A Brief History

The First Presbyterian Church of Mooresville, NC, was organized by the former Concord Presbytery on November 13, 1875, with 19 charter members, all of whom came from the Prospect Presbyterian Church of Mooresville.

The first building was erected in 1876 on the corner of East McLelland Avenue and South Church Street.  It was used until 1899, when the congregation moved to its present location on the corner of West McLelland Avenue and South Academy Street.  In the min -1920s, the sanctuary was expanded and a new manse was built, both of which are still in use, and an educational building was erected.  In 1965-66, the educational building was razed and replaced with the present educational building.  A wing – housing the church office, two large classrooms and an elevator – was added to the educational building in 1988-89.  Recently the congregation completed a renovation of our church facilities – seeking to put God’s house in order and to render a faithful stewardship of the resources that have been entrusted to us – at a cost of about $1 million.

FPC has been served by eleven pastors: 

Peter Tinsley Penick 1876-1886	James Morton Wharey 1886-1905	Willis Sherrard Wilson 1906-1915	Samuel Hutson Hay 1916-1920
Robert Ashlin White 1921-1941	Cliff Hill McLeod 1941-1951	Everette Pierce Moye 1952-1960	Duncan Daniel MacBryde 1961-1962
Joe Eugene Stowe 1963-1969	Samuel Edwin Lewis 1970-2004	Clay Jonathan Brown 2006-

three associate pastors:

Cliff Hill McLeod

Frederick Alvin Herbert Coates 1979-

Tyler Domske 2008-

several Christian educators; and three full-time directors of music. 

We were privileged to host a meeting of the Synod of North Carolina in 1925.  The congregation established the Ashlin White Bible Lectures in 1943 in memory of its former pastor who served during the 1920s and 1030s.  The lectures, which were held most years from 1944 through 1964, brought to our church outstanding preachers and theologians, including Dr. Clarence E. McCartney, Dr. Peter Marshall, Dr. John S. Bonnell, Dr. James A. Jones, and others.

The story of our congregation, however, is more than dates, buildings, and staff.  It is a story about the people of God.  We who began as 19 have now grown to around 850.  We organized a daughter church in 1908, now called Fieldstone Presbyterian Church, and we more recently helped establish a new Presbyterian congregation, Lake Norman Fellowship, on Brawley School Peninsula.  We were privileged to participate in the Mwandi, Zambia, mission project with other Presbyterian churches of our area.  We have built four Habitat houses in Mooresville.  We live and serve in a growing community – thanks to our proximity to Charlotte, Lake Norman and three interstate highways as well as to a diversified economy.  While we are a diverse people, we share a profound sense of unity and mission, based on a common commitment to Christ and his church.

We are especially mindful that we are building on the work of those saints who went before us.  We give thanks for them, and we pray that the God of grace and glory will continue to grant us wisdom and courage as we seek to serve God in the future.