4124 Taylor Road - First Christian Church of Punta Gorda

In January of 1976, Harry Thomas and Virgil Felton presented the messages. An article

appeared in the Herald on March 13, 1976 that read:

“Church Formed. The formal organization of a congregation to be known as The First Christian Church of Punta Gorda will take place during the morning worship services on March 14, 1976 at the Community Building in the Municipal Trailer Park as temporary quarter

Joe Douthett was called to the ministry and preached his first sermon on June 20, 1976. 

Church attendance grew over the next few years led by Joe.  

A five acre parcel of land on Taylor Road was donated to the Church by Curtis and Thelma

Duncan. The groundbreaking for the new church home was on September 9, 1979. The new

building would consist of a sanctuary with a seating capacity of 280, baptistry, four

classrooms, kitchen, minister’s office, and restrooms. Services were first held in the new

building on September 28, 1980. Church dedication was held Sunday, December 7, 1980.

Church attendance continued to grow and more classrooms were added in 1985.

Under Joe’s leadership, our church moved from meeting in homes of members to a beautifuland inviting building where we could worship and praise God.  

Dwight Elam preached his trial sermon on January 16, 2005. The congregation voted and

Dwight answered the call to serve. His first Sunday as our minister was on May 29, 2005.

The church continued to grow and a Fellowship Hall was considered necessary. The

groundbreaking for the second building was on July 21, 2013. The Fellowship Hall has been a

blessing for us providing a meeting place for Bible Study, monthly potluck dinners, social

events, book discussions, and movies.

Dwight and his wife, Becky, served our church for over 18 wonderful years. On December 19,

2023, Dwight unexpectedly passed away after a very brief illness. We not only lost our

minister, but also a beloved friend.

Gary Webster stepped in as our interim minister immediately. He understood that we needed

time to grieve our loss and process the necessary steps forward. The congregation voted for

Gary to be our new minister and he accepted on July 1, 2024. We look forward to Gary’s

leadership for our spiritual growth in the future.

Website:  First Christian Church of Punta Gorda, FL.

25250 Airport Road - First Presbyterian Church

 

The First Presbyterian Church of Punta Gorda now sits on Airport Road across from the current location of the Masonic Lodge of Punta Gorda.  Ironically, it was in the original masonic hall in downtown Punta Gorda that the church was organized on October 13, 1895.  This year the congregation will celebrate its 125th anniversary.  

Construction of the first church building began in December of 1900 on Harvey Street across from where the City Hall now stands on land purchased from Isaac Trabue.  It was dedicated on April 14, 1901 with Clarence H. Ferran as the first minister.  

For sixty years, the old wood-frame church building served the community, surviving at least two major hurricanes in 1921 and 1926, when almost all buildings in Punta Gorda sustained damage. Then on September 10, 1960 Hurricane Donna hurled into the city and ripped the steeple from the church and damaged the building beyond repair. A year later a new modern church was built at the same location on Harvey.