and Still a "Light" to Our Community

The Rev. J.N. Lee tied his horse-drawn buggy to one of the tall pine trees that surrounded the small blue school house, wiped away the perspiration that had formed on his brow on a warm August morning and joined the group of people waiting for him inside. No one seems to know why the school house was painted blue, but all agree that it was located at the corner of what is now Florida Avenue and Main Street. The date was August 31, 1890 and Rev. Lee had traveled from Ft. Meade where he was the pastor of Christ's Church, to lead the first church service in the frontier town of Avon Park, Florida.

The original church building was erected in 1893 and the familiar white picket fence was added. A general subscription from the people who settled Avon Park was received to pay for the structure, which stands today as the oldest church in continuous use in the Lower Ridge area of Florida. As Avon Park grew and prospered the church was enlarged and stained glass windows were installed. In 1948, the sanctuary was made more worshipful by the addition of a chancel with a rose nativity window executed in stained glass. A memorial steeple was raised in 1951 in memory of two prominent citizens of the community - C. Parke Anderson and Charles H. Shepherd. This steeple contains a stained glass window in the form of a cross which shows the symbols of the crucifixion and is of unsurpassed beauty when illuminated at night. In 1958, an Educational Building was added and the Fellowship Hall was built. And addition to the Educational Building was dedicated in 1988. The carillon bells which chime on the hour were installed in 1990.

The early settlers built the old Union Church to be a house of worship for all citizens of the town, no matter the faith or creed in which they had been reared. This desire for a free fellowship in Christ is set forth in the following paragraph taken from the original charter: "The government of this church is vested in the members who compose it. It acknowledges the leadership of Christ and receives the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament as the only infallible guide in matters of faith, order and discipline. Its control of its own affairs according to its understanding of God's Word, is independent; its majority vote is final, and it is not under the authority of any ecclesiastical body."

Our invitation to all who are weary and need rest, to all who are lonely and want fellowship, to all who mourn and need comfort, to all who pray and to all who do not, but ought; to all who sin and need a Savior; and to whosoever will...this church opens wide the door, and says in the name of the Lord Jesus, WELCOME.