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• First Presbyterian Church of Hudson embarks on building program

By Randy Hanson

The congregation of First Presbyterian Church of Hudson has an ambitious idea for celebrating the church's 150th anniversary.

When Dec. 22, 2005, arrives -- 150 years to the day from the founding of the church -- members hope to walk into a new 200-seat sanctuary, located on eight acres of property on Vine Street that was donated by the late Lester Jacobson.

The new church will be more family-friendly than the present building at the corner of Third and Orange streets, according to Tom Aitchison, chairman of the Building Work Group that is planning the construction.

Parishioners won't have to climb a single step to move from the sanctuary to the fellowship hall, the nursery or some other part of the new building. That will be a significant change from the present church in which "you can't go anywhere without going up and down stairs," Aitchison says.

The nursery of the old building is on the top floor of the Sunday school annex. The fellowship hall is in the basement. Worshippers must even ascend a stairway to reach the sanctuary.

The new building will feature a spacious and well-lit narthex, a large fellowship hall, plus a kitchen, library, youth room, music room, conference room and expanded restrooms, including a unisex restroom in which parents can assist their young children.

The idea is for a building that makes attending church more comfortable for both young families and the elderly.

The congregation won't leave the old church without some regret, however.

The stately brick structure of classic 19th century design has been its home since 1874. The Sunday school addition was competed in 1911.

The church's towering steeple, the tallest structure in old Hudson, is one of the things that catches your eye when you cross the I-94 bridge into the city from Minnesota.

"There are a lot of things that aren't wrong with it," Aitchison says of the old church. "For one thing, it's a beautiful sanctuary."

The congregation hopes to sell the old building to another church, but doesn't have a prospective buyer as of yet. Aitchison says another option might be to convert the building into a residential condominium.

Not all will be left behind when the congregation moves to the new building.

The large pipe organ built to order and set in place in 1902 will be relocated to the new sanctuary. The stained glass window above the west entrance to the old church also will be incorporated in the design of the new building. The church bell, too, will have a new home.

In addition, the beloved Fireside Room behind the sanctuary of the old church will serve as the inspiration for a similar room in the new building.

Lester Jacobson donated the eight acres on Vine Street to the church in 1990 with the stipulation that it be used for a new sanctuary. Before his death in 1992, Jacobson owned the property that is now the Jacobson Woods subdivision.

Aitchison says the congregation explored moving ahead with a building project in the early 1990s, but didn't.

In the fall of 2001, the present Building Work Group was formed to study whether to repair or remodel the existing church, or build a new one. Other current members of the work group are Mike Ganz, Vicky Erickson, Bill Willis, LuAnne Larson, Jean Ward, Rich Lindholm and Gary Griswold.

Mark Davy & Associates, a Minneapolis resource development firm, was contracted to study the feasibility of embarking on a building program. Aitchison says the firm found that there was ample support for building a new church and that the money needed to make it happen could be raised.

With that encouragement, the Building Work Group recommended construction of a new building.

The Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area authorized the church to go ahead with the project, as did the congregation in a unanimous vote.

Mark Davy & Associates also led a capital campaign on behalf of the church that raised $600,000, including pledges, for the $2 million project.

Elliot Architects of Hudson is working with the congregation on the design for the building. Langer Construction of South St. Paul, Minn., will be the general contractor.

The Rev. David Liddle is pastor of the congregation of about 200 members.

Presbyterian congregations are led by the pastor, who provides guidance in spiritual matters, and by a session, composed of ruling elders chosen by the congregation to represent the members in matters of government and discipline.

Aitchison says the government of the church is very democratic and doesn't prevent women from holding any church office. The church endorses cultural diversity, he adds, including in the styles of music that it incorporates in its worship services.

"We expect to grow with the new location and building," Aitchison says, noting that the sanctuary can be expanded to seat 300.

He adds, "Visitors will certainly be welcomed at the new church, but they don't have to wait that long. We want to encourage people to come and visit us at our current location, too."