OUR HISTORY
1887-1967
Westminster Presbyterian Church, third oldest Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, NC, was officially organized on October 12, 1887. Under the leadership of Dr. Jacob Henry Smith, then Pastor of Greensboro’s First Presbyterian Church, land was purchased in 1879 at 409 Asheboro Street for the building of a small mission chapel. Various Sunday School classes and worship services were held in the mission chapel and the building was expanded in 1887.
In the fall of that year, a commission met to organize the formation of a new church and Dr. Egbert W. Smith, an associate Pastor of First Presbyterian, suggested the name Westminster Presbyterian for this church and served as its first Pastor. Most of the original 85 members of Westminster Presbyterian were former members of First Presbyterian who had been asked to seed the new church.
On the 25th anniversary of Westminster Presbyterian Church, October 12, 1912, the cornerstone for a new sanctuary was laid at the Asheboro Street property, with the completion of the building in April of 1913. Fourteen years later additional space was added to the rear of the sanctuary to accommodate increased Sunday School enrollment.
With help from Orange Presbytery, land was purchased in 1957 at what is now 3906 West Friendly Avenue, and church members voted to build a chapel with plans to eventually build a sanctuary on the property. During construction, the congregation met for worship at Kiser Junior High School. The Dedication Service for the new building was held on May 8, 1960. Westminster Presbyterian continued to grow in membership and in 1967 an educational wing was added.
1987-2021
Westminster Presbyterian Church celebrated its 100th anniversary with the completion of a new sanctuary and fellowship hall at 3906 West Friendly Avenue. This celebration was the culmination of the master plan for the Friendly Avenue campus which always included the building of a sanctuary and fellowship hall on the property. Toward that end, as part of the Adventure in Faith campaign, church members were asked to pledge over a five-year period the funds needed for these new facilities. Groundbreaking took place in October of 1986 and the new facility was dedicated on October 12, 1987, one hundred years after Westminster’s founding.
The years following the completion of the sanctuary and fellowship hall were years of significant growth for Westminster Presbyterian. During these years of expansion, the number of worship services was increased, and contemporary worship services were introduced. Broad growth of the church’s outreach and youth programs also took place. In 2005, Westminster Presbyterian launched a second location using property leased from Greensboro Day School on Lake Brandt Road. Members were offered the opportunity to attend services at the Friendly Avenue or Lake Brandt campus. The Lake Brandt campus was a vibrant part of Westminster Presbyterian until November of 2018.
In 2019, the buildings on the Friendly Avenue campus underwent a comprehensive renovation. Deferred maintenance issues were addressed, and worship spaces were updated for more flexible uses. The fellowship hall, kitchen and bathrooms, and office and educational spaces were included in this renovation which was completed in 2021.
