First Presbyterian, whose home includes South County’s first barrier island church, celebrates 100 years
First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach’s steeple is visible for miles out to sea, a longtime landmark for boaters. A smaller tower from the original 1924 building (at lower right) marks the church’s Fellowship Hall. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
Related: First Presbyterian laments losing co-pastor to new job
By Janis Fontaine
Near the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, a community church rose a century ago and it continues to welcome parishioners to this day.
The congregation’s home includes the first church ever built on South County’s barrier island — a 1924 building that now serves as its Fellowship Hall — and it is one of only two churches south of Palm Beach on the island today.
With its steeple visible for miles out to sea, First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach — The Community Church by the Sea — is a landmark beloved by the city, its residents and the congregation.
The church was officially organized in 1925, meeting in people’s homes and being served by visiting ministers. Its first permanent pastor, the Rev. James McCormick, arrived just before Christmas 1926, and the congregation moved into its first forever-home in 1928.
Delray Beach Mayor Tom Carney acknowledged the 100th anniversary on Oct. 14 with a formal proclamation, calling the church “a cornerstone institution” and “a beacon of compassion, generosity, and service.” The proclamation commended the church “for its enduring legacy of service, faith, and leadership in our community.”
The people are the church
First Presbyterian currently has 864 members. Some are new, but others, like the church, have a history.
Elder Jen Buce’s great-grandparents attended First Presbyterian when they wintered here, and her grandmother Margaret “Peg” Bowen was a deacon, an elder and a member for more than 50 years. Buce’s mother was a deacon, too.
“I am very proud at the fact that I have followed in my grandmother’s footsteps. Being an elder has given me a bigger outlook of what it is to be a Presbyterian,” Buce said. “I think it’s to be a part of a community that still has good in their heart. Our intention as a congregation is to help the community, whether that is here just in Delray Beach, whether it is in Jamaica, whether it’s in Virginia, wherever we can be of help. That is what is important to me.”
The church’s role in supporting local charities is a source of great pride. A variety of organizations that got their start in the church are now independent nonprofits serving the community. “My grandmother and grandfather were part of the founding members of the Achievement Center for Children & Families that started with like six kids in a classroom and is now over 700 children,” Buce said.
The church continues to support the poor through Adopt-A-Family, the hungry through CROS Ministries and the Caring Kitchen, and the sick through the Caridad Center.
“The church has definitely given me a purpose in life. Each year my faith has grown,” Buce said. “Walking into the church every Sunday, it’s the people that you’re surrounded by. They’re truly genuine.”
Members of the congregation pose for a photo in the late 1920s in front of what was the main entrance to the church. Photo provided
On Sunday Nov. 16, 2025, hundreds of members of the congregation posed at what now is considered the back entrance to the church compound. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
A church by the sea
The church sits on land that was previously part of a sour orange grove, south of what was once the Orange Grove Haulover — a location where boats were carried from one navigable place to another.
In the early 1900s, Atlantic Avenue became the main street in what was originally the town of Linton. The land to the west of the Intracoastal Waterway incorporated as the town of Delray in 1911, and the barrier island to the east incorporated as the town of Delray Beach in 1923. The two towns then united to become the city of Delray Beach in 1927.
It was in 1924 that a tract of land on Bronson Street just south of Atlantic became the site of a Baptist church — First Presbyterian’s future home. It would be the only church built on the barrier island south of Palm Beach until the construction of St. Lucy Catholic Church in Highland Beach in 1972.
The idea man behind the first church was F.J. Schrader, an architect, builder and financier. Inspired by a church in Florence, Italy, he built one in the Spanish Mission style — with twin campaniles, smooth stucco walls, arches, wide welcoming doors and dark woods.
It was named Gibson Memorial Baptist Church after its founding minister, the Rev. Samuel Gibson. By 1928, the Baptist congregation had grown to 135 members.
But the 1928 hurricane and the resulting real estate crash were crippling. The congregation couldn’t finish paying for the church and gave it back to Schrader. Five weeks after the hurricane struck, the local Presbyterians rented the church for $30 a month, later purchasing it for $19,000.
