Encyclopedia Of Detroit
Ecumenical Theological Seminary
In 1816, Governor Lewis Cass asked Rev. John Monteith to serve the Protestants in predominately Roman Catholic Detroit. The group of Protestants originally met in the Detroit Council House at Jefferson and Randolph Streets. They were known as the First Protestant Society, later organized as a Presbyterian congregation in 1826. Land was purchased on the corner of Woodward Avenue and Edmund Place and the church, designed and built by the Detroit architectural firm of George Mason and Zachariah Rice, was built in 1889. When Woodward was widened in 1936, the elaborately carved entrance porch was moved from the Woodward façade to the Edmund Place side. Membership declined after World War II and in 1990, the church merged with Westminster Presbyterian located at the intersection of Hubbell Street and West Outer Drive.
The Sanctuary of the Richardsonian Romanesque building contains three special stained glass windows. In the center of the south balcony is a Tiffany window, “John of Patmos.” To the left is “The Good Tidings,” installed in 1892 to commemorate Rev. John Monteith’s founding sermon. In the west balcony is the “Flames of Fire,” a large circular window that symbolizes the Day of Pentecost, executed by the Detroit Stained Glass Company.
In 1992, The Ecumenical Theological Center leased the First Presbyterian Church for use as a seminary. The Seminary, founded in 1980, provides education for ministry that is grounded in the Christian tradition, while also welcoming interfaith dialogue. It offers programs for Doctor of Ministry, Masters Level, a certificate in Theological Studies, and an Urban Ministry Diploma. In 2002, the Presbytery of Detroit gave the Ecumenical Theological Seminary the building, land, and endowments of the Church.
RELATED ITEMS IN THE COLLECTION
