Historial Information-Anniversary Directory 1957
Pastors Serving Greene Street Church
Old Greene Street. M.E. Church, Landmark in City
Historical Sketch (copied from Greene Street Anniversary Directory -1807-1957)
Methodist in Ohio had its beginning in 1797 when Francis McCormick crossed the Ohio river from Kentucky and organized a Methodist Class near Milford, Ohio. John Kobler joined him in 1798 and they journeyed north along the Miami river and Mad river valleys. This circuit was known as the Mad River Circuit, of which Piqua was a part.
The Methodist church in Piqua was born in the fall of 1807 on what is now Broadway, near the junction of River Street and Broadway. Here, in the home of Casper Hendershott, thirteen devout pioneers met to organize the first Methodist class in Piqua.
After eight years of meeting in members' homes the group grew in numbers and strength, and began to search for a permanent church home. In 1815 they constructed, by subscriptions, a log structure on two acres of ground donated by John Johnston and Richard Winans. The first church was near what is now known as Johnston's Cemetery. Any denomination was permitted to us it for religious services and it was also used for school purposes.
In 1818 two years after Piqua was disconnected from the Mad River Circuit, the original log structure was replaced by a brick building on the same ground.
In 1823 the members, in their Quarterly Conference, began planning for a new church home. For $30 they bought half of Lot No. 24 in the original plot of Piqua, which was on the west side of Spring Street between Ash & High Streets. Contractor and builder John B. Davis built the 36' by 40' structure at a cost of $650. The date of completion was June 1, 1824.
The first Sunday School class in Piqua met in the Spring Street building in 1828 but was soon discontinued. A Methodist Sunday School began in 1832 with Henry Kitchen as the first superintendent. The outstanding feature of the Sunday School was its library. Since there was no town library at the time, many townspeople used the Sunday School library.
Notable changes in custom and discipline have taken place during the years of Methodist history in Piqua. In the pioneer days the men sat on one side of the church and the women on the other. Early Methodist were easily recognized by their dress, especially the ministers. The drab, broad-brimmed hat, coat with stand-up collar, knee pants, long stockings, knee buckles and saddle bags were so much a part of the Methodist itinerant preacher that there was much opposition to overcome before they were discarded by the ministers. The women, too, were plainly dressed and were warned against such worldly apparel as ribbons, artificial flowers and jewelry. Worldly amusements were strictly forbidden also.
At the weekly meetings members were questioned by appointed leaders as to the spiritual state of their lives. Prayers were then offered for the individual needs of members. Before every quarterly conference the class leader visited each members, collected his quarterage, and issued to members of good standing tickets which allowed them to partake of communion.
The name Greene Street originated in 1835 when the first steps were taken to erect a building at the corner of Greene and Wayne Streets. This church served the Methodists until the present structure was built in 1927. Lot No. 57 in the original plot of Piqua was purchased from General Young and on it John Keyt built a church for the sum of $4,167. The dedication took place in October, 1837.
During the winter of 1852-1853, the Rev. M. P. Gaddis conducted a most fruitful revival, with about four hundred members being added. As a result, a mission, know as Wayne Street was established and it soon became a self-supporting congregation. Today it is Grace Methodist Church.
In 1857, when the Greene Street Methodist Church was 50 yeas old, the annual sessions of the Cincinnati Conference were held here from September 9 to 15, 1857. The presiding bishop was Thomas A. Morris. He preached Sunday morning at the church and ordained the deacons. At 3 p.m. at the church, Dr. Clark preached and the elders were ordained. The pulpits of the city that Sunday were occupied by the Methodist preachers. This included the Episcopal Church, and it was considered most unusual for a venerable churchman like the R Rev. Mr. Fitch to open his pulpit to those whom he esteemed dissenting brethren.
Brother Panabaker, a local preacher connected with the Wayne Street Church (now Grace) while feeding his horses Sabbath evening on September 13, which was during the Conference, received a kick in the stomach from one of them and died the next evening.