The church went through minor changes over the years, but the real transformation to modern-day First Presbyterian came a half-century into its existence, when a new sanctuary was built on the west side of the original church. On Easter Sunday 1977, the first services were held in the new building on Gleason Street.
Built in the Mediterranean Revival style, the sanctuary’s design complemented the existing Spanish Mission style. The new church faced west with new steps leading up to a red-roofed portico entry, with twin doors set into a wall of colored glass. The old church sanctuary to the east was converted to Fellowship Hall, complete with kitchen facilities.
A postcard from the era depicts the original 1924 church, Gibson Memorial Baptist Church, facing east. The Presbyterian church began renting the building in 1928 and later bought it. The building now serves as Fellowship Hall for First Presbyterian. Postcard provided by the Delray Beach Historical Society
Repairs and renovations
Being a historic building so close to the ocean, Fellowship Hall took a beating from the hostile climate. By the late 1990s, it needed a heavy dose of TLC. The congregation decided collectively to restore rather than tear down and rebuild. A $2.5 million renovation drive in 1997 represented a monumental commitment to the original church.
The building had no foundation and was unstable, but the architects found a way to build the new framework needed to stabilize the structure inside the original walls. At the same time, the kitchen was updated, and improvements were made campus-wide, including to the adjoining Memorial Garden.
Fellowship Hall and the courtyard area were listed on the Register of Historic Places in Delray Beach in 1999 and the property as a State of Florida Historical Point of Interest in 2009.
In 2016, a new $3.5 million capital campaign was launched to expand the sanctuary and renovate the Christian Education Building. The renamed Center for Christian Studies was dedicated in January 2017. Construction and maintenance projects continued, from repainting the entire campus to fixing drainage issues. Another campaign would add the circular drive porte cochere entrance, making the church more accessible.
This past January, the church launched its Renew & Rejoice capital campaign with a goal of $4 million for repairs and improvements. As of Nov. 10, more than $3.5 million had been raised.
Beacons inside and out
In the sanctuary, a two-story colored glass cross made of tens of thousands of pieces of glass showers the altar with light. Each panel tells a Bible story depicting the theme “The Life of Jesus and the Journey of Faith.”
Buce says she feels close to her grandmother when she sees the light coming in. “Shortly after her death, I was sitting in the church and the way the sun hit the stained glass, there was a huge beam of light coming through. The first time I saw it, I had to get up and leave because it overwhelmed me, because I saw that as a sign of my grandmother. Now I look for her every Sunday,” she said.
Outdoors, it is the steeple that is the church’s most recognizable architectural element. Added in 1977 at 135 feet tall — topped by a 15-foot cross — it was visible for miles out to sea.
Weather took its toll on that steeple. After two hurricanes in 2004, and the continuing saltwater corrosion of its brackets, the steeple was replaced in 2005 — only to have city inspectors say it was 4 feet taller and not acceptable, according to Nancy Fine, the church’s business administrator.
Fine recounted that Reece Galyon, a part-time maintenance worker at the church, “went in front of the City Commission, and he argued that the cross needed to be 4 feet higher because it is a guide for the Coast Guard and for people — who may be having trouble on the ocean — as a landmark to help guide rescuers to their position.”
Galyon told the commission that the higher the cross, the farther away it could be seen, Fine said. “And based on that argument, they approved us,” she said.
Elder Bill Bathurst says he’s seen the steeple while on the ocean and has taken comfort in it.
“We were a little bit in trouble,” he said, “and I saw the church steeple, our church steeple. And I thought, well, if anything really bad happens, I know where I am.”
Local fishermen tell him they use the steeple to triangulate their favorite fishing spots, he says.
In a complement to the steeple, the church’s carillon system rings out to the larger community every day at noon and 6 p.m. And every Sunday, it rings 10 minutes before each service, calling congregants to church.
For many years, the church couldn’t afford a bell and the belfry was empty. But in 1948 bells were hung, and they rang until being taken down in 1988. In 2000 the remaining bell, which had been engraved with the names of the church leaders, was installed in the courtyard. It has been rung ever since on Sundays in remembrance of deceased congregants.
