The oldest Church in Savannah - of personal interest to LDS members

We attended the Independent Presbeterian Church in Savannah.  It is noteworthy for several reasons.  Firstly, it is the oldest church in Savannah and that it was formed in 1755 as the Presbyterian Church of Savannah for the Scotsmen who landed with James Oglethorpe in 1733.  The land was granted by King George II for a place of worship based on the Doctrines of the Church of Scotland.

It is was of particular note to me because the The noted composer of sacred music, Lowell Mason, was the organist of the Independent Presbyterian Church between 1815 and 1927. While Lowell was the organist, he set to music Bishop Reginald Heber’s hymn, “From Greenland’s Icy Mountains.” It was sung in this church for the first time in 1824.

Lowell Mason’s later well known compositions are “My Faith Looks up to Thee” and “Nearer, My God, to Thee” (1856).  The latter hymn is a favourite of mine.

More on this church to come.