Editor’s Note: Several PCA churches have recently moved into church buildings previously used by other congregations. In the process, each congregation has witnessed the blessings of a physical worship space and discovered unique opportunities to serve their communities. This week we will feature their stories of God’s provision. 

Bellefonte Presbyterian Church Stewards Its Community’s History

In the borough of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, Bellefonte Presbyterian Church has renewed efforts to reach its neighbors by stewarding its historic church building.

Bellefonte Presbyterian began in 2022 as a daughter plant of Oakwood Presbyterian Church in State College, Pennsylvania. Owen Hughes, pastor and planter at Bellefonte Presbyterian, became an associate pastor at Oakwood in 2017. Initially, Hughes and Senior Pastor Dan Kiehl spoke often about planting a church, but the pandemic forced them to pause those discussions.

The Big Gift

But attendance at Oakwood increased throughout the pandemic so that by 2021, with attendance at Oakwood between 350-380, discussions of planting resumed. In December 2021, Kiehl saw a post on Facebook from a church in the nearby town of Bellefonte, one of the communities Oakwood’s session had identified as a potential planting location. The church, First Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte (PCUSA), shared that the upcoming Christmas Eve would be the church’s last service. 

Kiehl reached out to First Pres to ask about their plans for the church building. First Pres told him that the plans were uncertain, but, as Hughes recounted, “They wanted this church to be a church. They did not want it torn down. They didn’t want it used as a brewery or a community center, or something other than a church.”

Unless First Pres would give the building to Oakwood, Hughes was unsure whether Oakwood should buy the church. The 15,000 square-foot building was built in 1868 and needed many repairs. But when Hughes and others from Oakwood met with First Pres, Hughes was surprised to hear the asking price: $30,000.

“Essentially, they gave it to us,” Hughes said.

After closing on the building in the spring of 2022, Oakwood gathered a team of 17 people to send to the Bellefonte plant. Hughes’ launch team met in preparation for eight months, and another 60 joined during the winter of 2023. January 9, 2023, marked Bellefonte Presbyterian Church’s first worship service, and 125 people attended the first service. Attendance has since grown to nearly 160 people, and Hughes hopes to particularize in early 2025. 

Between purchasing the building and beginning worship services, Hughes and his team had much work to do. The roof of the building was the most essential renovation: the original roof wasn’t shedding water correctly, compromising the exterior wall. Replacing the roof required $150,000 – five times the building’s purchase price – but Oakwood provided for the renovation. Beyond the roof, the building needed a deep clean, as well as interior painting and repair work.

“Churches that have been around as long as this one has tend to collect a lot of things that are not used or useful. We are still working on updating and freshing up the building,” Hughes said.

As Hughes and his team worked on the church, they began to get to know their neighbors. Locals walked by on church workdays and witnessed the newcomers’ care for a building that held a special place in the community. Because of the significance and history of the church building, Hughes believes that working on the building blesses the broader community of Bellefonte. 

The Original Bellefonte Presbyterian Church

The church building was in fact called Bellefonte Presbyterian from its beginnings. In 1795, a group of settlers wrote a letter asking for Bibles to plant a church in what would become Centre County, Pennsylvania. Five years later, Centre County was created, as was Bellefonte Presbyterian. 

“Their mission was to put a Bible into the hands of every family in Centre County. And their vision was for biblical literacy and for people to know the Word of God,” Hughes said. Over the years that vision shifted. The church joined the Presbyterian Church (USA) and changed its name to First Presbyterian of Bellefonte, and over the past 50 years church membership dwindled, particularly after the COVID pandemic. 

When Hughes and his team deliberated on a name for their church plant, they decided to return to the original name of the church. Hughes also wanted to return to a vision closer to Bellefonte Presbyterian’s original vision, seeking to love their place well through the love of God. 

In the years since Bellefonte Presbyterian’s rebirth, the church has partnered with local community organizations, like the local Rotary Club, YMCA, and Gardening Club, to help them put on their events. 

“We believe that we’re loved by God with this love that transforms us and changes even the way we look at where we are. So we’re now placed, and we’re placed here to be a blessing. So this is a great way for us to be a blessing –  to come alongside a community and celebrate them,” Hughes said.

Bellefonte’s partnership with the community has borne fruit. Hughes prayed that the church would see the “saving work” of the Lord and baptize a new believer in the first year of ministry. Within the first six months of its existence, Bellefonte baptized a man and his two sons, and have since baptized another new adult believer as well as several infants. 

Bellefonte Presbyterian has attracted believers of all ages. A man in his 80s who was born, baptized, and married at First Pres has returned to worship at Bellefonte Presbyterian because of its renewed gospel focus. Bellefonte Presbyterian has also attracted many believers in their 20s and 30s. According to Hughes, the younger generation desires “the otherly,” which Bellefonte Presbyterian provides. 

“When you come into Bellefonte, there’s a sense of the otherly, from the stained glass windows to the pipe organ,” Hughes said. One of the many blessings of the building is that it has “anchored people” in something entirely separate from modern life.

Nonetheless, Hughes expressed that “with a building that old, there’s always something that needs to be updated, or something that could be broken and needs to be fixed. We’re trying to be wise with both saving money and using that resource to help the building, but also not letting the building become the master… When you are given a building, the building can easily start to become the master and not the servant.”

Sarah Reardon is a contributing writer for byFaith.