Contributions furnished the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church from within the bounds of the Cincinnati Conference for the year amounted to $12,540.10. There were six districts in the Conference.
The host pastor was C. Brooks, who was transferred to the Minnesota Conference because of the state of his health. The Rev. Granville Moody was appointed to Green Street (the way it was spelled in the Conference minutes.)
The Greene Street report to the Conference included the
following: Quarterage for pastor, $@80; table and fuel expenses $560, which
was the largest in the Urbana District with Springfield included. Number
of members, 288 (Wayne Street-175) value of church $15,000; value of parsonage
$2000; contributions of missionary society - $185; scholars in Sunday School
-214 and officers an teachers -38.
During the pastorate of Dr. A.B. Leonard, 1886-1888, the parsonage at 423
N. Wayne Street was built. In 1893 large stained glass windows were put
in the church and the pipe organ, which was later part of the echo organ
in the current building, was installed.
Greene Street Church suffered no irreparable loss during the destructive flood of 1913 though about three feet of water covered the entire first floor. Extensive repairs were made, but the incident, together with the growth of the church, pointed out the need for a modern church with expanded facilities.
Believing that Methodists in Piqua would accomplish more efficient work by combining Greene Street and Grace churches into one united church, the official boards of the two churches attempted a merger in 1921. All members of both congregations over 16 years of age were eligible to vote, with a two-thirds majority required to make the merger effective. It was necessary to sell both existing buildings and establish a new church. Since no buyer was found for the seven-year old Grace church, the merger failed.
In 1923 the present site was purchased from A.C. Wilson and John Anderson and the church membership organized for the erecting of a new and modern temple of worship.
A building fund was raised and the following committees were appointed by the Official Board of the church: Building Committee - A.R. Pollock, chairman; Charles Proctor, secretary; John Luckey, William M. Boyer, C.T. Coon and Roscoe Babylon. Finance Committee - L.W. Pool, chairman; Sherman D. Syler, treasurer; Fred Blacke, secretary; and Henry Hoppy, Dr. S.C. Philbrook, C.E. Fristoe, Emmett Brush, W.E. Moore, J.H. Clark, John Zollinger, William N. Foster, Arthur S. Gray, R.M. Donovan, Arthur Redman, F.C. Fuller, George C. Dietrich, Dr. E.A. Yates, F. S. Moffett, Parker Leonard, Kenneth Winans, Elwood Henning, Robert Hegele, Harry Worthington, Charles Gram and Henry Hessler.
J. C. Fulton & Sons, church architects, designed the building and the contract for construction was awarded to A. M. Fry. Cornerstone-laying services were held Sunday, June 7, 1925. Contents of the cornerstone, prepared by C. L. Wood and George E. Lee, included church records, an American flag, coins in circulation at the time, a copy of the Western Christian Advocate, and a copy of the Piqua Daily Call containing the history of the church.
Reward for the faith, work and generosity of the congregation came with the week of dedication, June 19-26, 1927. It began at 9 a.m. when Phillip Gates and his band led members of the congregation in a procession from the old church to the new one. Bishop Theodore Henderson preached the sermon that morning and services all week were led by the pastor, Rev. J. Fletcher Lewis. Included in the celebration that week were evenings devoted to dedication of musical instruments, a family night potluck supper and youth night. The final day brought Bishop A.W. Leonard and Dr. E.C. Waring to Piqua to preach sermons.
Early in the morning of December 17, 1927, a disastrous fire broke out in the new church. The flames were quickly extinguished but there was extensive smoke damage of the entire building. It was necessary to refinish the interior and to replace much of the equipment. At this time the organ from the old church was torn down and made a part of the echo organ in the new edifice. A rededication took place on Sunday. April 29, 1928 with Dr. L. A. Murlin preaching the sermon.
