Our Heritage
The earliest beginnings of Sugar Creek Presbyterian Church can be traced to the frontier town of Lexington, KY. It was 1790 when the Reverend Adam Rankin of Mt. Zion Church, whose opinions leaned toward the wealthy slave holders, preached a sermon so offensive to the abolitionists that half of his congregation arose and left, never to return. This group wrote to Scotland for a spiritual leader, and on April 23, 1799 installed the Reverend Robert Armstrong as their pastor. Still greatly troubled by the continued practice of slavery, they migrated en masse to Greene County, in the newly-formed state of Ohio. So it was, that on September 2, 1804, Sugar Creek was officially organized, first as the joint congregation of Sugar Creek and Massie's Creek, and in 1811 separating to be the Sugar Creek congregation located on Upper Bellbrook Road on the present site of the Pioneer Cemetery. From 1832 to 1871 the second house of worship was located on Feedwire Road near Wilmington Pike. The third house of worship was built at the present site in 1871 and sustained damage twice by tornadoes in 1884 and 1886. The spirit of the congregation remained strong, and extensive remodeling was completed in 1901. Their faith was tested once again when, on April 23, 1911, the church was struck by lightening and burned to the ground. From those ashes was built the present structure, dedicated to the glory of God on June 22, 1913. On September 10, 1997, fire struck again damaging the sanctuary and destroying the basement below it. The congregation once again rose to the challenge, redesigning the church to meet the needs of generations to come.
