For 200 years, Oxford Presbyterian Church's history has been closely tied to that of Miami University. This year, the church is celebrating its bicentennial with a number of events and other initiatives.
When Robert Hamilton Bishop arrived in Oxford in 1824 to serve as Miami University’s first president, it didn’t take long for him to take on a second mission: reorganizing the community’s Presbyterian Church.
At the same time as he was leading the university through its early years, Bishop led regular services at the Oxford Presbyterian Church and helped establish it as a cornerstone of the community, beginning with a service on March 19, 1825.
Two hundred years later, members of the Oxford Presbyterian congregation are celebrating the church’s bicentennial year and looking back on the organization’s deep ties to both Miami and the Oxford community.
A long history with Miami and Oxford
Between Bishop’s first service in 1825 and today, the Presbyterian community in Oxford has undergone many iterations. Pastor Lawrence Bartel says the congregation describes itself today as forming from four separate Presbyterian congregations in Oxford throughout the past 200 years, though not all of those congregations existed at the same time.
The church as it exists today occupies two buildings: Memorial Presbyterian Church and the Oxford Theological Seminary building. The seminary opened its doors in 1838 and trained many Presbyterian ministers during its operation, while the Memorial building was constructed in 1925, in part to celebrate the church’s centennial.
Many of the most notable figures in Miami history have ties to the church. William Holmes McGuffey, a prominent professor and librarian, joined the Presbyterian church in 1826 and took turns preaching with other professors.The first seven Miami presidents were all Presbyterian ministers. John W. Scott, father of First Lady Caroline Scott Harrison, helped construct the First Church in the 1830s, and the Oxford Theological Seminary, which opened its doors in 1838, is still an important community gathering place today.
Multiple Miami presidents were also ministers. Phillip Shriver, who served as president from 1965 to 1981, literally wrote the book on the Oxford Presbyterian Church’s history for its 175th anniversary in 2000, along with Edith Foth Puff.
Bartel moved to Oxford to become the congregation’s pastor in 2016. He grew up in Ohio and was aware of Miami, but he’s learned much more about the connection between the church and the university since becoming a part of the community.
“I had no idea of the amazing life-giving connection and collaboration between Miami and Oxford Presbyterian Church,” Bartel said. “... I think it’s very much shaped by the community and the character of Miami.”
Playing an active role in Oxford
Today, The Oxford Presbyterian Church is active in several local initiatives to support the community.
The church has identified its local mission as eradicating systemic poverty in recent years. To help meet that goal, members of the congregation have helped lead efforts with Oxford Area Solutions for Housing (OASH), a nonprofit organization which has brought together government officials, faith communities, local businesses and others to fight housing insecurity in Oxford. OASH meets in the seminary building on the last Monday of each month.
Bartel said members of the congregation are active in other ways, too. Each week, bakers in the congregation also make muffins, rolls and other baked goods to donate to the Talawanda Oxford Pantry and Social Services.
“We really try to think of eradicating poverty on a systemic level, what can we do to make next week and next year better for our neighbors,” Bartel said, “and how can we make today and tomorrow better, as well.”
Oxford Presbyterian Church also partners with other denominations on initiatives like community meals, Good Friday services and student-oriented initiatives. “I believe we elevate each other, both for our impact and for our witness,” Bartel said.
For Ann Bader, the church has been an important community since her family moved to town in 1962 when she was just three. Her father was a deacon and an elder, and her family’s Scottish ancestry tied them to the church. In the past six decades, the church has been both a tie to the region’s history and a touchstone for Bader’s own family, she said.
“We got married here. My children were baptized here,” Bader said. “It’s a personal family connection, and preserving the past to learn from it is very critical to me … Here at the church, I feel like we’ve created a community that’s pretty dynamic, but it’s also home.”
Bader now serves as a sort of archivist for the church and has been involved with bicentennial planning efforts since 2023.
200-year celebrations
The congregation is celebrating 200 years with a number of events. A bicentennial service and kick-off luncheon will be held on March 16, complete with bagpipes and an original hymn by church members. Later in the year, the church will debut a choral anthem commissioned from a professional composer.
Members of the congregation are submitting an application for a historic marker in front of the Oxford Seminary Building, which opened in 1838. The Presbyterian faith has roots in Scotland, so the church has also worked with a Scottish company to create and register a unique Scottish tartan — plaid pattern — which will only be woven once.
One of the stripes on the tartar is green, a nod to the church’s commitment to sustainability, Bader said.
“Even our rummage sale is grounded in the fact that we’re recycling, reusing. We’re not throwing things away,” Bader said. “We’re also going to be planting two [bicentennial] trees.”
Other events to celebrate the congregation’s history will include a women’s brunch April 5 featuring a speaker from the Butler County Historical Society, a service at Hopewell Church near Hueston Woods on June 1 and a closing luncheon on Oct. 26. For more information on specific events and how to attend, visit the church’s website at oxfordpresbychurch.org or reach out to office@oxfordpresbychurch.org.
