August 8 Today in OPC History

On August 8, 1939, the Presbytery of New York and New England received Memorial Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Rochester, New York, as a particular congregation. The congregation previously had been united with the Christian Reformed Church until a controversy developed in a pastoral search. The consistory (session) of First CRC had eliminated from consideration a minister seeking the call because his wife used makeup. Half of the congregation objected to the consistory's action and sought to start a new congregation in the Christian Reformed Church. The Classis (presbytery) denied the request and the group sought entrance into the OPC.

Once received into the OPC, Memorial called John DeWaard as its pastor and he was installed on March 15, 1940. After Mr. DeWaard's retirement in 1959, George Willis served as pastor of Memorial Church until 1975. In 1976 Memorial Church called Stephen Phillips, who served as pastor for the next twenty-four years until 2000. From 2001 to 2014, Matthew Judd was pastor.

On March 1, 2019, Memorial Church and its sister Rochester OPC congregation Covenant Church were dissolved by the Presbytery of New York and New England in order to join together as Cornerstone Presbyterian Church.

Picture: John DeWaard