History of Our Church

The community known now as Burlington had its genesis in 1854 when officials of the North Carolina Railroad developed an area of one and one-half square miles to house their maintenance and repair shops.  The little vil­lage that grew up around this activ­ity became known as Company Shops, and just three years later, The Rev. Mr. Archibald Currie, pastor of the Graham (North Carolina) Presbyterian Church held the first religious service in the village.  This was followed by other services, first held in an open shed, then in a school building, in the dining room and parlor of the railroad hotel, and finally in a union church building constructed in 1869.  Under the aus­pices of a commission of Orange Presbytery, 21 women and men signed a covenant charter on June 15, 1879 to establish a Presbyterian church in the Company Shops community with The Rev. Dr. Benjamin Mebane as pastor.  (Dr. Mebane was also serving the Graham church as pastor.)  After the railroad shops moved west to Rowan County, North Carolina in 1887, the town’s name changed from Company Shops to Burlington and the church became known as the First Presbyterian Church of Burlington.   

The first Presbyterian church building was completed in June 1891, and in 1895 the congregation called its first full-time pas­tor, The Rev. Mr. Malcolm Shields.  Mr. Shields saw an immediate need for mission work in an outlying community, so the Burlington congregation built a chapel and conducted services in that area until 1913 when a church (now known as Westminster Presbyte­rian) was officially organized.  In 1909, the facilities of the First Church were enlarged; this building program included a new sanctuary, classrooms, and a new tower and steeple.   

Margaret McElwee was called to serve the Burlington church in 1925 as its first director of Christian education and was one of the first women to serve in a program staff position in Orange Presbytery.  Her exuberance in the develop­ment of programs for children and youth and her activity in the life of this Christian community continued long after her marriage to Mr. Ralph Holt, a member of the congregation.  Her work was not without controversy; in the early 1930s, a commission of Presbytery was dis­patched to address the allegation that Mrs. Holt had “assumed the office of preaching” at the Second (now Westminster) Presbyterian Church of Burlington.  The commission was satisfied later to know that the pulpit had been set aside and that Mrs. Holt had stood on the platform and “spoken” from the chancel area. 

The Rev. Dr. Rupert McGregor began his ministry at the Burlington First Church in 1934 and showed an outstanding enthu­siasm for pastoral responsibility and personal evangelism.  Because of steady growth in programs, the congregation grew dramatically during this period and plans for a new church building were begun in 1941.  Dr. McGregor left to accept another call, and The Rev. Dr. Chester Alexander accepted the call of this congregation and was installed in November 1942.  Almost right away, Dr. Alexander led in the development of a mission con­gregation in east Burlington that evolved into the establishment of the Northside Presbyterian Church (now associated with the Presbyterian Church in America).  On March 2, 1952, our congregation began an ambitious building program on the present church campus, and the first Sunday service of worship in this new facility was conducted on June 7, 1953.  During Dr. Alexander’s tenure, this congregation led in the development of new churches in the Burlington area, including Shiloh, Piedmont, and East Burlington, and the First Church was active in missions work in other southeastern states.  Dr. Alexander served the congregation until his sudden death, which occurred immediately following a regular Sunday morning worship service in 1961. 

Following a brief interim period, The Rev. Dr. Tom B. Anderson (1962-1979) and The Rev. Dr. Charles Williams (1980-2001) led the congregation for the next nearly 40 years.  Dr. Anderson’s pastorate saw continued development of the physical plant and church programs, and introduced to the church life the Child Development Center (CDC), a highly accredited day care facility which has garnered numerous awards for the quality of its program.  Dr. Williams was active in the work of Orange and Salem presbyteries, had significant leadership roles in the development of social and mis­sion-related community ministries in Alamance County, and oversaw a dramatic increase in educational, social outreach, and worship programming in our congregation.   

The work and worship of this particular congregation continues to grow and flourish under the leadership of The Rev. Dr. Ronald L. Shive, who came to Burlington as pastor and head of staff in the summer of 2002.  An outstanding administrative, program, ministerial, and volunteer staff is assembled to oversee the worship, educational, and musical programs of our church.  Emphasis in local and worldwide missions continues to grow, and this church is leading in the development of an institution of higher education in Peru.  A very successful mid-week Faith Forum augments the traditional Sunday morning programming in Christian education for all ages.  The program of sacred music continues to provide meaningful worship and educational experiences designed around major sacred works accompanied by outstanding instrumentalists and sung by professionals and volunteers.  Opportunities for singing or playing instruments are available for children, youth, and adults.  The Presbyterian Women’s group is active in providing opportunities for spiritual growth and missions outreach.  The church also continues to sponsor the longest organized troop of Boy Scouts in the city of Burlington.  In educational outreach, the church sponsors both the Child Development Center and a weekday morning playschool.  The congregation is active in support of local social ministries including Habitat for Humanity, Loaves and Fishes (food pantry), and the shelter and kitchen of Allied Churches of Alamance County. 

The congregation recently completed an initiative to enhance its ability to respond to the growing programmatic and ministerial needs of this family of faith and the wider community – the adoption of a long-range master plan for the church campus, the acquisition of additional contiguous property, the completion of a major capital funds campaign, the construction of additional facilities for educational and outreach purposes, and the upfitting of our existing facilities.  The “Forward in Faith” campaign included the refurbishment of classrooms, meeting, and gathering spaces in the central church building, a restoration of the church’s sanctuary organ – widely appreciated for its support of worship and concerts, and the construction of additional educational spaces for children and youth.  Included in this project was the construction of space for community ministries including the Alamance County Meals on Wheels, the Women’s Resource Center of Alamance County, and the church’s own unique Furniture Ministry – a program that provides basic furniture needs for individuals throughout our county who are in transitional circumstances.