Westminster Presbyterian Church - Grand Rapids, Michigan - Presbyterian Churches on Waymarking.com

Taken from their website: "As a dynamic faith community that has grown and changed over time, we have been writing the history of Westminster Presbyterian Church in the heart of Grand Rapids, Michigan for 160 years. Founded in 1861, we are a diverse congregation drawn from all parts of the metropolitan area. With over 1,000 members, we are a community of Christians committed to worshiping God, serving Christ through mission in our local community and world, and listening for the Spirit’s transforming movement in our midst. We are a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Presbytery of Lake Michigan.
1861
A few months after the beginning of the Civil War, the Grand River Presbytery discerned a need for a Presbyterian church on the east side of the Grand River. Westminster Presbyterian Church began with twenty-five members from the First Presbyterian Church located across the river on Bridge Street. They asked Rev. Courtney Smith to become their first pastor and to help them found Westminster. Rev. Smith was known as an intellectual and a revivalist, characteristics that influenced the founding and personality of Westminster.
1867-1885
Their first church home was a rented facility, followed by a newly constructed building on the corner of Division and Lyons in downtown Grand Rapids. This served our congregation from 1867 until we moved to our current site in 1875. A chapel was constructed and the plans for a new sanctuary were developed by architect D.S. Hopkins. The new sanctuary was completed ten years later in 1885. This is the sanctuary that we worship in today.
1920 to Today
Westminster places social justice as a primary emphasis of the gospel’s demand. At least twice in our history, Westminster was offered the opportunity to move from downtown to the suburbs (once in the 1920s and once in the 1980s). On both occasions, Westminster stayed downtown to be a part of the community in need. Today, we remain committed to being a downtown church engaged in neighborhood ministries and seeking justice in partnership with a diverse array of institutions.
Westminster is home to twenty-three pictorial windows and three non-pictorial stained glass windows. For more information about the individual windows, their images, and their stories, please refer to our page on the Michigan Stained Glass Census.
The large stained-glass window on the west side of the Sanctuary was installed in the late 1880s. It’s called the Resurrection window and contains multiple symbols. The pomegranates, oak leaves, crown, and vines all represent Christ. The pomegranates shown in the open position, ready to burst their seeds, represents the resurrection. The Cross and the Trinity are depicted by the shapes of the flower petals."

Presbyterian Denomination: Presbyterian Church (USA) Status: Active House of Worship Address: 47 Jefferson Ave SE Grand Rapids, MI United States 49503 Date Built: 1885 Architect: D.S. Hopkins Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log   07/08/2025 theHostas visited it