June 5 Today in OPC History

On the Lord's Day of June 5, 1977, Westminster Presbyterian Church in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania started worship services led by Mr. Mark Brown. Mr. Brown had begun a Bible study centered on the Reformed doctrine of predestination the previous summer in his parent's home. The group continued meeting once a month while Mr. Brown finished up his senior year at Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia.

Mr. Brown was ordained on June 2, 1978, and then called and installed as pastor on January 20, 1980. By that summer, the congregation moved into a new building, which was dedicated in November 1980.

In the years that followed, Westminster Church became known for its benevolence in giving to Worldwide Outreach and the Thank Offering in supporting the ministries of the OPC. Its heart for home missions was also seen in helping to start Reformation OPC in nearby State College with a son of the Westminster congregation, Jeremiah Montgomery, serving as its pastor.

Forty-one years after the original worship service, Mr. Brown retired as pastor of Westminster Church.

Picture: Four generations of Browns at Westminster Church on June 7, 1992. From left to right, Russell, Mark, Luke, and Charles Brown.