The Reverend Dr. John C. Young was the most influential of Danville ‘s Presbyterian clergymen during the first half of the Nineteenth Century. He was not only a Pastor of the Danville Presbyterian Church, but also President of Centre College between 1834 and 1853 and served as Moderator to the General Assembly in 1853.

 

A second Presbyterian Church was built on Danville’s Third Street in 1853 to accommodate increasing numbers of Centre College students and a segment of the local Presbyterian population.

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Four years after the Civil War ended in 1865, the national body of the Presbyterian Church divided. The congregation of the Old First Church attached itself to the Presbyterian Church, U.S., while the Second Presbyterian Church remained with the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. A hundred years later, and following two unsuccessful attempts, the two Danville Presbyterian congregations voted to reunite in 1969.

 

When the two local congregations joined, the original location of The Presbyterian Church in Danville was chosen as the site for the reunited church. In 1995, recognizing the need for more space as the programs for the church continued to grow, the congregation voted to enter into an extensive renovation and expansion program. In June 1996, the congregation moved back into its beautifully restored Gothic sanctuary and expanded church facility. As a result of the generous gift of an anonymous donor, in June of 1999, the installation of a new Taylor and Boody organ was completed.

 

Now, The Presbyterian Church in Danville, a congregation of the Presbyterian Church USA, looks ahead to its future as it continues to proclaim God’s word through mission and service.

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