About - Shippensburg Presbyterian

Milestones

How does one provide milestones for a church with a history exceeding two hundred twenty-six years? In answer: to look to a historian’s eye for detail in a book dedicated to the Glory of God. Below, you will find only a brief history of the church.

1767

The congregation is one of the oldest in Shippensburg, dating back to 1767. In anticipation of the great migration of the 18th century, people united and initially met under the banner of an Associate Reformed Church in a log building where the Vigilant Fire Co. once stood. In theology and church organization, the Reformed Church held similar values to those of the Presbyterian Church.

1790

In 1790, the congregation purchased a lot and constructed a fifty by fifty-six-foot space on Penn Street, which later became known as the “Old White Church. The church was more than just a place of worship. It was a beacon of change in a rapidly evolving world, with a mission and vision that were a testament to its progressive nature. The mission and vision became featured in the phrase “A Changing Church in a Changing World,” which remains a guiding principle to this day. People continued to worship at this site until 1843.

1823

In 1823, the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church of Big Spring and Middle Spring invited the Shippensburg Presbyterians to form a new church under the jurisdiction of the Carlisle Presbytery (PCUSA). As the church began to grow, new decisions came about.

1843

In 1843, the Trustees purchased a lot on the corner of King and Prince Streets, measuring sixty-four feet by two hundred seventy-five feet. Before long, a new church stood on the newly purchased lot, holding its first service on November 9, 1843. The Rev. Daniel McKinley of Chambersburg dedicated the church, who took his text from Haggai 2:9, “The glory of the latter house shall be greater than the former.”

1866

In 1866, the church, in its ongoing commitment to growth and improvement, again decided to expand the building. This expansion included the addition of Gothic windows and pilasters, the extension and remodeling of the interior, the creation of a gallery for the choir, and the installation of furnaces and gas lighting. This commitment was not the end of the church’s development, as a Sunday School building was later added south of the chapel on Prince Street.

1885

In 1885, one of the most spectacular fires in Shippensburg’s history destroyed the entire church facility. The large steeple fell across Prince Street. The congregation worshipped the following Sunday at the Church of God. It did not take long before a new church building became a reality. The new church would measure sixty-four feet by two hundred seventy-five feet. The first service was held on Sunday, February 5, 1887, with the sermon preached by the Rev. J. B. Moffet, the President of Washington and Jefferson College. Although, at times, the congregation had difficulty paying the pastor’s salary, by the following morning of Monday, February 6, the church raised enough money to wipe out the debt entirely.

2015

On June 23, 2015, the church embarked on a new chapter in its history. It officially departed from the PCUSA and embraced a new denomination, the Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians (ECO). ECO’s mission, shared by its member churches, is to ‘build flourishing churches that make disciples of Jesus Christ.’ For more information on ECO’s mission and vision, visit www.eco-pres.org.

2023

Until 1984, thirteen ministers held the position of pastor and shepherd of the congregation, including Rev. William H. Galbreath, the longest-tenured pastor in the church’s history, serving from 1924 to 1959. Since 1984, six additional ministers have continued in pastoral church ministry until the recent retirement of Rev. Michael Miller in early 2023.

Today

Since 2023, Pastor Gary Rebok, a graduate of Liberty University and Regent University’s Seminary, has led the congregation. The church’s staff includes a part-time secretary, Diane Rodriquez, and two part-time organists, Jonathan Parsons and Elizebeth Trez.

The church has a long history—so long that there is not enough space to include all the occurrences of time. However, a booklet written by a retired professor of history at Shippensburg University, Dr. J. Bernard Hogg, is available at the church, encapsulating everything from 1798 to 1984. During the last forty years, the church has witnessed further change, attempting to fulfill its original mission: “A Changing Church in a Changing World”.