It all began in 1833 in the town of Livingston, a small community west of Rome, when a group of people led by the Reverend John Wilson met and organized a Presbyterian church that they called the Livingston Church. Because Rome had become the county seat, the church moved here in 1845 and after using the Baptist and Methodist Churches for services, the thirteen parishioners, through self-denial and faith, set out to build their own church.

God responded to their prayers quickly, and First Presbyterian had its first permanent home in 1849, on North Broad Street. The new house of worship attracted many new parishioners, and it became necessary to build a larger church, which was completed in 1856 at a cost of $10,000.

This new building, the present structure in which we are still worshiping, was taken over by the Union Army during the Civil War and used for food storage. The pews were removed and used for the construction of horse stalls and a pontoon bridge to cross the river. The congregation was scattered and disorganized and the congregation had dwindled to some forty or fifty members, but God saw the church through the trials of war and revived it two years after the war. Steady growth began again, and over the next twenty years, more than 300 members joined the church.

First Presbyterian continued to grow and prosper, and God continued to give his blessings for the enhancement and enlargement of facilities as the needs arose. In 1948, the existing structure was deemed unsafe, and the church's largest fund-raising effort to date was begun to reconstruct the building. At a cost of about $136,000, the church was like new, as the entire building was gutted and restored and beautifully redecorated.
 

Over the next decade, as God continued to send parishioners to our church, the need for a larger and more modern educational facility became apparent. Another successful fund-raising campaign resulted, and the construction of an educational building was under way. Completed in 1962 at a cost of $300,000, the new building included the church offices, choir room, Fellowship Hall and kitchen. Ten years later, the generous gift of Mr. and Mrs. Wilson Hardy made possible the construction of the Hardy Chapel and Youth Building.

In an effort to align with a denominational body more reflective of the congregation's convictions, First Presbyterian joined the newly-formed Evangelical Presbyterian Church in 1982. In 1994, with membership topping 1,200 and the need arising for more classrooms as well as space for youth activities and fellowship, God had an even greater vision for our church. With the awesome task of raising $3 million to build the new Christian Life Center, the congregation acknowledged a renewed commitment to the future ministries of the church through our "Building for the Ages" crusade.

The rapidly expanding ministries for the entire church ushered in a new era with the construction of the Christian Life Center, which contains a beautifully designed fellowship hall/dining room/gymnasium; 14 classrooms; locker rooms; office space; and a conference center/patio complex. With the Holy Spirit moving vibrantly in their hearts, the congregation responded with tremendous generosity and sacrifice, and this magnificent building opened its doors in 1995.

More recently, the church took to heart the challenge to prepare a new generation of leaders which resulted in the purchase of one of Rome's historic downtown buildings and renovating as the center of our student ministries.  The Crossing provides space for youth worship and teaching, recreational outreach, as well as housing the offices and studio apartments for our student ministry staff.  While taking on this project, the church also renovated our existing educational building to provide modern facilities for our infant, toddler and children's ministries.

 As we near the end of this first decade in the new millennium, we do so with a renewed commitment to

     ~ Prayer--hearts willing to hear the Word of God and eager to respond to the challenge of God;

     ~ Spiritual Growth - hearts devoted to Jesus Christ as Lord and to the faithful proclamation of His Word;

     ~ Spiritual Commitment - hearts purposed to learning and ministering together the glorious good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

All glory to God for this rich heritage!