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On the second weekend in August, a group of over 250 people gathered from all over the United States, and even from other countries, in a small town in southern Indiana. They listened to history lectures, sang psalms, toured an old graveyard, feasted at a hog roast, and participated in an Irish barn dance.
This may not sound like the staid and solemn occasion one might expect in recognition of a major milestone like a bicentennial. But this was how the family of the Bloomington Reformed Presbyterian Church (BRPC) chose to celebrate their 200th birthday. The weekend was an outpouring of all the joy that comes from recognizing centuries of God’s grace heaped upon a little congregation in an obscure part of the world.
The Reformed Presbyterians (Covenanters, as they have been called historically) who planted a church in Bloomington came to Indiana by way of Chester County, S.C., in 1820. The large Scotch-Irish settlement in the upcountry of South Carolina was composed mostly of immigrants from County Antrim on the northern coast of Ireland. Led by Rev. William Martin, the first Covenanter pastor ordained in Ireland, five ships carrying over 450 families sailed to Charleston in 1772. These families settled around the Rocky Creek area outside of Chester to begin their new lives. They quickly learned that it was going to be difficult to be a church with a strong abolitionist position in a state like South Carolina. And the Reformed Presbyterians were strong abolitionists. As early as 1800, slaveholders were barred from membership in the church.
In the early 19th Century, congregants began leaving their new home in South Carolina for free states. One group of these pioneers, which included brothers John and Thomas Moore, completed the lengthy journey to Monroe County, Ind.
Their church, composed of eight members, was organized in Bloomington on Oct. 10, 1821, as a part of the Western Presbytery. This was just five years after Indiana became a state. Interestingly, in 1823, the congregation lost its organization when one elder died and another moved. Thankfully, the local members persevered, and the congregation was reorganized two years later with new elders. Soon after, in 1827, the first pastor, James Faris, arrived to work for a salary of $50 a year. The congregation originally gathered to worship in a log schoolhouse and was known as the Bethesda Church & Congregation.
Most of the original members of the church had relocated from South Carolina to Indiana because of their convictions about slavery. Once there, they saw it as their duty to help escaped slaves along the Underground Railroad to freedom. Thomas Smith and James Clark, both members of the church, led the local effort and were assisted by Pastor James Faris, John Blair, Samuel Curry, William Curry, Robert Ewing, and others. In addition, Hannah McCaw, an African American woman who had once been enslaved herself and who was a member of the church, appears to have had a significant role as a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Monroe County. Some fed and hid the fugitives, while others provided transportation to the next stations. Not only were members of the church abolitionists, they accepted African Americans as their brothers in Christ. By the grace of God, they remained firm in their conviction that all men—regardless of the color of their skin—are created equal, despite how unpopular the idea was in that day.
Throughout the years, the Lord has blessed BRPC with various locations for worship. Initially, the congregation worshiped in a log house that also served as a schoolroom. After a significant division in the denomination and local church in 1833, the members who stayed with the RPCNA resorted to praising the Lord in the woods and in the county courthouse. In 1836, their first building was constructed on land given by elder Thomas Smith about two miles outside of Bloomington. Tragically, this brick building went up in flames in 1847.
A second building was constructed at that location and was in continuous use by the congregation until 1877, when the congregation relocated to downtown Bloomington, two blocks south of the county courthouse. With the move into town, the congregation changed its name to Bloomington Reformed Presbyterian Church. The land around the original church was sold to a former slave, Robert Anderson, who had become a member of the church. Descendants of Robert Anderson live on that property to this day. Next to the original church site sits historic Covenanter Cemetery, the congregation’s cemetery, which has been in use since the 1830s.
The third and current church building was built and dedicated by the congregation in 1927. Laurence Curry, a direct descendant of founding members of the church and the oldest living member of the congregation at 95, was the first baby baptized in the new church building. Today, the congregation still worships in this same brick building on Lincoln Street near downtown Bloomington. The building, with its 25-foot-high sanctuary, has wonderful acoustics for singing psalms a cappella. The church is considered the best example in the community of the Greek Revival architecture that was popular in the early 20th Century.
BRPC has also been blessed with the opportunity to be a faithful witness in Bloomington. Many prominent streets in town are named for its members, indicating the long and influential role the church has played in the community. The church went through a period of decline in the 1960s to 1980s but committed itself, under the leadership of then-pastor Bill Roberts, to revitalizing the aging congregation. God used the dedicated labors and prayers of the people, along with the efforts of an energetic young pastor named Andy McCracken, to bring about a significant renewal of the congregation. After crafting a new statement of purpose, the revitalization efforts began in earnest in 1992. Since that time, the church has more than tripled in size and has experienced the blessing of God in many ways.
