World War II Years Bring Many Changes
In April, 1940 the church paid off its sixteen year old
debt for the new building. In March, 1942 Rev. David Rees became the new Associate Pastor. Miss Kate Johnson,
church Secretary, retired in February, 1943, and Dr. Lineweaver announced his retirement in April of the same year.
In December, 1943 new church pews were installed at a cost of
$1019, and opera chairs were installed in the balconies for $430. As a bequest in the will of Miss Laura Pierson, the
church received a gift of $500. This gift was used to redecorate the Gleaner's Class room, and it was renamed the "Laura
Pierson Memorial Class Room." (The room is currently the Chapel, which in 1976 was dedicated in memory of Mr.&
Mrs. Nick Rahall. The Laura Pierson plaque was removed and placed on the Parlor door in her honor.)
Miss Hazel Adell Underwood, who came to the church
in 1935, became the new church Secretary. She was an active member of the Supper Circle and the Choir. She was
Superintendent of the church school's Junior Department, and had taught in area Laboratory Schools in our Synod, in Montreat,
and in other states. (She later married a beloved member of the congregation, Mr. Maxwell Ott, in 1958, and she died
on August 12, 1965.)
In March, 1944 Rev. Rees resigned to enlist as Chaplain
of the US Naval Reserves, and Rev. Lineweaver was elected Pastor Emeritus. The church had 97 young men and women in
active service, and before the end of the war, two had died - L.A. Gates, Jr. and C.J. Kinzer, Jr.
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| Dr. James W. Witherspoon |
Dr. Witherspoon Becomes New Pastor
In 1945 Dr. James W. Witherspoon was called to be the
new pastor of the Beckley Presbyterian Church. Born in Greensboro, NC, he was a graduate of Davidson College in Davidson,
NC and Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, VA. The Old manse on North Kanawha Street was sold for $8500, and a larger
manse was purchased on Beaver Avenue from G.C. Porter for $15,000.
In May, 1949 the church lost its oldest member, both in years and
service - Elder William MacTaggart. He was a charter member and elected Elder when the church was first organized.
By this time many of the older members had passed away, but the church continued to grow. In fact, they were again seeing
the need for additional space for Sunday School classes.
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| The Willie Patterson House beside the church became the new Church School Annex. |
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| Picture shows the house-anex between the new and original church (the fire house). |
Church School Annex Purchased
On May 8, 1949 the Church purchased the Willie Patterson property
beside the church (to the south side), for $35,000. The Junior, Primary, Beginners, and Nursery Departments were moved
into this house in June, 1950. The Patterson house was referred to as the Church School Annex, and the property
would be large enough for a future Church School Building. Under the leadership of Miss Doreen Eachus, Christian Education
Director for 17 years, the Church School flourished. Enrollment was 484 with an average of 265. Enrollment
in the Women's Bible Class alone was 105. Church membership for 1950-51 was 845 members.
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| New Education Building is beside the church. |
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| Educational Building between New and Old Church (Firehouse) |
The Christian Education Building
By 1952 the congregation saw the need for a
new Educational Building to replace the Church School Annex. Classes were crowded, and fire safety was a major factor
in the old frame house, so it was torn down in preparation for a new building. The architect's estimated cost for a building
of about 11,000 square feet was $160,000, exclusive of furnishings. A loan was secured, and the contract was given to
Vipperman Construction Company in September, 1953. Furniture was ordered in July, 1954, and Open House was set for November
12th.
On December 1, 1957, the Rotary System of Elders and Deacons
on a three year basis was approved. When this system was first authorized by the General Assembly in 1933, the church
tried it out for several years and then voted to abolish it in 1936, stating that to continue it was not in their best
interest.
In September, 1959, the Session appointed an Evaluation
Committee to thoroughly study the program and work of the Church. With thoughts of the evaluation in mind, and with
a slight decline in membership as well as being short on funds, the church entered into a new decade full of plans and determination.
They voted not to cut benevolences, but to rededicate themselves to meet current challenges.
