A Brief History of

Faith Presbyterian Church

Quincy, Illinois

1840-2007

 

Faith Presbyterian Church of Quincy, Illinois, a member of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, was established in 1840 when the congregation that had met in "The Lord's Barn" since 1830 decided they had grown enough to split into two congregations - one Presbyterian and one Congregational. The Presbyterian Church began with twenty-two charter members, and the first building was erected on Maine Street between 6th and 7th streets. The Rev. James J. Marks became the first pastor on March 4, 1841.

The congregation worshiped in the Maine Street church for 39 years and then raised the money to build a new building at the corner of Broadway and 8th Street. The congregation worshiped in that location from 1879 until 1972 when it began construction on our current building at the corner of 24th and Monroe Streets where we worship today. This building is now thirty-three years old and has no debt.

In August, 2007, First Presbyterian Church left the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), our denominational connection since 1983, and became part of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Ownership of our property is now held in the name of Faith Presbyterian Church, an Illinois Religious Corporation.

The congregation of Faith Presbyterian Church has ministered in the city of Quincy for 167 years under the leadership of twenty-six ministers. The Rev. Rodney J. Bakker has led the congregation since 1994. The Rev. Kevin McGinnis, who grew up at FPC, now serves as Associate Pastor and is ordained in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. He joined the staff of the church in 1998. In addition to the pastoral staff, there are eleven others who faithfully serve the congregation with energy, intelligence, and enthusiasm.

For the past twenty-six years, the church has been host to the Lollipop Plus Preschool. It is a Christian preschool teaching basic Christian values as well as a basic preschool curriculum. Lollipop Plus is an outreach ministry open to all denominations focused on serving families with young children in the Quincy area. The Director is Vicky Saka who oversees a staff of teachers and assistants.

In recent years, evangelical and Reformed congregations like ours have looked past current denominational structures to catch a fresh vision for the church of Jesus Christ in the twenty-first century. Smaller groups like the New Wineskins Association of Churches and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church have caught this vision and are busy working to create a new network of congregations who are busy looking outward and creating global connections. We are excited to be a part of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church as together we embrace this exciting “new thing.”

Global missions has always been a high priority at Faith Presbyterian Church. Since 2002, the church has been sponsoring short-term medical mission trips to Costa Rica and Nicaragua under the direction of Elder Mark Khil and Dr. John Scott. These mission trips have been in support of the Rev. Esteban Park in San Jose, Costa Rica, and in particular to the indigenous Cabecar Indians of the Chirripo Indian Reservation high in the mountains of Costa Rica.

Rev. Rodney J. Bakker, Pastor.