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The beginning of the history of the First Presbyterian Church in Etowah dates back to the earliest days of Etowah's existence. It was organized on the fourth Sunday in June, 1908 by Rev. J.E. Robinson, Superintendent of Home Missions in the Presbytery of Knoxville. Today First Presbyterian-Etowah is part of the Presbytery of East Tennessee in the PC(USA).
The First Presbyterian Church of Etowah has adapted to many changes through the years in an effort to serve the needs of those around us. In 1987 a day care was organized at our church to help meet the needs of our community. The Christian Children's Center is a fully accredited learning center with Brooke Buckner serving as the Director of the C.C.C. and can be contacted at (423) 263-3470.
The congregation of First Presbyterian-Etowah is active in and supports various mission projects both locally and internationally. Local projects include the Etowah Food Pantry, Etowah Transient Fund, Hope Crisis Center, 2 Cents A Meal and more. On an international level, we are fortunate to have retired missionaries Rev. Doug and Betty Elwood as members of our congregation. The Elwoods were missionaries to the Philippines for many years and founded The Little Children of the World organization. The international organization is based in Etowah with the Elwoods heading up the organization. For more information on L.C.W., visit their web-site at www.littlechildren.org or e-mail them at lcotw@tds.net or phone (423) 263-2303.
The women of our church, Presbyterian Women, meet monthly on the second Tuesday for Bible Study and a brief business meeting. This organization was formed to work for the advancement of the Church spiritually, socially and financially and continue to work towards those goals today.
A Cancer Support Group was organized in our church after several members of our congregation and community were diagnosed with cancer. The Support Group is led by Bobbie Keith, a member of our congregation, and meet on the fourth Tuesday of each month.
While a lot of churches have beautiful stained glass windows or banners, First Presbyterian-Etowah is blessed with heirloom quality, wool needlepoint tapestries. The plan for the original seventeen needlepoint pieces was the inspiration of Jean Stone. The hand painted designs for the Seal of the Church, the Symbols and the Flowers of the Bible were commissioned from Ann E. Pester, a professional needlepoint designer in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Crosses were designed by Helen Taylor, a member of our church, who taught the majority of the women in the needle point group the art of needlepoint. Thirteen women worked for nearly a year on the seventeen pieces, using approximately 626,080 stitches to complete the project. The Presbyterian Church, USA seal was worked & donated by Adele Lattimore who did many of the original tapestries along with two new ones depicting the Apostle's Creed and the Nicene Creed. The tapestries now grace the walls of our sanctuary. Their beauty and meaning add to our worship.
You are welcome to experience our labyrinth. This meditation tool is located on the front lawn of the church and is open to the public.
There are many ways to describe a labyrinth. It is a path of prayer, a walking meditation, a crucible of change, a watering hole for the spirit and a mirror of the soul. May your spirit be nourished on your labyrinth journey.
The labyrinth is not a maze. There are no tricks to it and no dead ends. It has a single circuitous path that winds into the center. The person walking it uses the same path to return and the entrance then becomes the exit. The path is in full view, which allows a person to be quiet and focus internally. Generally there are three stages to the walk: releasing on the way in, receiving in the center and returning; that is, taking back out into the world that which you have received. There is no right way or wrong way to walk a labyrinth. Use the labyrinth in any way that meets your present need.
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