First Presbyterian Church Lovington, New Mexico

The following is an excerpt from On Holy Ground as featured in the Journal of Presbyterian History, Volume 87, Number 2, 2009.

The fall of 1952 was a busy time for the members of First Presbyterian Church, Lovington, New Mexico. They were erecting a new church building to replace the one-room adobe brick structure which had housed the worshiping congregation, and other denominations, for forty-two years. Built in the summer of 1910, the church had been a well-known landmark in Lovington since its construction.

Prior to the organization of the congregation and construction of the church, the Reverend Gilmore Smith had held worship services in the upper story of Ausley and Robinson Hardware Store on North Main Street. On October 24, 1909, eighteen charter members organized the congregation. With no church building, they held services in a one-room schoolhouse built with lumber brought into the area by wagon freight. The small, original church building from 1910 was demolished in 1952 to make way for the new, larger building, occupying the same site in the north part of town. In 1965, the church acquired the adjacent properties for a manse and education building. They held a special Mortgage Burning Service in November 1974, when they had finally paid off the building’s mortgage.

Entry No. 347 American Presbyterian and Reformed Historic Sites Registry