Presbyterian Church in Leander 150 years

Presbyterian Church in Leander 150 years

Written by Jim Dawson Tuesday, 07 November 2006

Settlers moved from North and South Carolina to Bagdad and established the first Presbyterian Church in the area. On February 14, 1857, Reverend R.M. Overstreet organized the Old School Presbyterian Church on the headwaters of Brushy Creek.

The first sermon that day was from Matthew 9:29, “According to your faith, be it unto you.” The sermon inspired seven people attending to organize a church.

The church was first named Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church and was attached to the Central Texas Presbytery. The name was selected because the church members had originally belonged to the Pleasant Hill or Ebenezer Presbyterian Churches of North and South Carolina.

When the Austin and Northwestern Railroad was completed in 1882 about a mile east of Bagdad, homes and businesses including the post office quickly moved to the new site along the rail lines. The congregation met in the school temporarily until Mrs. Sarah J. Walker, who had been a member of the church since 1858, donated three lots in order to build a new church.

On March 7, 1884, a petition was approved to change the name from Pleasant Hill to Leander Presbyterian Church. Later that same year, the present church building was erected at 101 South West.

One of their members, Gus Craven, entered the ministry and graduated from Austin Seminary in 1926 and served as a Navy Chaplain in World War II.

Bippy Cook spoke at the dedication of the church’s Historical Marker in 1987. She remembered coming with her father, R.F. Gribble, when he preached two Sundays a month.

“I remember the system for feeding the preacher and his children was by alphabetical order of the membership,” Cook said. “We knew before we came if it would be the Cravens, Faubions, Masons, or others who would have us for Sunday noon [dinner].”

Today some families of the church’s small congregation have worshipped there for five and six generations.

In 2007, the church will host its sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) celebration.

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