Greenville Magazine - April 2008 - (Page 53) homes on these more affordable “outskirts of town.” Direct dial telephone service was introduced, and plans for a shopping mall on Lewis Plaza were in the conceptual stage. Progress, once begun, was hard to ignore. So much so that with their pastor’s encouragement, 23 members of First Church got together to put in motion the beginnings of their new congregation. The original visionaries were promptly joined by others. In a couple of months they had their first 100 members. On the day set aside to make the church official, there was no structure except a tent, set up in the southeast corner of the property where the building stands today. One hundred and twenty-three people came for the dedication and naming. Out of 14 possible names, Westminster was chosen, a suggestion believed to be offered by B.E. Templeton and Minnie Cochrane, who was the chair of the committee. First Church was duly thanked at this time, not only for sacrificing a portion of its members, but also for a donation of $7,500 for the purchase of a lot. Enthusiasm and forward thinking, in addition to faith, kept the new spiritual community glued together during its infancy. A revolving roster of guest preachers – ministers from area churches and professors from Presbyterian College – took the makeshift pulpit in the days before a permanent pastor was called. Charter members Elizabeth Cochrane Hill and her mother Minnie recalled watching from their secondfloor window as the tent was pitched each Sunday for four months. Meetings were held after sundown to combat the heat of summer and early fall. Charter member Jean Reed recalled, “The piano froze, lightning struck, rain The Tent: Westminster Presbyterian’s first home (1947) would drip through the center pole where the lights were and they would short out.” Then the cold came and a portable heater was purchased. A tent would obviously not be suitable through the winter, so a small concrete block structure was hastily built and christened “The Basement.” The idea was to build an upper floor as money became available, but for now the congregation could take shelter from the elements. That didn’t take long. Donations poured in, funds were raised, and The Basement was demolished, enabling the construction of a totally new building, designed in a modified Gothic style. The architectural firm of Logan and Williams drew up plans that Inman noted, “allow for modern innovation while preserving a sense of tradition.” Soaring pointed arches, a Holtkamp organ, slim, colorful stained glass windows and the distinctive 151-foot tower and steeple with carillon bells characterized the stylish house of worship that successfully blended contemporary and classic ideals. Tradition and progress were not melding well on a national level, however. When Westminster opened its new doors in 1963 they looked out onto an era of turbulence in the South. But their ministry stayed true to the architectural style they chose to represent themselves. In fact, during the height of the Civil Rights movement, under the leadership of Dr. John Haley, Westminster’s Session passed a resolution to seat anyone of any race who came to worship. Beyond simply taking a progressive stance, the congregation reached out in service to the community. Its kitchen provided the first home of Meals on Wheels. Ten percent of the funds raised in the last two building campaigns have gone to mission projects such as Pleasant Valley Connection, mission work in Malawi Africa, United Ministries Adult Learning Center and affordable housing for the mentally ill on Arlington Avenue – and more. There is a lot more to be learned from the evolution of this church. But for that, you’ll just have to read the book. n Photos courtesy of “Growing in Faith” “The Basement,” Westminister’s second home (1947) april 2008 | Greenville MaGazine 53
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