Faith The Spiritual Side

Finding your place of worship

BY RENEE ROBERSON

Places of worship are an important part of our community, and many have taken root throughout the towns over the years.

Most of the early European settlers here in the 1770s were Scots-Irish or Scottish. History has it that one of the oldest churches in the Lake Norman area began when a group of Christians gathered on the bank of a creek under a bank of trees they called “Ramah Grove.” While the first log structure housing the church was constructed in 1783, the current sanctuary used for Ramah Grove Presbyterian Church was built in 1881. The church still stands today. Hopewell Presbyterian Church off Beatties Ford Road in Huntersville also has a rich history, having been officially founded in 1762. Davidson College Presbyterian Church was founded in 1837.

In Cornelius, Bethel Presbyterian Church was founded in 1828 and still flourishes in the lakeside town as part of the Presbyterian movement called ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians. The community is also home to Grace Covenant Church, which started out as Cornelius Tabernacle under the leadership of Dr. S.K. and Emily Clanton in 1937. Grace Covenant now serves approximately a few thousand parishioners through services at three different campuses; 17301 Statesville Road, Cornelius, 531 N. Greenbriar Road, Statesville and 296 N. Hwy. 16 in Denver.

Serving both the Davidson and Huntersville communities, Lake Forest Church is a member of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church denomination.

Freedom to worship all types of denominations is alive and well here. You’ll also find The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Davidson is home to the Davidson Friends Meeting

House for the Quaker Community and Temple Kol Tikvah, serving the Jewish community.

To help accommodate the growth brought on by the construction of Lake Norman, St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Mooresville raised funds for the building that still stands today from the early 1960s. You’ll find St. Mark Catholic Church in Huntersville and St. Therese Catholic Church in Mooresville.

For those who prefer a more contemporary form of worship, there’s also a variety of non-denominational churches spread throughout the area, such as Elevation Church, Journey Church, Newsong Church, LIFE Fellowship Church and many others.

These houses of worship are only the beginning of a very long list – because no matter where you prefer to seek out spiritual comfort, you’re sure to find what your soul desires in the towns of Lake Norman.