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| - Quaintly nestled along the tree-lined streets of downtown Winchester rests the First Baptist Church’s Christian Activity Center. Almost two hundred years ago the building served a similar purpose as the First Presbyterian Church of Winchester. Its vitality has proved to the residents of downtown Winchester that it is deeply rooted in service to the community The First Presbyterian Church was founded in March 1813 with a total of eleven members. Over the next eighty years the church membership continued to grow, which resulted in a move to a new building in 1893. The new building was considered the “finest religious structure in Winchester” until it burnt in the 1960’s. After the fire the congregation moved into the current Presbyterian Church located off the Winchester By-Pass on Windridge Drive. The original First Presbyterian Church building was unoccupied from 1893 to 1907. In fact, it was labeled “old and vacant” on the 1901 Sanborn Map. However, there was definite change on the horizon. The Sun-Sentinel, a precursor to the Winchester Sun, housed its printing office in the building from 1907 until 1926. In 1926, the building was once again used for its original purpose, not as a Presbyterian Church, but as the Church of Christ. In the mid 1950’s the building took on a new personality, which would eventually touch my life some 45 years later. The new transformation resulted in Winchester’s own Public Library. As the library’s collection grew, the once small church began to have growing pains. In the summer of 1976, Winchester architect John Walden completed an addition to accommodate the library’s continued growth. This nearly two hundred year old building has touched my life in many ways. When I was a child I spent many enjoyable hours browsing library shelves for that special book to check out. I have very fond memories of “Miss Ann’s” story time. She had that special way of making the characters of storybooks jump right off the pages and spring to life. Now I spend Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings and nights in the same building, but for a different purpose. First Baptist Church, where I attend, currently uses the original First Presbyterian Church building as a Christian Activity Center for youth activities. In the spring of 1999, First Baptist Church purchased the building form the Public Library. Due to generous donations from members and others, First Baptist was able to purchase the building without having to obtain a mortgage. In December of 1999 First Baptist Church began the renovation process for the building. A committee formed by the Board of Deacons decided on many changes for the building. New rubber flooring was installed to the main room of the building where a basketball goal and benches were added. A Plexi-glass covering was added to the inside of the stained glass windows to protect them from being broke or damaged. New lighting fixtures were acquired for playing basketball on Wednesday and Sunday nights. The upstairs balcony was converted to casual study area and the front office was converted into a kitchen. Since 2000, the Christian Activity Center of First Baptist Church has served a vital role in the community of Winchester. The Christian Activity Center provides Sunday School classrooms for 6th grade through 12th grade. Every Wednesday night the Christian Activity Center is transformed into a preparation and distribution center for First Baptist Church’s “Feed My Sheep” ministry. The “Amigos Ministry”, a Hispanic church service, is also conducted on Sunday mornings at the Christian Activity Center. The Christian Activity Center has been the site of countless birthday parties, youth lock-ins, and the best place for free hot chocolate during Winchester’s annual Christmas Parade. To my church family and me, this building is more than four walls and a roof. This building holds many laughs, happy memories, and good times spent with friends learning about something greater than us. This building has served a countless amount of people; whether is has been as a place to worship the Lord, a source of daily news, or a place to read and learn about the world around us, this building is still in existence because it has something to offer the citizens of Winchester. By looking at the past, one can see that Winchester has benefited greatly over the past two hundred years from this once “old and vacant” building. Winchester should always preserve the original First Presbyterian Church building for the benefit of future generations.
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