October 7 Today in OPC History

On October 7, 1958, the Rev. John P. Clelland, pastor of Westminster OPC in Valdosta, Georgia, convened the first meeting of the Presbytery of the South, at Maitland OPC, in Maitland, Florida. The 25th General Assembly had created this presbytery in response to overtures from the Presbyteries of Philadelphia and New Jersey.

Four ministers (Clelland, Glenn R. Coie, Henry P. Tavares, and Arthur A. Froelich) and four ruling elders (Ellis Banks, J. A. Durrenberger, Gerrit Stonehouse, and Calvin A. Duff) were present at the inaugural meeting, which elected Clelland as Moderator, Tavares as Stated Clerk, and Elder Duff as Treasurer. Wrote Tavares in the Presbyterian Guardian: “The formation of this Presbytery may not have the appearance of a world-shaking event, in the eyes of many. Yet it was a historic event. There was a time when our church could boast but one small congregation in the south, and that driven from pillar to post. The Rev. John C. Hills, Jr., labored alone and in the face of many discouragements for years in Fort Lauderdale. Now there are four congregations and five ministers. By God’s grace, the work of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church has borne fruit to God’s praise. This is a time to give thanks and rejoice. It is also a time to look ahead in hope of greater things. The new Presbytery of the South covets the prayers of the church.”

Picture: right to left, Henry Tavares, John Clelland, and Glenn Coie