CityView Magazine

faith Early Christianity P Union Army camp on its grounds during the Civil War? The answer to all of these questions is First Presbyterian op quiz: Which church in Fayetteville has ties to the father of the U.S. Constitution? Which church was helped by a president from Massa- chusetts? Which church had soldiers from the BY DR. LARRY TONEY its proximity to the water of the natural spring called Cool Spring along Cross Creek, First Presbyterian became a base camp for General William T. Sherman's soldiers when they passed through Fayetteville in 1865. The church was added onto in 1922 when Hobart Up- Church in downtown Fayetteville, which sits adjacent to La- fayette Park. Incidentally, Lafayette Park is on land that be- longs to First Presbyterian Church. The church leased the land to the city for 99 years for the amount of one dollar in 1966. The church, with its tall steeple, has been a landmark in Fayetteville for 212 years. First Presbyterian Church was started by Scottish immigrants who came to this coun- try in the second half of the eighteenth century. Those immigrants were the prin- cipal founders of Campbellton, which later became Fayetteville. By 1800, Fay- etteville was one of the most prosperous communities in North Carolina, but still didn't have an organized church. That changed when First Presbyterian was established the same year. The church's first building was erect- john, a nationally known architect of the period known for his Gothic and Colonial revival designs, constructed the church's towering steeple, its sweeping portico and chapel. First Presbyterian Church has been intertwined with Fay- etteville since its beginning. The dynamic 1,400 mem- ber congregation will soon be moving into a new 24,000 square foot facility that will have space for its music ministry, preschool (called "First School"), Children's Ministry and Youth Ministry. The new space will also include a large gathering space that will make use of 21st Century technology. When the new building is completed the church will have structures from three different centuries. First Presbyterian Church continues ed in 1816. The structure was built with donations from James Madison, the na- tion's fourth president, who is also known as the father of our country's Constitution. John Quincy Adams from Massachusetts, who was America's president from 1825 to 1829, also donated funds to help the church with its first capital project. Tragedy struck First Presbyterian and the city of Fayette- ville when the church and much of the community was de- stroyed by the Great Fire of 1831. In addition to the church, six hundred homes and businesses in the community were burned. It was a disaster of epic proportions that nearly wiped out the entire town. Nonetheless, out of those ashes First Presbyterian was miraculously rebuilt in just one year using the existing walls of the previous building. Because of its position on a bluff in the downtown area and 14 | October • 2012 community; Celebrate Freedom in June and Military Ap- preciation Night in November. Dr. John Wright Coker, Jr., is the church's thirtieth pastor and has served the congregation since 1994. Dr. Coker is assisted by two other pastors, Dr. Larry O. Toney, who is also an Army Reserve Chaplain, and Dr. Donna Fowler-Marchant, who is a clergyperson from the United Methodist Church. CV Dr. Larry Toney is the Associate Pastor of First Presbyterian Church and can be reached at: larrytoney@firstprez.com. to be heavily invested in Fayetteville, supporting programs such as Stop Hun- ger Now and the Care Clinic. It is also ac- tively involved in helping people around the world, from feeding children in Zam- bia to building schools in Haiti and erect- ing homes for impoverished people in Mex- ico. And the church is deeply committed to the military and military families. It is involved with the Warrior Transition Unit on Fort Bragg and sponsors two military related programs annually for the

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