1871 to Present
Location
200 East Mountcastle Dr., Johnson City, TN
History
The First Christian Church was organized November 12, 1871 at the home of W.H. Young, near Cedar Street, in what is now called the Southwest Addition. This small organization continued to meet until June 24, 1872, when on account of Mr. Young’s sickness, they ceased to meet. Shortly after Mr. Young’s death the meetings were resumed. This little band was the outgrowth mainly of the Christian Churches on Boone’s Creek and on Buffalo Creek (now Milligan College.)
In addition to the preaching brethren, who had charge of the earliest meetings, should be mentioned W.H. Young and J.C. Hardin, who took leading parts in the worship, which consisted of fellowship, reading God’s word, breaking of bread and prayers. The first service began with the reading of the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. As early as 1873 a Union Bible School was carried on at the Science Hill School building until church buildings were erected. A building committee appointed by the congregation on March 20, 1874, to make plans for the erection of the church building on Main Street on lot fifty feet by ninety feet, given by James Miller and wife Elizabeth Miller. Largely through the efforts of these brethren, the house of worship, a brick building fifty by thirty feet and eighteen feet high was erected. This building was dedicated December 4, 1879, by Dexter Snow of Wytheville, Virginia.
The Bible School of First Christian Church was organized December 4, 1879, with J.C. Hardin, Superintendent. Following Mr. Hardin the following have served as Superintendents: J.M. Gaunt, Robert L. Crouch, W.P. Crouch, J.W. Millard, R.K. Williams, J. Lem Keevil, S.W. Price, W.S. Buchanan, J.E. Crouch, S.A. Gervin, O.M. Fair, J.W. Williams, C.S. Bowers, W.E. Sweeney, Frank D. Han nah , J. Clyde Smith, D. Emmett Snyder, W.H. MacDonald, T.T. Travis, Howard McCorkle, Joe McCormick, Stanley Head, Pembrook Cox.
On December 5, 1886, snow three feet on a level, covered this section, The count at the Bible School showed 6 present. On December 20, 1917, with the temperature 26 degrees below zero, the Bible School registered an attendance of 91.
On May 2, 1905, the church building burned resulting in a complete loss. Fore more than a year after the fire, services were held in the old Jobe’s Opera House, corner of Main and Spring Streets, and later in a wooden tabernacle, corner of Main and Roan Streets.
The old lot was sold and the lot on which the present church is located was purchased. A building was erected thereon which still stands. It was dedicated June 10, 1906. Between 1910-1912, a basement was made under the entire church building and the addition on the east side of the church.
During the pastorate of Wm. E. Sweeney, beginning June 1920, First Church assisted in the establishing of Second (now East Unaka Church of Christ) and Third Church and Fourth Church (now Virginia Street Church of Christ). During this time the Bible School Annex was erected to First Church and dedicated in January 1923. First Church helped to send Wm. Burleigh to Kingsport, Tennessee, with the view of organizing a church there, and they purchased a lot and erected a temporary building.
To the right, the photo of the church is from a postcard of the 1930s.
Between December 1937 and December 1940 the basement was remodeled and the pipe organ rebuilt. The Carnegie Foundation contributed one-half the original cost of the pipe organ and in 1983 the organ was rebuilt.
In November 1946, First Church celebrated its “75th Anniversary.” Under the guidance of Dr. J.H. Dampier, pastor since July 6, 1941, the church debt was paid off and the notes and mortgages burned. For the first time in its history the church was free from debt. A fair sized building fund had been raised for the creation of a Fifth Church in the city and for improvements of the old building. In 1941 the church supported and maintained three living link missionaries &endash; Franklin Smith in Alaska, Luke Elliott in Jamaica, and Mrs. Chase in Japan.
The western wing housing the new sanctuary and Fellowship Hall was dedicated October 14, 1951.
From Greater Johnson City: a Pictorial History by Ray Stahl, c1983, p.54:
“In 1972 the First Christian Church moved to a new location on Sherwood Drive (across from the Appalachian Christian Village). Some members of First Christian, who desired to remain downtown, purchased the Main Street Property and organized the Downtown Christian Church.”
Ministers
The following ministers served the church from its organization: Wm. C. Maupin, S.H. Millard, W.F. Rucker, F.F. Bullard, P.B. Hall, C.L. Maddox, J. Hopwood, S.T. William, A.M. Ferguson, D.T. Buck, E.C. Buck, E. P. Grow, S.H. Millard, W.P. Crouch, G.C. Stocker, G.W. Thompson, A.A. Ferguson, J. Lem Keevil, John T. Brown, W.S. Buchanan, R.R. Hamlin, J.N. Jessup, Louis D. Riddell, Wm. E. Sweeney, J.J. Whitehouse, George Mark Elliott, Earl H. Fife, Joseph H. Dampier, and Jess W. Johnson.
William C. Maupin preached more or less regularly for the congregation until the autumn of 1879. Occasional preaching by ministers of the Christian Church was done by John Wright, W.G. Barker, J.M. Beckett, James Miller, Brother Abel, J.R. Scott and others. John Wright, an elder and minister in the Christian Church, was the first superintendent. He was a veteran of the war of 1812 and also a Confederate veteran, and an early member of the Buffalo Christian Church.
Dr. Clyde W. Smith was ad interim pastor for ten months prior to the arrival of Dr. Jess W. Johnson in July 1959 from St. Johns Christian Church, Portland, Oregon.
Source: First Christian Church, Johnson City, Tennessee Directory, Summer, 1960, pp. 2-7. Posted 24 Sep 2005.