First Church

Discussing church names over the years, my minister friends who were Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterian have acknowledged there was a prestige factor in being appointed or called to be pastor of “First Church,” as in First Baptist, First Presbyterian, First United Methodist. Seems right, because First Church was the original church of that denomination in town, and often but not always the largest and wealthiest, with the most programs, most children. Not always, Second Baptist Church, Houston being one of the largest churches in America; but usually.

Lutheran, Roman Catholic, and Episcopal churches don't use the term "First Church," our churches are frequently named for saints or for church festivals or seasons. Some are named after people or families. Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church, Houston. Wallace Memorial Presbyterian Church Panama City. Meade Memorial Episcopal Church, Alexandria, Virginia. R. E. Lee Memorial Episcopal Church, Lexington, Virginia. Driving across Long Island years ago I passed the Infant Jesus Catholic Church. There are Advent Episcopal Churches, but apparently no Lent Episcopal Church. Resurrection Episcopal Churches, but no Crucifixion Episcopal Church, though there are Calvary and Mount Calvary Episcopal Churches.

Looking around, there does seem to have been something of a custom at one time. Christ Church.

Here in my possession from the early 1800s is a package of sermons preached by my great-great-grandfather George Weller. He carefully hand-scribed each one in ink, stitch-bound each one and folded it to make a small book. On the front cover he noted where each one had been preached, and the dates. CC Memphis. CC Vicksburg. And others. CC being Christ Church.

We seem to have had a custom of naming the first Episcopal parish in a town Christ Church. Christ Church, Pensacola. Christ Church, Mobile. Trinity Episcopal Church, Apalachicola was chartered as Christ Church, Apalachicola. St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Panama City was originally Christ Church, St. Andrews, founded when St. Andrews, not Panama City, was the principal town here on St Andrews Bay.

Any historian can correct me, but the story goes that British loyalists settled St. Andrews during and after the 18th century American revolution; while Panama City was founded much later (originally as Harrison, Florida), during the late 19th century. When Panama City merged with St. Andrews and Millville, about 1909, members of the Episcopal parish, largely St. Andrews residents and “loyalists,” did not like the way the merger went, did not want to lose St. Andrews from the church name, so changed it from Christ Church, St. Andrews to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Panama City.

That’s not necessarily history, so it’s offered this morning as heilsgeschichte, holy history, family folklore. A campfire story.

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