Who We Are
History of First Christian UCC
Our church has the oldest Christian congregation in Burlington,
NC. In 1884, Burlington was called Company Shops. It was so called because the
railroad needed a maintenance shop for its trains and tracks near the county
seat of Graham. The law sated that the maintenance yard had to be a certain
distance from the Courthouse.
As the settlement grew, the railroad saw the need for a place of worship for the men and women who had come to live there. So they built Union Church, the only church the railroad ever built. All denominations used it. From 1884 to 1893 the early members of First Christian Church worshipped there.
On February 18, 1884, a group of 18 people came together and signed a statement of principles marking the formal organization of the church. They continued to meet at Union Church. Then in October 1890, they decided to build their own church. A year passed while they collected money to start construction.
In September 1891 they started to build on a lot donated by B. A. Sellars. In December 1893, their church was dedicated. For the next 27 years the congregation worshipped in their building on the southeast corner of Church and Davis Streets. When the congregation outgrew their building, they began raising money for a new church.
In 1920, the new church building was dedicated. With the ranks of steep steps leading up to massive columns and four main front doors coupled with the dome, our church reminds one of early Greek and Roman architecture. Our church is the only one in town with main entrances on what were originally the two main roads into and out of Burlington.
Besides the dome, we take a lot of pride in and pleasure from the six Italian crafted stained glass windows which depict favorite Bible stories. They are over 88 years old and valued at over 1 million dollars.
Our doors are open to everyone. If you find the steps daunting, we have an elevator accessible from the parking lot, through the breezeway.
Welcome!
