On March 12, 1861, the Presbytery of Washington organized the Second Presbyterian Church because the First Presbyterian Church of Washington had outgrown its facilities.[2] The split, which saw 36 members leave the First Presbyterian Church to join the Second, was reportedly "attended with expressions of the best Christian feeling" between the congregations.[1] Because of the American Civil War, the two congregations continued to worship together until 1864.[1] The Second Presbyterian Church leased a church building from a Methodist Protestant building on Beau Street.[2] In 1870, George P. Hays became "stated supply", while also serving as President of the neighboring Washington & Jefferson College.[1] He focused on preaching and left the administration of the church in the capable hands of the members.[1] Hays served until 1881, when he moved to take a pastorate in Colorado.[1]
The congregation stayed in that building for 14 years before beginning a construction project in 1884, with a fund of $25,000.[1] The new building at 65 East Beau Street was dedicated on March 6, 1887, with Hays returning to give the sermon.[1] The building featured a Johnson Pipe Organ and a 450-seat auditorium with a groined ceiling and bowled floor and an adjacent lecture room.[1]
The church outgrew that building by 1929 and constructed a new Gothic Revival style building on East Beau Street, the building that now houses the Church of the Covenant.[2]
Judge John Addison McIvaine was a prominent church member.[1] The church was home to three important revivals in its history.[1]
The church had a historically strong tie with the college, as a number of its men attended Wednesday evening prayer meetings and 75 to 100 attending Sunday service.[1] Many of these students eventually joined the ministry or became missionaries.[1]
Third Presbyterian Church and merger
On March 24, 1891, the Presbytery of Washington organized the Third Presbyterian Church, composed of members of the First and Second Presbyterian Church.[2] The new church constructed a facility on Jefferson Avenue.[2] In 1959, the Third Presbyterian Church's efforts to construct a new building were frustrated, which necessitated its merger with the Second Presbyterian Church.[2] A merger of the two church was agreed to by both congregations and the Church of the Covenant was formally established on September 11, 1960.[2]
Graphical timeline showing the development of Presbyterian Churches in Washington, Pennsylvania.
