UM celebrates latest development
On February 10, the congregation of the Evangelical United Methodist Church in Union City, Ohio dedicated its latest addition to a history that goes back to 1874. The dedication of the church's fellowship hall drew the presence of a bishop, reportedly the first time a church bishop has been to the Union City congregation.
Bishop Bruce Ough, of the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church, which includes almost 1,200 congregations, preached at a communion service of celebration.
The communion service of celebration was followed by a meal in the new hall, a meal catered by Dana Mote and served on real china.
The fellowship hall has been serving its dedicated purpose from the beginning. It provides handicapped access to the sanctuary level of the church. It is used for the Wednesday free meal program organized and manned by volunteers from various cooperating churches.
The Wednesday free meal is about much more than food. It is advertised as the community's "front porch" - a place to come for fellowship, the kind that used to happen between neighbors on front porches. The Wednesday meal has provided a way to strengthen community ties.
Continuing along the fellowship lines, the hall serves as a gathering place for refreshments between church and Sunday School. The hall provides a comforting place for funeral dinners, and families enjoy it for happier gatherings.
The Cub Scouts have used the fellowship hall for their Pinewood Derbies and their Blue and Gold banquets. The hall has been used for a daily summer program for children who are out of school.
Clyde and Alice Wise left funds to the church 10 years ago, primarily for youth programs. Surveying the beautiful facility, Bishop Ough urged congregation members to welcome the youth who use the facility, even if there is some rambunctiousness. The youth are the reason the fellowship hall was built.
The EUM Church in Union City, Ohio traces its roots to 1874. Then a Brethren congregation, the people purchased the first building in 1877 and moved it across Franklin Street to the present location. The church continued to grow through the years. In 1881 the congregation built an addition, and in 1887, it added an "infant Sabbath School" room.
In 1892, the congregation built a parsonage at 126 Sycamore and then a new church in 1907. The annex to the old building was removed, and the main building was moved to the rear of the lot, becoming Sunday School rooms, and the present sanctuary was added.
In 1914, two south classrooms were built, and a basement dining room and a kitchen was added, and the present parsonage was built next to the church. In the years 1924-1929, a new and larger dining room was built, and the heating system was improved. In 1948, the Christian education building was added. In 1961 the parsonage was moved to Cherry Street, the church was remodeled, and the heating system changed to oil.
The merger between the Evangelical United Brethren and the United Methodist Church came in 1968, and the congregation adopted the name Evangelical United Methodist Church.
The large donation from the Wises allowed the construction of a big room for programs and meals, a modern kitchen, and accessible bathrooms.
Some key donations allowed paying off some funds that had been borrowed to bring the fellowship hall to reality, and then the unencumbered facility was eligible for formal dedication.
-Peter King and Cynthia Aukerman