Today, by God’s grace, BRPC is a vibrant and healthy branch of the visible church. The number of children attending has grown significantly from previous years so that over 60 youngsters participate in Sunday school and the annual vacation Bible school. Older children attend the congregation’s youth group, which meets every other week and includes a Bible study and recreation time. Various other Bible studies for adults run throughout the week. There is a discipleship program that pairs young people in the congregation with older mentors for accountability and encouragement in one-on-one relationships. Every year the church plans several outreach events such as a church picnic, a trivia and game night, a neighborhood yard sale, ladies crafting nights, and trips to baseball and soccer games. An annual dessert auction raises thousands of dollars to support attendance at children’s presbytery and denominational summer camps. The congregation is led by a godly group of seven elders who humbly seek to obey the Lord and serve His people. They are greatly blessed and assisted in their efforts by the faithful ministry of an eight-person deacon board.
This is a story of God’s faithfulness to His people and His church. Without His sustaining grace, BRPC would have faded along with virtually all of the other RP churches planted when the Covenanters migrated out of South Carolina. The church felt that this amazing work of God should certainly be celebrated, and a committee began planning the 200th festivities two years in advance.
The Celebration
The festivities began on Friday, Aug. 6, with a lecture by RPTS professor of church history, Dr. David Whitla, on the “playlist” that Jesus used (or, why we sing the Psalms), followed by a presentation of the cantata, The Life of Christ in the Psalms, performed by members of the congregation.
The next morning, David Whitla gave another stimulating lecture on the history of the Covenanters. Pastor James Faris from Second (Indianapolis, Ind.) RPC followed up with an inspiring talk on the life and legacy of his ancestor, James Faris, who first pastored the Bloomington congregation. On Saturday afternoon, guided tours of Covenanter Cemetery were given to members of the church and were well attended by members of the local community. That night, the church hosted a hog roast with a devotional time led by former BRPC pastor David Hanson (now at Southside [Indianapolis, Ind.] RPC), at the Monroe County Fairgrounds. Following the meal, David Whitla directed an Irish barn dance, which was enjoyed by revelers of all ages.
On Sunday morning, the Sabbath school hour was a roundtable discussion with former pastors of the congregation Jerry Milroy, Stan Copeland, Bill Roberts, and Andy McCracken (via Zoom from Australia). During the worship service, Pastor Philip McCollum presided and Pastor Rich Holdeman preached a sermon from Joshua 4 on the importance of remembering the work of God.
To commemorate the bicentennial, the church commissioned member Cheryl Molin to produce a book of the church’s history. Her fantastic work of nearly 200 pages contains informative essays accompanied by a variety of photos and is available for purchase (contact bloomingtonrpchurch@gmail.com). In addition, videographer Eric Filson of Filsonian Motion Pictures is producing a documentary of the church’s history. The local newspaper published three articles about the church’s anniversary during the week of the celebration. One of them was picked up by the Associated Press and ended up in US News and World Report! The church was greatly blessed to be joined by so many former members and friends of the congregation who traveled to Bloomington to help us celebrate.
We don’t know what the next 200 years will bring, but we pray that the Lord Jesus will continue to use us for His service and glory in Bloomington, Indiana!
Supplemental Information
• Short video by Eric Filson recapping the Aug. 6–8 celebration: youtube.com/watch?v=rCI1VgiPcVQ
• US News and World Report article about the anniversary, picked up from the local paper: usnews.com/news/best-states/indiana/articles/2021-08-15/indiana-church-that-aided-the-underground-railroad-turns-200
• All of the living former pastors were able to join us: Jerry Milroy, Stan Copeland, Bill Roberts, Andy McCracken (via Zoom from Australia), David Hanson, and Adam Niess.
• Bloomington RPC Pastors:
James Faris, 1827–55
David J. Shaw, 1856–91
M.A. (Matthew Augustine) Gault, 1893–95
R.M. (Robert Morrison) Blackwood, 1897–1901
George R. Steele, 1904–12
James M. Coleman, 1914–18
George M. Robb, 1920–29
Paul D. White, 1930–40
S. Bruce Willson, 1941–48
Elmer G. Russell, 1949–53
Roy Blackwood, 1954–61
Ray McCracken, 1963–66
Robert A. Milliken, 1967–70
Jerrold Milroy, 1971–77
Stanley Copeland, 1978–82
William L. Roberts, 1983–2010
Andy McCracken, 1992–98
David Hanson, 2003–05
Richard Holdeman, 2005–present
Adam D. Niess, 2012–17
Philip McCollum, 2018–present