As with all other phases of life in the 1930's, the "depression blues" had its effect on the church. In order to help finance the new building the church had borrowed $60,000 from the Defiance Home Savings & Loan Association of Defiance, Ohio. With hard times prevailing in Piqua, members of the church were unable to give adequate financial support to continue liquidizing the debt. In the fall of 1936 the loan company was forced to file foreclosure proceedings. The delinquent interest was waived and the foreclosure was dismissed through the courts on an agreed settlement of $35,000, the amount of principal still owed.
To raise the needed amount members of the congregation purchased non-interest bearing demand certificates to the amount of $15,000. The remaining $20,000 was loaned the church by the Citizens National Bank and Trust Company in Piqua. Many people returned the bonds as gifts to the church. In 1943, when the debt was down to $12,800 a debt retirement committee was formed. During the ensuing campaign 188 pledges, totaling nearly $12,000 were paid in full by church families. With the additional of several hundred dollars from the general fund the Greene Street Church became debt-free in June, 1944.
Records of Board of Trustee meetings reveal that they began discussing the purchase of a new parsonage in 1943. After investigating various possibilities, the board voted to buy the former residence of Mrs. Lillian Retter, a long-time member of Greene Street Church. This was accomplished in March of 1946 and pastors who served the church occupied the nine-room brick home at 726 Caldwell Street.
Nearly one hundred years ago on the occasion of an anniversary
program the Rev. Graville Moody address a Greene Street congregation with
a concluding challenge: "Go forward! Go forward!" Those words
were an inspiration to that 19th century congregation as they can be to
the present members and friends of Greene Street celebrating 150 years of
Methodism in Piqua. Many dedicated pastors, many devout persons, many worthwhile
church groups have done their part to make the past history of Greene Street
what it is. We of the present must do our best to uphold the worthy traditions
of the past and to contribute what we can for the future of a church meant
to serve God and mankind. We must "go forward."
Pastors Serving Greene Street Church
1807 - First Methodist Class organized with David Clarke, Leader 1808-1816 Church served by pastors of Mad River Circuit 1816-1817 David Sharp 1817-1818 Samuel Chenowith and P. Stevens 1818-1819 A.W. Elliott and Samuel Brocknier 1819-1820 John P. Taylor and Thomas Hitt 1820-1821 William Westlake, L. Swormstead and William Simmons 1821-1822 R. Dobbins and R.W. Finley 1822-1823 D.D. Davisson and R.W. Finley 1823-1824 George W. Maley and John Baughman 1824-1825 A.W. Elliot and richard Brandriff 1825-1826 George W. Maley and James Smith 1826-1827 John Sale and W. B. Christie 1827-1828 Augustus Eddy and John Wood 1828-1829 William H. Raper and Richard Brandriff 1830-1831 Joshua Boucher and Levi White 1831-1832 D.D. Dyche and D.D. Davisson 1833-1835 Arza Brown 1835-1836 M.D. Bassett 1836-1838 Ebenezer Chase and William Ellsworth 1838-1839 George W. Walker 1838-1841 Solomon Howard 1841-1842 William Young 1842-1843 A. Lowrey 1843-1845 Jacob G. Dimmitt 1845-1847 J. L. Grover 1847-1849 William H. Lauder 1849-1851 Michael Marley 1851-1853 M. P. Gaddis and W. J. Thurber 1853-1854 R. O. Spencer 1854-1855 Joseph Newton 1855-1857 Cyrus Brooks 1857-1859 Granville Moody 1859-1861 William Herr 1861-1863 A. Lowrey 1863-1866 Granville Moody 1866-1867 J. L. Grover 1867-1870 William H. Sutherland 1870-1873 William I. Fee 1873-1875 James Stevenson 1875-1878 J. L. Marlay 1878-1880 J. W. Cassatt 1880-1883 R. E. Smith 1883-1886 A. Bowers 1886-1888 A.B. Leonard 1888-1892 E. T. Wells 1892-1897 Frank G. Mitchell 1897-1901 H. D. Ketchem 1901-1906 R. J. Wyckoff 1906-1908 Sheridan W. Bell 1908-1910 William A. Deaton 1910-1915 Edgar H. Cherington 1915-1917 J. R. Colley 1917-1923 John S. Altman 1923-1927 J. Fletcher Lewis 1927-1928 William W. Motter 1928-1932 W. Carl Hickey 1932-1940 Vinton E. Busler 1940-1943 Ernest E. Fowler 1943-1952 Arthur K. Wilson 1952-1957 Austin R. Whitmore 1957-1960 Stanley H. McGilliard 1960-1967 Donald Mumma 1967-1967 Edward S. Wones 1968-1973 Warren Bright 1973-1977 Roland D. Fierce 1977-1981 Robert Sinks 1981-1982 Darrel Loar 1982-1986 Edward Peterson 1986-1993 John McRoberts 1993- James R. Christy Top of Page
When members of Greene Street planned a new church in the 1920's, they selected a modern adaptation of English Gothic, as designed by J.C. Fulton and Sons, church architects, Uniontown, Pa. The buff-brick building with impressive stone-arched doorways combines beauty with utility in all parts of the church.
