Norcross Presbyterian dedicates renovated historic church building

A very special and spiritual day occurred recently for Norcross Presbyterian Church (NPC) as an official dedication ceremony took place to celebrate the church’s move into their newly renovated old church home of 89 Jones Street. On Sunday October 17 at 11 a.m., the congregation came together to commiserate.

A revered guest spoke at this momentous occasion. Reverend Dr. Lewis Fowler, Jr. was the pastor of NPC from 1966 to 1974 during a turbulent time for Gwinnett County and the nation. He recounted some poignant moments in the life of the church, moments when the church was a progressive leader on issues like desegregation and the war in Vietnam. Fowler was the last pastor to preach in the historic church before the move in 1972.

Executive Presbyter Aisha Brooks-Johnson and other representatives of the Presbytrery of Greater Atlanta were present to support the mission of Norcross Presbyterian Church in its new home.

A bit of background is needed to pinpoint the meaning behind this move. Back in 1899, the NPC congregation built a small white church with a distinctive bell tower in downtown Norcross, the church on Jones Street. NPC worshiped there for 73 years. 

In 1972, they sold the property and moved to a more modern building not far away. The old church building endured. And now, 50 years later, the NPC congregation is moving back into their previous home church, in order to return to a more intimate religious setting that better suits a modest church body.

NPC Administrator Jason Bernando explains further implications of the move and the improvements to the building that have been made.

“The goal of the renovation was to maintain the historic look and feel of the building, but to also give it modern amenities and functionality. A great example are the stained glass windows. These windows were an original feature of the building in 1899.

The three ornate windows memorialize three historical persons from the early church. These windows were removed back in 1972 and installed in the church we moved into at that time. We are very excited to bring the windows back to the Jones Street building and restore them to their former glory,” Bernando said.

Efforts have been taken to modernize the church, with features “that include wireless audio and video capabilities that amplify sound, show graphics and videos, and stream services live on the internet. Not bad for a building that was constructed before electricity came to Norcross!” Bernando said.

For more information about Norcross Presbyterian, visit norcrosspresbyterian.org