From Conflict to Birth:
75th Anniversary of the Birth of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church
On June 11, 2011, The Orthodox Presbyterian Church celebrated its 75th anniversary during its 78th General Assembly, held at Sandy Cove Conference Center, Northeast, MD. The Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) was formed on June 11, 1936, by an exodus of ministers and congregations from the Presbyterian Church in the USA, after years of conflict over modernism. Westminster faculty and alumni were deeply involved in this process.
Montgomery Library has mounted an anniversary display to honor the event. The display highlights the issues in the conflict; displays a letter by Dr. Cornelius VanTil giving an eyewitness account of events on Sunday, June 14, 1936 when the Rev. David Freeman was ejected from the pulpit of Grace Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, and led a walkout of a majority of the members to form a continuing Orthodox Presbyterian congregation; and tells the story of the founding of Calvary Presbyterian Church of Germantown (OPC) in July, 1936, which later moved to Glenside opposite the seminary corner.
The exhibit includes items from the seminary collections and archives: books, photos, original documents and press clippings, and a feature about John Welsh Dulles (one of the founding elders who joined this adventure at the age of 87). WTS professors Ned Stonehouse and Paul Woolley were active in the formation of Calvary Church, preaching and leading the session until the Rev. Cary W. Weisiger, III, (WTS '37) became the pastor in December, 1937.
Professors Stonehouse and Woolley (ca. 1936)
