A commitment to Jesus Christ and the Gospel. Christian
service to the community. Hospitality and fellowship.
These
were the ideals held by a handful of members from First Presbyterian
Church in Indianapolis, when they organized the Third Presbyterian
Church in 1851. The new congregation met in a downtown hall
on Washington Street between Illinois and Meridian (left, as it appeared
in the 1950s).
Under
the leadership of Reverend David Stevenson (right), the church's first
pastor, the church soon erected a new building at the northeast corner
of Ohio and Illinois. Not only did the church grow in membership, but
the congregation also had a desire to minister to the neighborhoods
surrounding the church, through Sabbath Schools and new church plants.
Upon
the departure of Reverend Henry Morey, in 1883, a Rev. A.T.
Pierson (left) was called to be pastor at Third Presbyterian.
He agreed to come upon one condition-that the congregation change
its name from Third Presbyterian Church, to The Tabernacle Church. The
church changed its name, but Pierson changed his mind and instead of
coming to Indianapolis, went to pastor
a church in Philadelphia. Disappointed, but comforted that both the
name change and the episode with Rev. Pierson was God's plan for the
church,
the members of Tabernacle continued their service to God and to the city.