08 LC 95
0691
Senate
Resolution 1150
By:
Senator Chapman of the 3rd
A
RESOLUTION
Recognizing
and commending St. Marys First Presbyterian Church on the occasion of its
bicentennial celebration; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS,
St. Marys First Presbyterian Church was completed on April 18, 1808, and will
celebrate its bicentennial this year; and
WHEREAS,
the town of St. Marys was founded in December, 1787, and the people of the town
expressed their desire for a church by raising $3,442.00 for a nondenominational
community church which was built in 1807; and
WHEREAS,
on April 18, 1808, $117.00 was subscribed for the purpose of purchasing a bell
which was to weigh not less than 200 pounds, to be cast in Philadelphia, and to
be inscribed: "My sound to thy people, O Lord, shall call them to thy word";
and
WHEREAS,
the church remained nondenominational until a young Presbyterian missionary,
Horace Southworth Pratt, from the Presbytery of New Brunswick, New Jersey,
arrived in St. Marys in 1821; and
WHEREAS,
with a pulpit vacant, Mr. Pratt was ordained as a Presbyterian pastor and was
installed as the minister for the community Presbyterian Church;
and
WHEREAS,
by an Act of the Georgia Legislature, the independent Presbyterian Church of St.
Marys incorporated on December 20, 1828, and the Act was amended on December 5,
1832, incorporating the church under the name First Presbyterian Church of St.
Marys, Georgia, and the congregation was "made capable of holding, enjoying, and
defending any property they may have or may hereafter acquire"; and
WHEREAS,
the first floor of the church was used for a weekday public school for the
children of St. Marys for many years and became known as the Academy;
and
WHEREAS, St. Marys Presbyterian Church has the distinction of being the oldest church building in continuous use since its erection, with continuous restoration and renovations during the ensuing years keeping the colonial exterior beauty of the church; and
WHEREAS, St. Marys Presbyterian Church has the distinction of being the oldest church building in continuous use since its erection, with continuous restoration and renovations during the ensuing years keeping the colonial exterior beauty of the church; and
WHEREAS,
after a disastrous fire in 1956, Dr. Thomas G. Little, a consultant for the
Georgia Historical Commission, visited the church to examine it and found it to
be the finest example of early church architecture existing in Georgia, stating
that it was truly a work of art as each detail, whether exposed trim or hidden
frame work, was carefully executed by the experienced hands of craftsmen, and no
crude work existed as every joint and surface was created to last for centuries;
and
WHEREAS,
on June 18, 1995, the Reverend Rick L. Douylliez, the present minister, was
ordained and installed, following a long list of both resident and supply
pastors; and
WHEREAS,
as the members and friends of the church step upon the threshold of a new
century, they are humbly and profoundly grateful to the grace of God and to the
cloud of witnesses from the past who have brought the present congregation to
this milestone.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body join
together to recognize and commend St. Marys First Presbyterian Church on the
occasion of its bicentennial.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed
to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to Reverend Rick L.
Douylliez.