Our church was born 171 years ago in the home of a school teacher and circuit-riding pastor; the founding 12 members were mostly farmers. A few of our older members still recall Chestnut Grove as a “little country church,” and we still worship in the sanctuary of our forebears, built in the 1850s (and expanded repeatedly, most recently in 1992). Reflecting our community, many of our members have a
high level of artistic, educational and professional attainment, and their willingness to volunteer is a strong support to our programs. There is spiritual curiosity and openness to learning. About half our members have grown up in any of 20 or so non-Presbyterian traditions, or in no tradition. As in many churches, our numbers have declined over a 20-year period, but we retain a core of committed and loving Christians, willing to work for God’s glory.
