Old First Presbyterian Church Receives City Honor on 100th Anniversary of Cornerstone, August 29, 2011.

Over eighty members and guests of Old First Presbyterian Church celebrated the 100th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of the present church building on August 29. The evening – full of history, camaraderie, food, music and fun – was capped by the appearance of the Honorable David Chiu, president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Chiu, also a Presbyterian, honored Old First Presbyterian Church with a Certificate of Honor from the Board of Supervisors which praised the church’s philanthropic work and the 100th anniversary of the building.

The evening began outside with a ceremony commemorating the original 1911 cornerstone ceremony. The program featured the Reverend Calvin Chinn from the San Francisco Presbytery; the Reverend James McDonald, PhD, president of San Francisco Theological Seminary and the Reverend Christine McSpadden, a canon of Grace Episcopal Cathedral.

Following the ceremony, the crowd gathered in the Fellowship Hall and heard a bit of the history of the church from our pastor, the Reverend Maggi Henderson, Stephen Taber, Chinn, and the Reverend Roger Hull, a former pastor of Old First Presbyterian Church. Roving throughout the hall in 1911 dress were members of the Greater Bay Area Costumers Guild as well as members of the church.

Thanks go to Betty Voris, Stephen Taber and all who helped make the event possible.