First Presbyterian Church has many inspirational architectural elements, such as these stained-glass windows at the entrance. Photo provided
An active congregation
As a preservationist who grew up in Delray Beach and is a former city commissioner, Bathurst has an appreciation for First Presbyterian Church that began long before he was a member.
But, as a member, he praises the music and says “most people come for the worship and the fellowship. I’ve been very involved in some churches that have very modern services, and I think they’re great.” Still, he appreciates First Presbyterian’s more traditional style.
The secret sauce to any church is that “you have to get involved,” Bathurst added, and the church has many ministries. He’s part of the Renew & Rejoice committee working on the latest renovations, but he praises all the ministries, especially the Holly House ladies.
Holly House paid to fix the church steeple, the organ and sound system, the carillon electronic bell system, and it built its own building.
“I think Holly House is one of the most amazing things on the planet,” he said. “These ladies who make crafts and then sell them and that supports the church and it’s amazing the amount of money they raise.”
The success of Holly House and the other ministries is due to the commitment of parishioners to the church, Buce says. “Families continue to bring their children. I think that’s one reason why we have been as strong as we’ve been for 100 years.”
James Blood, 72, a nonactive elder, was one of those kids. He attended church in his mother’s belly, and he’s been a member since he was 12. His father, Norman Blood, in 1949 founded Blood’s Hammock Grove, a city landmark and popular citrus shop for more than a half century at Linton Boulevard and Old Germantown Road. Norman Blood was the superintendent of Sunday school at the church and his name is one of those on the bell in the courtyard.
James Blood remembers the original church before air conditioning. “It would get a little warm in there, but we had those little cardboard fans. And the church was designed so you could open the front doors and side doors and get a breeze.”
Social change
Blood also remembers the social change that took place as Delray Beach faced racial strife. He was just a toddler when, in 1956, a cross was burned on the beach as a message. Blacks were banned from the beach and from the public pool. A federal court ruled that blacks couldn’t be banned from the beach, which led black and white leaders to sit down together and work out a plan.
It would be 1970 before Delray Beach schools were integrated, and many divisions played out — not just in the city, but at First Presbyterian as well.
“When integration was going on, the church split and that was sort of a disruptive time, but the people that stayed, they wanted to open it up to everybody and that’s what they did. Some people didn’t agree with that,” Blood said.
His parents supported integration. “They thought anybody that wanted to come should come. It was pretty cut-and-dried for them. But some people felt strongly the other way, so they decided to take other options. I think that was probably a sort of a turning point for the church.”
Blood credits the influx of wealth and wisdom from winter residents with helping the church financially and with its modern thinking.
“As a child, I remember we had a lot of people come down from up north during the winter and they were a big part of the church. The locals were not as well off, and I think the winter residents were a big part of the financial success of the church.”
Meet the pastors
Only nine pastors, all men, have served First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach in its 100-year history. The Rev. Theodore Bush served the longest, more than 26 years.
The nine are:
• Rev. James H. McCormick: Dec. 19, 1926, to Oct. 2, 1927; there were 66 charter members when he arrived.
• Dr. Frank N. Nelson: Nov. 15, 1928, to Dec. 1, 1930
• Rev. S. Willis McFadden: Feb. 15, 1933, to Aug. 24, 1941; he began his pastorate with 91 members.
• Dr. James G. Robinson: Oct. 18, 1942, to Jan. 21, 1957
• Rev. Robert G. Morey: Nov. 17, 1957, to Nov. 30, 1967
• Dr. Seth Morrow: Oct. 16, 1969, to June 30, 1983; he oversaw the building of the new sanctuary and of the original sanctuary’s becoming Fellowship Hall.
• Dr. Theodore A. Bush: March 25, 1984, to Jan. 1, 2011
• Dr. W. Douglas Hood: June 15, 2012, to present; church has 864 current members
• Dr. Greg Rapier: Co-pastor Sept. 8, 2024, to Oct. 19, 2025
Source: First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach
Comments