First Presbyterian joyously celebrates 185 years enjoying God, serving people

RICHMOND, Ind. — "Joy."

It's spelled out right under the huge cross hanging behind First Presbyterian Church's altar. Sure, it's among "hope," "faith," "peace" and "love," but it's right there, front and center.

"Enjoy."

It's embroidered on a wall-hanging that's passed in a hallway leading to the sanctuary. Sure, it's part of the line "glorify & enjoy God," but it's the middle word of the mission statement's top row.

That word, "enjoy," caught Pastor LydiaGrace Quine-Espiritu Gray's eye when she was deciding last year whether she wanted to become a first-time pastor at First Presbyterian, 100 N. 10th St. Now, she's among those planning the church's 185th anniversary celebration Sept. 25.

"We really take time to have joy, and the celebration is part of that," Gray said inside her church office with Ashton Veramallay, Jon Richwine and Debbie Tipton, others who are planning the anniversary events.

The celebration includes the 10:30 a.m. service, plus food, fellowship and fun afterward.

Celebrating 185 years isn't as obvious as 175 years or 200 years; however, the church celebrates emerging from difficult times the past few years, from issues such as COVID-19 and the closing of the Second Presbyterian Church. The church looks back, but it also celebrates its present and the future.

"It's significant because the last five years what society has gone through and this church has gone through, a big upheaval, and with everything going on, God has been faithful to us," said Richwine, the church's youth director. "We're still here after 185 years."

The timing also was meant to include First Presbyterian's longtime pastor, David Layman; however, he died in June. He would have seen how his former congregation thrives as it moves forward, Gray said, and the congregation will still celebrate his contributions to the church.

Other former pastors will also return for Saturday's celebration, and some will be directly involved in the service. Pastor Rick McGuire wrote a letter to serve as the children's sermon, and Pastor Ron Naylor will preach the sermon.

Gray began during April 2021 at First Presbyterian. She was expecting to be a stay-at-home mom, but the First Presbyterian situation seemed so right that it gave Gray a stomach ache. She said First Presbyterian's members accept her mistakes, allow her to apologize then forgive her.

"They're a loving, giving church," Gray said. "All they really need is someone to love them."

Before becoming the new pastor, Gray preached during a service, Veramallay said, and she received unanimous approval during a congregational vote that followed.

Richwine said Gray fit what the congregation wanted.

"We needed a shepherd," he said. "That's what a pastor really is, is a shepherd."

Richwine has been at First Presbyterian 50 years, and Veramallay is also a decades-long member. Tipton joined more recently, in 2012, and quickly accepted church leadership positions.

"I was drawn to this church because of the church people," Tipton said. "It's a caring, welcoming church family. I always wanted a church where I could say I love my church, and I couldn't find that until I came here."

Veramallay also said First Presbyterian is a "loving and caring church." Another line of its mission is "serve human need." Veramallay said the church supports exiled Iranian evangelists in their ministry for refugees, scholarships for a seminary in Thailand and a girls school in Pakistan.

Locally, First Presbyterian hosts Bridges for Life's Friday meals and has strong connections with Hope House, food pantries, Dwyer Community Center, Open Arms and backpack giveaways. It shared involvement with Second Presbyterian building Habitat for Humanity houses, and it fills Christmas shoe boxes with gifts for children in Central and South America.

"It literally changes lives, because they realize somebody does care," Richwine said of the shoe boxes being delivered to children who wouldn't otherwise receive Christmas gifts.

Gray said it's fun to see the congregation's generosity now, and what it's done in the past. The Second Presbyterian Church building, now the Reid Center, draws more attention because Daniel Reid filled it with Tiffany stained-glass windows. First Presbyterian has but one Tiffany window; however, Gray favors the people and their culture of service and generosity more than windows.

"They care about one another and they care about the community," she said. "That's evident by their decisions and by their culture."

The church's 185th anniversary also marks its 135th year at the South 10th Street location. First Presbyterian was originally organized Nov. 15, 1837, and worshipped at what is now 115 S. Fourth St. It outgrew that location and in 1854 moved to a new church on South Eighth Street.

During an Aug. 22, 1885, severe storm — headlined "A Night of Terror" in the Palladium — lightning struck the church's steeple, sparking a fire that destroyed the building. On March 22, 1886, ground was broken on the North 10th Street location. The church was built for $30,720.

The first service was conducted Dec. 5, 1886, at the new location, and the new church was dedicated April 17, 1887. It's another example, Gray said, that proves people are the church, not the building. With membership growing when Richmond boomed post-World War II, an educational building was added in 1958.

It's a history that makes First Presbyterian and its congregants germane to Richmond almost from its beginning as a settlement. Moving forward, the church seeks to define a new beginning by refining its 21st century mission.

That's certainly a reason to celebrate, 185 years or not.

And it's certain to be a joyous occasion.

This article originally appeared on Richmond Palladium-Item: First Presbyterian celebrates 185 years enjoying God, serving people