THIRD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Photo courtesy: Mike Vandenberg

Photo courtesy: Mike Vandenberg

Third Presbyterian Church (1969)Photo courtesy: Mike Vandenberg

THIRD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. Officially organized on January 26, 1890, Third Presbyterian Church began fifteen years earlier than it was officially established. The Dubuque Daily Herald on June 12, 1877, referred to it as the "Round House Sunday School" because church meetings were held in the round house of the Chicago, Dubuque, and Minnesota Railroad. (1)

In order to provide adequate facilities for the ever-increasing numbers attending the school, the YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION (Y.M.C.A.) in 1876 constructed a chapel at the corner of Garfield and Stafford avenues. The chapel was served by the GERMAN THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL OF THE NORTHWEST. (2) Dedicated on June 10, 1877, the Eagle Point Mission Chapel was used for regular Sunday school until 1879 when the Y.M.C.A. requested Second Presbyterian Church (now WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH) to operate it. This was agreed to in January 1880.

Although many north-end residents became members of the Second Presbyterian Church during the 1880s, the distance from EAGLE POINT to 13th and Locust Streets was inconvenient. Meetings to discuss the formation of a church on the north end of Dubuque occurred in the fall of 1889. Articles of incorporation for the Third Presbyterian Church were prepared on January 13, 1890 for the forty charter members. (3)

The formal organization of the church was held on January 26, 1890. On April 24, 1890, the Reverend George W. Smith was installed as the first minister.

Thoughts that the chapel would provide enough room were soon proven incorrect, and plans were made to build. On July 23, 1890, a lot at the corner of Windsor and Rhomberg was purchased. On August 14, however, the congregation reconsidered the site and chose to build on the location of the chapel at Garfield and Stafford. Plans for a frame church were obtained from Palliser, Palliser & Company of New York and permission was obtained to move the old building into the street where it was used until the new church could be built. (4)

The contract was let on September 14, 1890, and the cornerstone sealed on September 28. Work on the church building, consisting of a Victorian-style sanctuary, Sunday School room, and kitchen, was completed by the dedication date of February 15, 1891.

The railroad strike of 1894 posed a serious financial blow to the church. The minister took a three-month leave of absence without pay to keep the church from closing. Still a mission church, Third Presbyterian received four hundred dollars monthly from the Board of Home Missions of the Presbyterian Church. In the Presbyterian Directory of Dubuque 1900-1901, Third Church was noted as the only English speaking church in the Eagle Point district.

Financial difficulties continued to plague the church with help often coming from the Ladies Aid. Since they paid the pastor's salary, it was suggested the group be represented on the Board of Trustees. Men on the board agreed, but the first woman was not elected to the board until 1944. Women elders were proposed in 1932; the first was elected in 1969.

In 1912 the Sunday School room was extended. The first pipe organ was installed in 1921. Property for a manse was purchased at 817 Garfield Avenue in 1923 and then sold. Property at 2116 Shiras Avenue was purchased for a new manse in 1954.

Growth in the size of the congregation by 1957 led to Sunday School classes being held in the sanctuary and the basement. In June 1959, plans were approved by the congregation to purchase a lot with 80,000 square fee and 200 feet frontage at 3100 Windsor Avenue for the location of a new church. In January, 1960 church officials announced that construction would begin within three weeks. (5)

Groundbreaking for the Christian Education Building and Fellowship Hall was held on March 24, 1963. The new building was first used for services on November 17, 1963. (6) A new sanctuary was built in 1968. Additional land was purchased in 1978 and an addition to the building for offices and classrooms was made in 1981 and then again in 1990. The manse was sold in 1988. The church became the home of the DUBUQUE AREA SHELTERED WORKSHOP.

Members of the church gradually became opposed to the direction of the larger Presbyterian Church (USA). On May 16, 2006 the John Knox Presbytery - the Richland, Wisconsin based presbytery for Dubuque - approved Third Presbyterian's leaving by a vote of 54-7. Third Presbyterian announced that it would turn over its records to the denomination. The records will be stored at the UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE. The church also removed all references to the Presbyterian Church (USA) from their sign and other communications. Third Presbyterian became GracePoint Church, the first church in Iowa to become part of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, considered to be a more conservative denomination and a sister denomination to the Presbyterian Church (USA).

In 2015 GracePoint announced that Common Grounds, a part of the church's community outreach efforts, was well on its way. Begun in the fall of 2014, the coffehouse was open from 8:00 a.m. to noon on Sundays during service and from 2:45 to 4:00 p.m. on Mondays for the community. There was no charge for the coffee and students volunteer their time. (7)

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Source:

1. Hanson, Lyn. "Local Church to Celebrate Centennial," Telegraph Herald, January 20, 1990, p. 6A

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid.

4. "Local News in Brief," Dubuque Daily Herald, August 14, 1890, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=_OG5zn83XeQC&dat=18900814&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

5. "Third Presbyterian to Build New Church," Telegraph Herald, January 13, 1960, p. 1

6. Hanson.

7. Jones, Tia Carol. "Coffee Creates Common Grounds," Telegraph Herald, May 30, 2015, p. 1C

Telegraph Herald, "Third Presbyterian Marks 60th Yr." (undated copy of article)

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