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McIlwain began as a Sunday School
outpost of the First Presbyterian Church of Pensacola, begun in 1903 to get
sound Bible teaching to children in the East Hill area of town. The Sunday School prospered,
and soon the need for a new church was
recognized. Officially
established in 1911, it was originally called the “Knox Presbyterian
Church.” As the next few
years passed, the church grew in numbers and ministry until a new sanctuary
was a must. But times were hard
and money was scarce, and the beautiful architect’s plans would only have
existed on paper, until God supplied in an unusual way.
Dr. William E. McIlwain had served as
pastor from 1917 to 1923, and the church remained close to his heart. His wife, Harriet Saunders McIlwain, was the widow of E.E.
Saunders, a local businessman in Pensacola’s lumber industry. Mrs. McIlwain stepped forward and generously donated a major portion
of the funds needed. Construction
began, but as the building neared completion, there was another shortfall. Again she responded with a sacrificial gift.
In grateful appreciation, the congregation voted to change its name
in order to permanently reflect how God had done the impossible and brought
himself the glory.
McIlwain was one of the original
churches that helped begin the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) in 1973. Today the same desire to worship and serve the God of the
Bible is part of our essential identity.
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