to the service of God. Our congregation was privileged to elect him Minister Emeritus of the First Presbyterian Church, Wilkinsburg. A scholarship fund in his memory was established at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. This fund has recently been increased so that the capital amount of the Trust is now nearly $20,000.
The Hamilton Avenue United Presbyterian Church, with fifty-nine members, merged with the First Presbyterian Church on January 1, 1960, bringing many members whose presence has been a spiritual blessing continuing until the present.
The Reverend Willard S. Thomas was called by the congregation to be Associate Minister on March 1, 1962. He served mainly in the area of Christian Education. He resigned May 31, 1967 to serve as pastor of the Kenmore Presbyterian Church, Buffalo, N.Y.
In May 1966, the hundredth anniversary of the organization of First Presbyterian Church was celebrated with extensive ceremonies. A bronze plaque listing the names and service dates of our seven pastors (to that date) was installed on the northeast wall of the sanctuary. During those first 100 years, the church had played a significant part in the on-going witness for Jesus Christ, not only in the Pittsburgh Presbytery area, but in the Christian program of the Presbyterian Church throughout the world.
Dr. James R. Speer resigned the pastorate on June 15, 1966 to become Associate Minister of the Shadyside Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh. He served long and faithfully as our spiritual leader and is still missed greatly by many of our members.
On February 1, 1967, the Reverend Leslie E. Pritchard was called to be our eighth pastor. He came from the Second Presbyterian Church of Portsmouth, Ohio and was installed by Pittsburgh Presbytery on February 19, 1967. He is remembered for his excellent sermons and a remarkable flair for the dramatic in such special services as Maundy Thursday Communion. Perhaps he represented a hearkening back to Dr. Samuel Moore, our third pastor, in his love for humanity and his interest in the concerns of all people.
During Mr. Pritchard’s pastorate, a community setvice program was begun in our church with a spiritual and physical emphasis for the children of the community. This program was originated by Thomas Huston and expanded by David Pollitt who were wonderfully active assistant ministers. The program evolved into the All-Together-Now Program which has since been sponsored by the Wilkinsburg Community Ministry.
The decade of the sixties saw the beginning of the decline in church membership which continues until the present. Many people moved out of Wilkinsburg to more remote suburbs and transferred their church affiliations. The population demographics of the community underwent a rapid and remarkable transformation with the influx of many unchurched people and many who would not be interested in the more traditional Protestant Christian worship setvices desired by the majority of our members.
Mr. Pritchard resigned his pastorate on July 31, 1971 to become the minister of a Presbyterian Church in Clinton, Iowa. In 1972 a major change in the administration took place when the Session and Board of Trustees were combined into a Unicameral Board. On this board, still known as the Session, all members are both ordained ruling Elders and Trustees.
On August 15, 1972 the Reverend Walter J. Darner became the ninth pastor. He was installed on September 17,1972 and served until March 1, 1975 when he retired from active Christian ministry because of failing health. Mr. Darner was an excellent church administrator. He revised and reorganized the committee functions of the Session in a manner that is still found useful. DUring his pastorate, the Wilkinsburg Community Ministry moved their offices into our educational building. Bus setvice was initiated to assist members, particularly the aged and handicapped ones, to be present at the morning worship service.
After Mr. Darner retired from our pulpit, we were privileged to elect him Minister Emeritus of our church for his remaining years. He passed to his eternal reward on August 15, 1978. He is remembered by all as a systematic, well-organized leader who served our church in a difficult era of declining membership.
The Reverend Stewart B. Lawrence, Jr. received the call to become pastor on December 7, 1975. He began his work with the congregation on February 7, 1976, and was installed as the tenth pastor of the church on March 14, 1976.
In October 1976, a Planning Task Force was formed to develop and implement a course of action for involving the congregation in a goal-setting process. Based on the congregation’s vote, the Session established the following three goais in October 1977 and established task forces to accomplish them:
- Develop ministry of services and visitation to elderly, shut-ins, and other members, as well as the community;
- Adjust the size of the facilities to the size and means of the congregation;
- Develop programs attractive to young people. In April 1978 a contemporary evening worship setvice was begun by Task Force III as a means of reaching younger adults. In spite of much planning and effort, the venture was not successful, and the Task Force was dissolved.
Task Force I was instrumental in the Session calling the Rev. William B. Ettenger, Jr. in October 1978 to become Minister of Visitation. This was a successful ministry until he resigned on December 31, 1981. Also as a result of Task Force I, a weekly Bible Study Class, taught by the pastor, was begun in January 1979 and continued profitably until the present.
The number of ruling elders on the Session and the number of deacons on the Board of Deacons were reduced from 21 to 18 at a congregational meeting on October 1, 1978. These numbers were further reduced to 15 for each board In October 1981.
In October 1978 the Session established as a fourth goal the determining of a future direction for the church and created Task Force IV. It was given the tide “First Presbyterian Church—1980 and Beyond.”
As a result of the work of Task Force II, the educational building was sold on June 10, 1980 to the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge Temple Association for $200,000, less costs. This sale necessitated the remodeling of the chapel, the Friendship Room, and the pastor’s study. The newly remodeled chapel and Friendship Room were re-dedicated on November 2, 1980.
From July of 1980 to the end of 1982 we participated in the Major Mission Fund of the United Presbyterian Church. We pledged an amount which exceeded our quota and gave $18,434.
In 1979 and 1982, the church benefited to the extent of nearly $200,{)()() by the sale of California property which had been given to her by Mr. David Bolger, husband of Barbara Abney Bolger. Thus the financial position of the church is sound.
Task Force IV completed its study of the church and community in October 1981. Six options were identified by the congregation and Session. On May 16, 1982 the congregation voted to pursue the direction of merger for the future of our church.
The Merger Study Committee, organized in June 1982 by the Session, narrowed the selection of possible merger partners to the Edgewood Presbyterian Church. The congregation concurred with this recommendation at its annual meeting in January 1983.
On Sunday, June 12, 1983 the congregation voted 69-22 to petition Pittsburgh Presbytery for the merger of our church with the Edgewood Presbyterian Church to form the First Presbyterian Church of Edgewood. The Edgewood Church also voted in favor of the merger the same day by a vote of 115-2.
On September 8, 1983, the Presbytery of Pittsburgh is expected to approve the merger petition. On September 11, 1983, the merger of the two congregations will be consummated as they worship together as the First Presbyterian Church of Edgewood.
Sources used for this historical summary are: A Brief History of the First Presbyterian Church, Wilkinsburg by Dr. George Taylor, Jr.; the “Landmarks” section of the Church Bulletin published in 1951 for the 50th anniversary of the Church Building; “Records of the Women’s Work of The First Presbyterian Church of Wilkinsburg” by Kathryn MacDonald Hanman; and Session Minutes, 1946–1983.
Wilkinsburg Public Library Digital Archives:
Everett E. Wicker, “Highlights of the History of The First Presbyterian Church of Wilkinsburg,” in “First Presbyterian Church of Wilkinsburg: 117 Years in Christ’s Service 1866–1983” Program, pp. 10–18.