First Presbyterian Church Moving To Baxter After Over 100 Years In Downtown Brainerd

A church in downtown Brainerd is in the process of moving across town to Baxter. The First Presbyterian Church is exchanging buildings with the Halvorson-Johnson Funeral Chapel on Excelsior Drive.

The church is moving due to a decreasing number of attendees and not being able to fill up their church, which can hold over 300 people. They worked out a deal with Halvorson-Johnson who was in need of a bigger space to accommodate services for patrons who are without a church home. The congregation is looking forward to a smaller space, but it will be a huge change for the church that has had a home in downtown Brainerd for over a hundred years.

“The church has been here a long time and has a long history in this location downtown. We have been on a block down here since about 1889. So, it’s a struggle because people emotionally are connected to it. A lot of people got married here, had their kids baptized here and so it’s just a change,” said Mark Ford, the pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Brainerd.

The church will have their last service at their current location on Sunday, November 4 and have their first service in their new location on Sunday, November 11.