Batesville Presbyterian Church

121 Eureka Street, Batesville, MS 38606; Phone (662) 563-3001

PC(USA) Founded 1841

Batesville Presbyterian Church was born in 1841 as a Southern Church called the Presbyterian Church in Panola. In the early days "circuit rider" ministers were shared with several churches including College Hill and Long Creek. From 1841-1887 a few widows tried to hold together the small membership of less than two dozen people. Occasionally services were held when a Presbyterian minister would visit. Sunday School was sometimes in the Methodist church and sometimes in the Baptist church. In 1855 the first sanctuary was built but was burned down by Federal troops during the Civil War.

In 1890 the Cumberland Presbyterians organized a church in Batesville and erected a sanctuary near the corner of Church and Eureka Streets. The Cumberland Church joined the Northern Church in 1906. For many years the Northern and Southern congregations shared the same building at our current location. The Northern Church held services on the second and fourth Sundays and the Southern Church held services on the first and third Sundays. Finally, in 1942, the two Presbyterian congregations in Batesville united to form one church called Batesville Presbyterian Church. We continued to expand the facilities and dedicated the current sanctuary in 1970.

More than a century after the Civil War the Northern and Southern branches of American Presbyterians followed our example and re-united to form the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in 1983. This is the denomination to which we now belong. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is currently the largest Presbyterian group in this country, with approximately 2.5 million members, 11,200 congregations and 21,000 ordained ministers. Batesville Presbyterian Church is today a congregation of nearly 300 members united in worship, study and service in the name of Jesus Christ.

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