Our History
Suffolk Presbyterian Church is a historic church without a historic building.
The seventh Presbyterian church formed in the Tidewater area, it was organized on May 25, 1876.
In its first ninety years, the church built and outgrew three buildings on Bank Street near downtown. In 1962, a seven acre lot at the corner of N. Broad Street and Constance Road was purchased by the church and construction of the education portion of a planned new church began in 1964. The congregation occupied the new building in 1967.
Shortly thereafter the cultural turmoil of the late 1960’s resulted in a split in the congregation. Many of the members left to form the Westminster Reformed Presbyterian Church while a number of others moved to other churches in town. With the help of Norfolk Presbytery, the congregation was able to retain the building and began to attract new members.
After occupying this building since 1967, the church decided in 2024 that the effort necessary to maintain the building would be better used in supporting the missions of the church. The property was sold to TowneBank and the life of the church moved into rented space generously provided in the West End Baptist Church building on West Washington Street.
The real history of Suffolk Presbyterian Church, however, is in the worship and works of its people and not in its buildings. The following are highlights of the work of SPC over the past 50 years:
1978
1981
1987
2006
2008
In 1978, members of SPC founded Edmarc Hospice for Children, the first hospice in the United States specifically oriented to the needs of families with terminally ill children. This organization grew with the support of the national Presbyterian church and the whole Suffolk community and in 1984 spun off another organization, The Children’s Center, which focused on early childhood intervention. Both of these organizations still exist and are serving families throughout Southeastern Virginia.
​
In 1981, SPC first joined with West End Baptist Church for joint Holy Week Services. These joint services have continued to the present, sometimes joined by Oxford UMC.
​
In 1987, generous gifts from two members of SPC created the Brenda Beamon Willis and A.C. Volper scholarship trust funds administered by the church. Each year the church awards two year scholarships to deserving graduates of Suffolk public high schools.
​
In 2006, the Session of SPC approved participation in the ministry of The Living Waters for the World organization. This ministry installs water filtration systems in areas without access to clean water and trains local citizens to operate and maintain them. Teams from SPC have installed four systems in Guatemala and continue to support their operation through annual plant sales and fund drives.
​
In 2008, members of SPC worked with a Presbytery Task Force to administer and distribute $30,000 in donated funds to assist victims of the tornado which caused major damage in the Burnetts Mill area of Suffolk.
​
In addition the congregation and its members support a number of local missions and missions of the national church.