Montgomery Presbyterian Church

Information may not be reliable

Come visit us! Our address is 9994 Zig-Zag Rd, Montgomery, Ohio 45242. For a map and Worship Service details see the upper contents bar.

Montgomery Presbyterian Church was founded by Dutch Reformed settlers from Montgomery and Hopewell, New York. Six families under the leadership of Cornelius Snyder arrived in October, 1795 and established what would become the town of Montgomery. These pioneers gathered for worship in a small log house on Sycamore Creek, north of present downtown Montgomery.
The first official mention of this congregation on Sycamore Creek is in the minutes of Washington Presbytery in October, 1801. At that time the Rev. James Kemper was requested to spend "one fourth of his time at Sycamore Creek for one year." In 1803 the name of the church was changed to Hopewell, and the congregation moved to a larger log building in what is now Hopewell Cemetary. James Kemper, in his memoirs, says that here he "preached several months on the head of a barrel for want of a pulpit."
The congregation moved into the village in 1819 and met in the "Academy," a two-story brick school located on the site of the present Academy Medical Building. About this time some of the members separated to form Somerset Presbyterian Church in Deerfield Township. The two groups shared ministers off-and-on until the mid 1900's.
It was not until 1829 that a lot on the corner of West Street (now Shelly Lane) and Sycamore Street was chosen to be the site of the meeting house. A brick building with a balcony and the traditional two front doors was erected. During this period some members, unhappy with the strict Presbyterian tenets, left and formed the Universalist Church in Montgomery.
The name of the church was changed from "Hopewell" to "Montgomery" in 1869, to correspond with the name of the village. Planned and organized by the Ladies Aid Society, a major remodeling of the building was undertaken in 1890. A gabled "annex" and bell tower were added to the east side of the church. A single entrance was made there, and the original two doors on the north side were closed up. Nine beautiful stained-glass memorial windows were also installed at this time. From a village of 500 inhabitants, Montgomery grew rapidly in the 1950's and 60's. It was realized a much larger building with more modern facilities was needed. The area where the church stood was on a back street with little land available for expansion. So, reluctantly, it was decided to move from the heart of Montgomery to land willed to the church on Zig Zag Road. The old church was sold and is now home to Fellowship Baptist Church. The present sanctuary was dedicated on July 1, 1962. In 1976, a new Fellowship Hall and more Sunday School rooms were added. A complete renovation of the worship area was completed in 1996.