HUDSON MEMORIAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

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On June 1, 1956, the Presbyterian Urban Council of Raleigh (PCUR) paid $10,000 for five acres of land on Six Forks Road, five miles from downtown Raleigh, for the building of a Presbyterian Church.  In recent years, as part of Hudson’s Matthew 25 commitment, we have learned some of the history of the land our church sits on.  In the 19th and early 20th century the land was a part of the 500-acre Wake County Poor Farm.  We continue to do research on this farm and on the people who lived, worked and died on the land.

 

On January 13, 1957, the first meeting was held for those interested in starting a Presbyterian church. Services and Sunday school began to be held at Millbrook and Aldert Root Schools. On October 27, 1957, Hudson Memorial Presbyterian Church was born with sixty charter members.  The church is named after Karl G. Hudson, Sr. whose family generously donated the brick for Presbyterian buildings all over North Carolina.

 

Education and faith formation has always been an important aspect of Hudson’s ministry.  The first building erected in 1959 was not a sanctuary but a Christian education building we now call Geneva Hall.  The early church leadership saw a need in Wake County for a school for children who had Down Syndrome and other special needs.  What is now called the Frankie Lemmon School was birthed at Hudson in 1965.  It was named after the youngest child of our first minister, Frank Lemmon. Today, the school is flourishing with its own building near Wake Med Hospital off New Bern Avenue.  In 1966, Hudson Memorial Preschool was born. After 58 years, early childhood education is still enthusiastically provided on our campus for 153 children by 36 teachers.

 

Hudson has always had a heart for living out their faith with acts of service.  To that end, the church was a part of the first Habitat for Humanity build in Wake County in 1983.  The church was the birthplace of the Raleigh Ringers Handbell choir.  Staff and members have always valued the ecumenical relationships with other churches along Six Forks Road.  This group of churches not only worship together twice a year, their clergy go to lunch on a monthly basis, and in 2006 they came together to start North Raleigh Ministries to help individuals and families who are financially vulnerable.

 

In recent years, we have we have had two major capital campaigns to upgrade our facilities so they continue to be useful for ministries, to neighbors, and groups that need space to meet.  We have two labyrinth prayer walks on the campus and a beautiful memorial garden with a new sculpture called Port by North Carolina earth-caster Thomas Sayre. 

 

Our building continues to be open to serve community groups like Al-Anon, Ala-teen, Ala-kid, Adult Children of Alcoholics, the Boy Scouts, American Pilgrims on the Camino Raleigh chapter, hobby and charity groups, foster parent training and we are a polling station for elections. We are discovering our continued calling as a Matthew 25 congregation with a Hunger Action commitment and we annually participate in the Wake County Habitat for Humanity Interfaith builds.

 

Hudson’s mission is to know, love and serve God in Jesus Christ.  To that end, we are committed to transformative worship, engaging faith formation, attentive congregational care, inclusive fellowship and active outreach.