History

Westminster Presbyterian Church of Gulfport got its start in 1956. Neighbors and friends of the Bayou View community began meeting for Sunday School in what is now our Fellowship Hall. Then, just four years later, on March 27, 1960, one hundred twenty-one charter members, six ruling elders, and eight deacons, along with the organizing pastor, Rev. Frank A. Brooks, Jr., met and signed formal documents identifying this congregation as the newest member of the Presbyterian denominational family. Five years after that, on October 31, 1965, we dedicated our new sanctuary, pipe organ and beautiful stained-glass windows. In September 1973 we completed work on the Christian Education Building, immediately south of the Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall. We dedicated our bell tower in March 1974 at the celebration of our fourteenth anniversary, and in the mid-1980s we added some additional space to the Fellowship Hall to accommodate our growth. A number of gifted pastors followed Rev. Brooks and have served our membership well through the years, including Rev. Albert "Shep" Crigler, III, Rev. August Schmitt, Jr., Rev. Carl Schlich, III, Rev. Robert Rovell, Rev. Richard Swayze, Rev. Roe Callaway, Rev. George Bendall, Rev. Andy Wells, and Rev. Will Shurley. Rev. Dr. Rhett Payne is currently serving as our interim pastor.