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Westminster had its beginning in the mind and
heart of one man, the late Dr. D. Kirkland West, beloved pastor of
Medford's downtown First Presbyterian Church. His vision was of a
second Presbyterian church...in east Medford. A nucleus of his members
met to implement the idea, eventually organizing the new church on
December 1, 1958. There were 125 original signers and a total of
211 charter members by July 1959. With the blessing of First
Church that all had loved, this spirited congregation set out to build a
new church.
Groundbreaking took place at this Oakwood
Drive site on May 24, 1959. The first worship service was held
seven months later on Christmas Sunday, December 20, in the building we
now know as Fellowship Hall.
Westminster grew in service and in
size. After a quarter century and several years of planning, the
congregation voted in 1987 to fulfill a long-held dream of building a
true sanctuary and church office complex. In September 1988, there
was a new groundbreaking, followed by a dedication service on June 4,
1989, just 30 years after Westminster's founding.
Ten years later, that new sanctuary loan
had been paid in full. The membership of 560, nearly a 25%
increase from the five previous years, was already posing worship seating and
facility challenges. A burgeoning youth program was reaching out to
more than 125 young people, of whom 40 were members here.
Undergirding Westminster's program is an annual budget which is prayerfully
and promptly pledged by the congregation.
Westminster is the realization of the dreams, toil, prayers and
sacrifice of many people who have worked and worshiped here. Now, as the church continues to grow and change, the Session formed
an active strategic planning group. Its focus is our future:
to enhance the promise of mission and vision we have declared to the
Lord.
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