Waverly Road Presbyterian Church

Together we worship, together we learn, together we love


		The History of Waverly Road Presbyterian Church Waverly Road Presbyterian Church (WRPC) had its roots in the First Presbyterian Church of Kingsport, Tennessee. With a number of apartments and some defense housing near what was then the outskirts of Kingsport, the Session of FPC appointed a chapel committee under the direction of FPC’s assistant pastor, Marion Currie. The Chapel committee purchased seven plots of land located at the present site of the church, and a regular schedule of worship began in rented space on September 1, 1944. Ground was broken for the first church building on October 1, 1945, and the first service was held in this building on November 3, 1945, just 34 days after construction had begun. The little chapel grew rapidly. By May 5, 1946, Holston Presbytery established a period of enrollment for charter members, and the chapel became a full church on May 17, 1946, only two years after being formed as a chapel. On March 2, 1947, WRPC extended a call to Rev. Currie to be its first, full-time pastor, effective April 1, 1947. By June, 1949, membership in WRPC had reached 100, and the church building was inadequate. Despite temporary facilities in a war surplus trailer, it was necessary to build a new addition. The 2 ½-story building which now houses offices, nursery and Presbytery offices, was dedicated in October, 1950. Also in 1950, WRPC in cooperation with FPC started a joint kindergarten for 4- and 5-year-olds. This project continued until Kingsport adopted tax-supported kindergarten in the public schools; and since that time, the project has become the Waverly Road Child Care Center, offering care for children of all ages up to kindergarten age. By September 18, 1955, the church celebrated the retirement of the mortgage on the church building. WRPC continued to grow, and hardly had the previous building been paid off than the church was again planning to construct a new sanctuary. On October 9, 1955, the membership voted to proceed with the project, and the new sanctuary was dedicated on September 7, 1958. In 1964, the Presbyterian Extension Association of Greater Kingsport began looking into forming a new church in the Preston Woods area, and WRPC committed itself to help in the effort. In February, 1967, Preston Hills Presbyterian Church was organized, and 16 families, consisting of 47 communing members, departed WRPC. Just as FPC had organized WRPC, WRPC itself contributed to formation of another church in the Kingsport area. By 1966, the church was again “bursting at the seams,” and Sunday school classes were meeting in a laundromat and a barber shop across the street from the church. This time, the congregation voted to build an addition to the church to house Sunday school rooms. The educational wing was dedicated on February 4, 1968, the first time in the church’s history that Christian education had facilities specifically designed for their classes and for the kindergarten. In 1982, the meetings of the general assemblies of the two major branches of the Presbyterian Church family met and approved a plan of reunion of the denominations which had been separated since the Civil War. The two presbyteries of Holston, one “northern” and one “southern” met jointly at First Presbyterian Church in Kingsport on February 12, 1983, and in separate sessions during that meeting, both presbyteries voted to reunite. The reunification was finally ratified in June, 1983, closing the breach dating from 1861 in the Presbyterian Church. WRPC continues to this day most of the programs and practiced it has created over the years. The Child Care Center has been newly refurbished to meet changing fire code regulations. Boy Scout troop 255 has celebrated it’s 50^th anniversary with the church. And more recent missions have included hosting Interfaith Hospitality Network at the church in rotation with other, area churches. The WRPC food pantry serves dozens of persons in need of food on a weekly basis. Other activities and programs of the church are highlighted in other areas of this website. Ministers of WRPC Marion H. Currie John R. MacKinnon William M. Schotanus Collier S. Harvey, Jr. Morris D. Warren G. William Jones (Associate) C. Wylie Smith (Associate) David C. Kennedy Jack D. Raymore Catherine L. Clasen (Interim Associate) Daniel S. Clark
History

We are a member of The Presbyterian Church (USA)