History
From the beginning, our prayer has been to create a spiritual space in which to praise God, a space in which our church family can gather together in God’s presence, and a space in which we can share the Word and sacraments of our faith. God’s abundant blessings have enabled us to open wide our doors, reach out into our community, and touch the world beyond. May it always be so!
The first gathering…
…of prospective church members was on a back porch in Chestertown in the summer of 1985. The first ever worship service of the Presbyterian Church of Chestertown was September 22, 1985 in the Masonic Hall on High Street that served as the church’s rented home for the next eleven months.
Early in 1986…
…the small group purchased property on the corner of Kent Street and Philosopher’s Terrace where a small volunteer work force began renovations of the house for a manse and conversion of the office/garage into a sanctuary. In August 1986, the New Castle Presbytery appointed the Reverend George Clayman as the organizing pastor. Less than two weeks later, Pastor Clayman conducted the first worship service in our converted garage sanctuary on Kent Street.
By 1988…
… the congregation had grown to over 80 members. Pastor Clayman retired that year, and the congregation unanimously elected the Reverend Earl Brooks as Designated Pastor in 1989, and as Pastor in 1990.
In August 1991…
… the Congregation purchased property in Crestview as the site for a new facility. The building was designed by member Jack Pharo, and groundbreaking occurred in December 1991. Member George Rogers skillfully guided the construction and, as with our Kent Street property, much of the work at Crestview was accomplished by member volunteers. We moved from Kent Street to our new building in Crestview in October 1992 and dedication took place a month later.
In July 1999…
… Pastor Brooks retired after serving the church for ten years. The church elected him to Pastor Emeritus status in the spring of 2000. The Reverend Tucker Thompson was selected as interim pastor in December 1999. He served until November 2000, when the Reverend Sara A. Holben arrived. She was installed as Pastor on November 19, 2000.
A new sanctuary…
… building project evolved from recommendations made by a Strategic Planning Committee in 2002 and a facilities planning team in 2003. Also in 2002/03, our “front porch” (the narthex) was expanded to provide additional greeting and welcoming space. Using volunteer gifts of time and talent, the narthex expansion was completed under budget.
The Session…
… established a “Dream Team” in 2004, which studied building use, feasibility and design plans, then selected an architect and developed initial drawings. The Reverend Jules Schiedel served as Parish Associate from 2004 to 2005
By 2006…
… Session had charged a Building Committee with the responsibility of implementing the pans, hiring a builder, and proceeding to build our new house of worship. The sanctuary complex encompasses a playground, memorial garden, and the sanctuary itself, including music and choir quarters, flower work space and meeting space. Groundbreaking took place in November 2006 and the first service in the new sanctuary was held on December 23, 2007. A dedication service was held in February 2008. The Reverend John Ames began his service as parish associate that same month.
January 2008…
… new roots began to grow with new programs such as Children’s Morning Out, the backpack program, Knit Unto Others, children’s choir and music camp. Our branches reached out to community groups such as the winter shelter, blood bank, nursery co-op, Rebuilding Together, and many more by offering the use of our church home.