Welcome back to another episode of five minutes in church history. On this episode, I am once again on location in colonial Williamsburg in Virginia.

Last time we were together, we were outside of Bruton Parish Church, a congregation that was founded

an Anglican congregation that was founded in 1674. Williamsburg was founded as a town in 1638 and of course

Jamestown was the original capital but in 1699 the capital of the colony was moved to here.

And it held that capital all the way until 1781, during the Revolutionary War,

it was deemed that Richmond would be a safer place.

Well, we are interested in the year 1765, in fact, a date in 1765.

On June 17,

1765, a group of 17 men got together and petitioned the court here in Williamsburg. This is what they requested. We intend to make use of a house in the city of Williamsburg,

situated on part of a lot belonging to Mr George Davenport as a place for the public worship of God

according to the Protestant dissenters of the Presbyterian denomination.

Well, this is an Anglican colony.

The Anglican Church is the established church,

and these 17 Presbyterians wanted an authorized legal Presbyterian church to be established.

They actually added a PS to it and the PS was this as we are unable to obtain a settled minister we

intend this place at present only for occasional worship when we have opportunity to hear any legally qualified minister.

Well the city of Williamsburg granted their requests, they established their church,

it was just a small little modest meeting house as they mentioned they're not even able to have a settled minister

I walked it off and it measures about 22 feet by 36 feet and in this very simple meeting house these Presbyterians met.

Remember how Paul ends Romans by listing off a number of people, well, here are 17 names.

William Smith, John Connolly,

Walter Lennox, James Holdcroft, Robert Nicholson,

...