119 West Main Street, Fairfield, TX 75840 | (903) 389-4272 | Fairfield.Harmony@gmail.com
A History of Fairfield-Harmony Presbyterian Church
The Fairfield Presbyterian Church was organized on June 4, 1852 prior to this date Fairfield Presbyterian were members of the New Hope Congregation of Fraser Presbytery, a part of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Since they were a great distance away from their place of worship, the Fairfield group agreed to form a congregation to be known as the “Fairfield Congregation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.” From this beginning, the story of Presbyterians in Fairfield, Texas can be told in six chapters:
Chapter One (1852 -1915): The Cumberland Presbyterian Church
The first building, erected near Ivy’s store, was destroyed by fire in 1895. The congregation rebuilt and dedicated a new sanctuary that same year, only to see it destroyed by a tornado on May 18, 1902. An effort to build yet another church building failed, and the Fairfield congregation went without a sanctuary of their own for 34 years. During this time, they worshipped mainly with the Methodists.
Chapter Two (1876-1908): The Associate and Reformed Presbyterian Church
In 1876, Harmony Presbyterian Church of Stewards Mill was organized as an Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP). Up to that time, Presbyterians had been meeting in people’s homes for almost 20 years. In 1908, the ARP Synod of the South certified its congregations in Texas to the United Presbyterian Church.
The Harmony congregation was among these becoming a UPC Church until 1936 when it, along with the Fairfield Church, would become part of the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS).
Chapter Three (1915-1932): The Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.
On October 27, 1915 Presbyterians in Fairfield met with a representative from the Waco Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. and were organized as a congregation of that denomination. Session minutes of that date record:
“We deem it proper here to state that this congregation has an indefinite time practically in a disorganized state…. It is quite in evidence that during much of this time there has been preaching… and a laudable purpose to more thoroughly enter upon the duties of congregation lie.”
They did not succeed in building a sanctuary during this period.
Chapter Four (1932-1936): The United Presbyterian Church
By 1932, the Reverend J. Walter Simpson, pastor of Harmony Church at Stewards Mill, was also preaching for the Presbyterians in Fairfield. The Fairfield Presbyterians were still meeting with the Methodists, and providing a worship leader on certain Sundays. Rev. Simpson took action to reorganize the Fairfield congregation as part of the United Presbyterian Church – the denomination of which the Harmony congregation had been a part since 1908.
Chapter Five (1936-1983): The Presbyterian Church in the United States
In April of 1935, congregational meetings were called at the Eureka, Harmony, and Fairfield churches for the purpose of voting to transfer to the “Southern” church – the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS). The Fairfield church was enrolled in the Central Presbytery of the PCUS. By 1936, a brick sanctuary at the corner of Main and Harmon Streets was built and occupied.
On May 24, 1959 Harmony Presbyterian Church of Stewarts Mill merged with the Fairfield congregation. Recognizing both traditions, the united congregation was renamed Fairfield-Harmony Presbyterian Church.
The historic Harmony Church located in Steward’s Mill dates back to 1876 and is basically unchanged from the time of its construction and still used as a community center and a place of worship. Each year, the Fairfield-Harmony congregation holds occasional “Heritage Sunday” worship services, along with an outdoor picnic and fellowship, as a way of remembering the early Saints who, through strong faith and an unwavering devotion, helped establish the traditions of Presbyterianism in Freestone County and the surrounding region.
Chapter Six (1983-Present) The Presbyterian Church U.S.A.
In 1983, the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS) and the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (UPCUSA) reunited, forming the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. (PCUSA). The two denominations had been separate since the Civil War.
Not long after this time, the congregation began to consider replacing the old Manse next door to the sanctuary with a completely new building that would contain offices, classrooms, a Fellowship Hall, and kitchen. In 1999, ground was broken on this new building. Through the selfless dedication of Elder Ed Smith and members of the congregation who gave their time and labor, the 6000 square foot building was completed and dedicated on March 4, 2001.
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