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| Rev. Jack Sadler |
Men's Group Forms, Sadler Becomes Pastor
The Men of the Presbyterian Church formed in the early 60's but disbanded
ten years later. Each meeting was a dinner meeting with devotions, programs, local speakers, etc., and attendance
was good. They supported the Boy Scout movement, organized the COVE for Beckley College students, helped with a food
closet and funds for the needy, and contributed to the Davis-Stuart School.
In August, 1966 Dr. Witherspoon retired, and in November Dr.
Fred H. Leach came to the church as Interim Pastor. The church sold the old manse on Beaver Avenue and purchased
a new one on Woodlawn Avenue. This became the home of the new pastor, Rev. R. Jack Sadler*, and his family.
In 1968 Samuel Curtis Patterson became the Assistant Pastor.
*Rev.
Sadler was a native of Rock Hill SC, and he and his wife, Phyllis, had four children. He was a graduate of Davidson
College and Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, VA. Prior to coming to Beckley he pastored the Commonwealth Presbyterian
Church in Charlotte, NC. While here, he served three years on the Beckley Chamber of Commerce and the Raleigh County
Community Action Association, and he was a past president of the Beckley Ministerial Association. He received his Doctor
of Ministry degree from Union Seminary in 1973 and resigned from the Beckley church in January 1974 to become pastor of the
First Presbyterian Church of Richmond.
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| Mrs. A. J. (Liz) Walker |
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| Mrs. Wm.(Betty) Sutphin |
First Woman Elder and Deacon
Church Renovation
Many changes had begun to take place within the church. Over the years
very few women were involved in committee work and leadership roles, but now women were being asked to serve. In January,
1969 Mrs. A. J. (Liz) Walker became the first woman at the Beckley Presbyterian Church to be elected Elder. The
same year Mrs. William (Betty) Sutphin became the first woman Deacon.
In the mid 60's the church underwent some extensive renovations and redecorating.
The building was completely re-roofed, much of the church interior was repainted including rooms in the Educational Building,
the balcony rail in the sanctuary was raised for safety purposes, the fire escape was upgraded, the sanctuary carpeted, pianos
tuned, choir robes replaced, the parking lot paved, and the kitchen got a new sink. On top of all this, the pipe organ
needed repaired. In 1964 more pipes and a new console were added, doubling the organ's size to 21 ranks of pipes.
The decade ended with a membership of 822 people.
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| Montessori School opens as "Children's House" |
Montessori School "Children's House" Opens
During Dr. Sadler's tenure the church started a new service to the community
- a Montessori School and Day Care Center. A non-profit undertaking, the school was started by Richard D. Kanakanui
as well as volunteers from many community churches. It's purpose was to serve children from economically disadvantaged
families. Through public donations, welfare subsidies, and paid tuition by those able to pay, the school soon had 40
children, ages 3-5. After ten years the enrollment was 75 students, which included kindergarten and first grade.
The school continued to operate in the Educational Building, along with the YMCA Happy Kids" Day Care program, until November
30, 2006 when it was determined that the program was no longer needed in the community.
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| Dr. Friedrich (Fritz) Schilling, Jr. |
Dr. Fritz Schilling Becomes Pastor
In November, 1972 Associate Pastor, Rev. Patterson, resigned, and in June,
1973 Rev. Julian W. Walthall accepted the position. Then in February, 1974 Dr. Sadler resigned, and Dr. Friedrich
Schiling, Jr.* from VA came to undertake the work of senior pastor.
*Dr. Schilling
was born in Lynchburg, VA on August 2, 1934. He took his degree in Forestry in 1956 at the Univ. of the South at Sewanee,
TN. He earned his Master's Degree in Forestry at Yale in 1958. He then worked as a forester with the Virginia
Division of Forestry and the Virginia Polytechnic Institute . From 1958-1961 Fritz served in the Air Force both as a
radar interceptor controller in Alaska and with the M.I.T research lab in Boston. In 1964 he enrolled at the Union Theological
Seminary in Richmond, VA where he received his Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1967. He earned a Master of Sacred Theology
degree at Yale Divinity School in 1968, and his Doctoral degree at UTS in 1976.
