First Presbyterian Church Taos NM

Mission

To be a church that loves and serves all people

Vision

We are the church; we are the body of Christ, so… We worship him In joy-filled proclamation of his word In music that both comforts and inspires In varieties of worship gatherings Always around a table where all are welcome

We learn more about him In studying scripture to inform and mature our faith In spiritual education for young though not so young In equipping all to do the work of Christ In providing lifelong teaching/learning/fellowship opportunities

We follow him In demonstrating the liberating power of the Gospel in our life each day In feeding, clothing, comforting and healing any in need; locally and globally In welcoming with love the stranger, the lonely and the bereaved In providing a meeting place of caring and acceptance for our greater Taos community

We best serve Christ by loving all!

 

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Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)  

http://www.firstpresbyteriantaos.com/  

 

 

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The first Presbyterian Church of Taos was first organized in 1872

The history of the First Presbyterian Church in Taos begins in 1868. In that year representatives of the Ladies’ Missionary Society of New York traveled to the Theological Seminary in Alleghany, Pennsylvania to recruit a missionary to serve the Navaho Indians of Arizona and New Mexico. James Madison Roberts was called to this mission and late in 1868 he and his new bride Martha took their wedding trip across the plains. They traveled by train guarded by cavalry soldiers to the western border of Kansas where the railroad tracks ended. A stagecoach, also guarded by soldiers, brought them safely to Santa Fe. After a short stay in Santa Fe, they went on to Fort Defiance, Arizona to begin their ministry among the Navahos.

The young couple was quartered in a small adobe house with dirt floors and a fireplace for a stove. Mr. Roberts had no knowledge of the Navaho language, and it was slow work earning the confidence of the natives. The presence of American soldiers at the fort did not help the missionary very much as they did not appreciate the influence that the Roberts were slowly exerting over the Indians. Trouble eventually arose, and a U.S. Indian Agent reported to Roberts that there was a plot to kill him, his wife, and their two children. He was advised to leave the fort. He did so immediately and returned to Santa Fe.

The Roberts was preparing to return to Ohio when he was approached by a group of Taosenos who requested that he come to Taos to preach the Gospel. The Taosenos who invited the Roberts to come to Taos were the remnant of the apostatic church formed by Padre Antonio Martinez after Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy excommunicated him from the Catholic Church in 1858. Following Padre Martinez’ death in 1867 the church had been earnestly looking for a new pastor and Roberts answered this call. The First Presbyterian Church was officially established on November 15, 1874. Its charter members were: Vincente Romero, Jose Mondragon, Maria Mondragon, Martha Roberts, and Joaquin Sandoval. At this time and for many years thereafter the services were conducted in Spanish.

Pastor Roberts and his wife started a school in their home teaching English to interested natives, and Hispanos. The greater Presbyterian Church at this time had become interested in this sort of educational activity through the efforts of Mary Pyle of Cincinnati, Ohio. The Presbyterial Society, of which she was president, undertook the support of Pastor Roberts missionary activities in Taos.

It does not know exactly when the construction of the First Presbyterian Church of Taos was completed, but the cornerstone was laid in Lomas Plaza in 1882. Shortly after the completion of the church, a mission school was built nearby in which primary and elementary grades were taught.

The early Presbyterian Mission School filled a real need in the community. At that time the public school system was rather inadequate and the early public school teachers lacked training. Also, the county was unable to compensate them satisfactorily. The Mission School teachers who came mainly from New England states were well-trained, young, dedicated individuals who were willing to devote their energies and affections to this mission. The school was closed in 1916.

174 names appear on the Roll of Membership from 1874-1900, with the exception of 17 all are Spanish. In the early days, session meetings were held at the homes of one of the members or at the Taos Mission House. Often the setting for big dinners, box suppers, meetings, and various community entertainments, the church served as a hospital during the World War I influenza epidemic. The interior of the Taos edifice gained distinction when in 1924 Blanche C. Grant, Taos artist and writer, painted life-sized murals of scenes from the Holy Land on the walls. Considerable publicity was given to this work, and tourists were encouraged not to leave Taos without viewing the murals. Mabel Dodge Luhan’s marriage to Antonio Lujan from the Taos Pueblo on April 17, 1923, is recorded in the church’s register of marriages. Andrew Dasburg, noted Taos modernist painter, is reported as an official witness to the ceremony.

In 1941 the congregation for the first time actively discussed the prospects of constructing a new church building. In July of that year Famed Santa Fe architect and the progenitor of the Pueblo Revival School of Architecture, John Gaw Meems, was contacted. Church member and famed Taos Society of Artists founder Bert Phillips agreed to donate one of his original paintings as payment for the building plans prepared by Mr. Meems. Due to the declarations of war, plans for constructing the new church were shelved for the duration of the war. In 1946 the church purchased property in the Taos Canyon, at which its church camp Loma Verde was built.

On March 5, 1950, the congregation voted to apply for a grant of $2000 and a loan of $7000 from the Board of National Missions for the construction of a new church. Soon afterward a meeting of the congregation was called to discuss the possible sale of the old church properties. In due course, the properties were sold to the Taos Municipal Board of Education for the sum of $20,000. A building committee was then established and under the direction of architect Meems, construction of the new church began in 1951. When completed and dedicated on June 22, 1952, the total cost of construction was approximate $50,000.

Located on Paseo del Norte, approximately a half mile north of the Taos Plaza, the church was built on property formerly owned by the enigmatic Arthur Manby. The church sanctuary, as well as the education building, completed in 1964, are constructed in authentic Pueblo Revival style architecture, for which John Gaw Meems was so famous. This style of architecture is the only indigenous style on the North American continent, incorporating three elements: pre-Columbian, Spanish and modern utility. Its sanctuary is a splendid example of early mission-style architecture with its high ceilings, vigas, corbels, candles, and choir loft with the carved stairway.

When the educational building was completed in 1964 at a cost of $60,000 it was specifically dedicated to be of utility to the community at large. From that date to the present the facility was made available to scores of community organizations in need of a meeting space. During the 1960’s the church became very involved in special ministries throughout the region, including unique efforts to promote better relations between members of the various communes existing at that time and the Taos community at large.

Due to a vacancy in the pulpit at Ranchos de Taos Presbyterian Church and a significant cut in funding from the National Missions Board, the Ranchos and First Presbyterian churches in 1971 made the decision to pool resources and procure a minister who would serve both congregations. In December of that year, the first minister was called and began serving both congregations. This arrangement continues to today.

In the current era, the church and its members continue in the rich tradition of service to God and to the community. Its members earnestly endeavor to reflect God’s love for his people individually, and corporately as the First Presbyterian Church of Taos.