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we are born
Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton had no idea that they would be the reason behind the birth of a Presbyterian church in the city of Baltimore, Maryland. Both brilliant men, they served together in the first cabinet of our country's first president, George Washington- Jefferson as Secretary of State and Hamilton as Secretary of the Treasury. Although they served together, these two brilliant men agreed on very little, their opinions at polar ends on the hot issues of the day. To put it simply, Hamilton a Federalist, attracted merchants, bankers, manufacturers, and believed in a powerful central government with "implied" powers. Jefferson maintained favor among farmers, mechanics, artisans, and small business owners adhering to a strict interpretation of the Constitution with a central government of limited powers. The presidential election of 1800 proved bitter and fractional. Jefferson, the Democratic-Republican candidate, defeated the Federalist President John Adams by 8 electoral college votes and then withstood 36 ballots in the House before breaking a tie with fellow partyman, Aaron Burr, who became his vice-president.
A divisive time in our country's history.
We are a church born of that division.
The First Presbyterian Church of Baltimore needed a new pastor in 1803. The congregation elected Dr. James Inglis, a former law student who had worked for Alexander Hamilton. The dissenters in this pastoral election wee so disgruntled and dissatisfied at the outcome, that they could not bring themselves to accept the decision and approached the other minister who had been in the running, Dr. John Glendy, a man closely associated with President Thomas Jefferson. They asked him if he might be interested in leading the flock of a second Presbyterian church in Baltimore. He agreed on one condition - this dissenting flock would have to actually build a new church for him to preach in.
The new congregation agreed and thus, on August 9,1803, Dr. John Glendy was received into the fellowship of the local Presbytery and the official existence of the Second Presbyterian Church of Baltimore, Maryland was formally Acknowledged. Our church family was born.