In May, 1977 Rev. Walthall resigned to attend
Yale Divinity School, and on February 1, 1978 Dr. Phillip W. Leftwich of Atlanta, GA became the new Associate Pastor.
He worked closely with the young people meeting weekly, playing softball, hiking, canoeing, and going on retreats. His
wife, Betty, sang in the choir, directed the handbells, and volunteered as a nurse at the Red Cross. They had three
children.
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| The Noack Pipe Organ |
The New Noack Pipe Organ
The organ was an on-going project all during the 1970's. The old organ,
purchased in 1926, was too old and expensive to keep repairing. So in 1976 the church began looking for an organ builder
and soliciting members for pledges and contributions to purchase it. The contract went to the Noack Organ Company
in Georgetown, Mass. The organ was a three manual tracker of 36 stops, representing one of the finest examples of modern
organ building in the eastern United States. After eight months of building and installing, it was completed and dedicated
on October 28, 1979.
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| Shepherd's Center sign on church grounds |
The Shepherd's Center of Beckley
In 1979 the church was working on another project - organizing a Shepherd's
Center. Mr. James Scott and his wife, Callie, learned about the Shepherd's Center of Kansas City, MO after attending
a conference at Montreat, NC in 1978. Jim convinced the church that a Center would be a good thing for Beckley.
Just as the church had shared their facilities and financially aided the Children's House to reach out to the young, now under
the leadership of Jim Scott they were willing to help the senior citizens. It was an ecumenical undertaking which would
benefit seniors in many of the area churches. After a year of intense planning, the Beckley Shepherd's Center had their
Grand Opening on January 22, 1980 with 116 participants and 11 sponsoring churches. Though not as large, they are still
active today and meet weekly at the Beckley Presbyterian Church. See the Shepherd's Center of Beckley website.
Elevator is Installed, More New Pastors
In the early 1980's plans were made to renovate "Floor C," the area of the
church which houses the kitchen and a large fellowship area. After the renovation it was renamed "Friendship Hall."
Soon after this an elevator was installed, making it easier to transport things from the lower level to the first floor.
It also made the main church building more handicapped accessible.
On July 7, 1985 Dr. Fritz Schilling resigned after 10 years to accept a
call to the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, TN. Rev. Sherwood McKay, Jr.
became the next pastor. He resigned after 5 years, and Rev. Edith A. Gause (Edie), a trained interim, was
hired to serve as Interim Pastor. In 1992 the church Secretary, Jeanette Harvey, retired after 27 years of service.
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| Rev. Robert W. Debnam |
In March, 1993 the church approved the adoption of the Unicameral System:
The persons making up the Session was enlarged, and those already making up the Deaconate became nominees for the next class
of the Session to be elected.
The search for a new minister took 18 months, and on September 28, 1993
Rev. Robert W. Debnam* accepted the call to be pastor. He remained with the church for nine years before
retiring in 2002.
*Rev. Debnam ("Robin")
was born August 12, 1942 in Ashville, NC. He graduated from Davidson College in 1964 with a B.S. degree in premedical
science, and from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, VA in 1970. He served in the US Army ROTC and was a second
lieutenant in the Medical Service Corps. He received an honorable discharge as a captain after 7 years of service.
He received the Govenor's Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service, was awarded an Army Commendation Medal, helped build
Scotia Village Retirement Community in Laurinburg, NC, and started Hospice of Scotland County, NC.
Following the resignation of Rev. Debnam,
an interim paster, the Rev. Dr. Malcolm Brownlee, filled in for two years. Interestingly enough, Rev. Brownlee
and his wife Sarah had been our church's missionaries in Indonesia for many years. The search for a new pastor ended
in September 2004 with the hiring of Rev. Adrian J. Pratt, who at the time was pastor of the Fayetteville Presbyterian
Church.
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If you like history and enjoy looking at old pictures,
visit the following website:
This is an updated link.
It's the same site but was moved to a new location.
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