Look for the tall, narrow gray spire rising high above a dramatic red brick church with arched windows and a large circular rose window on its main facade-it’s right ahead, sitting proudly at the corner.
Standing in front of this grand building, imagine the sharp ring of church bells bouncing off the red brick and granite foundation. Built in 1884, this Gothic Revival church has watched over Lynchburg for generations-its rose windows glowing in the morning sun, casting colorful patches on the steps where folks from all walks of life have gathered for nearly a century and a half. In the 1920s, a local architect named Stanhope S. Johnson added a Sunday School annex, careful not to let the new kid outshine the old sanctuary. Of course, like any grand old building, a bit of a makeover happened in 1941, giving the inside a brand-new chancel-because, who doesn’t like to shake things up after 55 years? It was home to Lynchburg’s oldest Baptist congregation, founded in 1815, but don’t let the history fool you: the story’s not finished yet. In 2024, the church became home to the Church of the Good Shepherd, a growing Anglican congregation who started meeting here in 2022, filling the space with new voices and stories.
