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The Church Building
The history of our current church reaches back to 1863 when the
Methodist Episcopal Church started a permanent group, which met in the old
courthouse. Their first building was dedicated in 1871. The church grew and
another building was built and outgrown before the present structure at 15th
& Miller Streets was dedicated in 1895. Many changes have been required by
congregations which continued to grow. A basement was dug in 1937 and fitted
with a kitchen and dining room; in 1952 an addition was added to the west
side of the church for a larger kitchen & dining room, pastor's study,
secretary's office, furnace room, rest rooms and class rooms; at this time
the basement was converted to classrooms. Projects have kept the building
updated and active through the years.
Music in the Church
Music has always been an important part of worship to the congregation,
but the KIND of music has taken many forms. In the early years a "parlor
organ" was given to the church, but older members offered serious objections
to using the organ in worship services for several years! During this time a
"pitch" was given by one of the men singers to start the singing. Finally a
small organ was allowed to be used for church services. A pipe organ was
installed in 1902, at that time it required some active boys to do the
pumping behind the scene! Later it was converted to water power and finally
to electricity, but was replaced in 1950 with a new electric organ with
chimes. There were various orchestras organized to play for the early Sunday
Schools. The first choir started as a quartet, and others were added as the
church grew. Several weddings resulted from romances among the choir
members. We can't guarantee the same results, but our chancel choir has a
good time singing for worship and performing two cantatas each year.
Everyone is invited to join them. We also have hand bell choirs for adults
and youth to ring out with joy.
The large church bell was a familiar sound in the early years to call people
to church. It was also used during funerals to toll the number of years the
person had lived. The bell was silent for many years as the tower fell into
disrepair, but in the early 1990's the steeple was rebuilt and the bell is
again heard on Sunday mornings.
Small Groups in the Church
Many groups have been active in the Church over the years. The first
Sunday School class were organized in 1871, and we still offer several
choices of classes for all ages. The first organized women's group was the
Ladies Aid Society, started in 1882 to "assist in social and charitable
programs and to help meet the needs of the Sunday School and Church". At
that time it was the only such group in Bethany and members of other
denominations also attended. Although the name has changed many times before
it's current "United Methodist Women", the work and support have remained
constant. The women are still a very active part of our church, and work in
several small groups.
The youth of our church and others began attending Epworth League in 1892,
as it too was the only one of it's kind in Bethany. Then as now, they spent
time and energy learning Christian principles by working to help others. In
1939 the name changed to Methodist Youth Fellowship. Now they are back to an
ecumenical group as our youth meet together with the youth of the Christian
Church.
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