As one walks into the sanctuary the dominant feature is the Wood memorial window in the east end. It was designed and made by the J. C. Riordan Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. Given by W.W. Wood III in memory
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Another source of inspiration is the three-manual Moller organ, a gift of Mr. Harry Clark and his sisters in memory of their parents. In the tower are Deagan Tower chimes presented by mr. and Mrs. William Boyer. Weighing a total of 10,000 pounds, they are electrically operated from the console of the organ, enabling their music to be incorporated into the service. Miss Myrtle Hester gave the church a Knabe grand piano which is now in the Wesleyan room.
Also included in the first-floor plan is the Sunday School assembly room above which one can see the reproduction of Leonardi da Vinci's "The Last Supper" done by artist Robert Vitter. The ladies' parlor, church office, nursery facilities and minister's study are the other rooms on the first floor.
These are additional classrooms on the balcony and temporary ones in the basement. Fellowship hall is used for Scouting activities, family night programs, church and public dinners and youth activities. Completing the basement are the Wesleyan room, the kitchen and the furnace room.
The facilities of the 30-year old building which cost nearly two hundred, fifty thousand dollars, complete with furnishings, have been kept modern with the addition of new equipment and the periodic redecorations have kept the interior lovely.
When the Board of Trustees presented the plans of the new church, one of the reasons for the construction was stated as "Nothing speaks better for our city than good churches. No investment pays larger returns in happiness and character than those made in Christian Churches."
To the observer, uninfluenced by surroundings or previous knowledge, and brought suddenly to view what is left of the old Greene Street church, now in process of wrecking on the corner of Greene and Wayne streets, the ruin suggests churches and cathedrals of the Old World, wrecked during the World War. One is vaguely surprised, upon peering through openings once holding stained glass windows, not to see a tall crucifix hanging to the crumbling walls.
The process of razing one of Piqua's landmarks goes on apace. Beginning at the east end, former Sunday Shool rooms, the work is progressing toward the front with the two unmatching towers as the last thing to go.
Passersbys pause to shiver at what looks like the perilous positions of wreckers on the old roof. "They're as safe as you are" the contractor assured on nervous feminine onlooker, continuing "besides which, it's cooler up there than down on the ground. You're wasting your sympathy."
For more than a century the old edifice has dominated the intersection of Greene and Wayne Streets. Thousands of devout men and women have worshiped within its walls. These same walls have been changed, remodeled, raised and added to during the 100 years since the congregation proudly established themselves in the edifice from a much less pretentious church building.
Conforming to the custom of the Methodist church, pastors have changed for the Greene Street congregation every two or four years. Such a transition has enabled many ministers to shepherd the parish over such an extended period and numbers of splendid men have served their tenure of ministry here.
None have been more beloved that Dr. V.E. Busler, the present incumbent, whose broadminded Christianity has attracted friends and admirers all over the city. Asking him how he felt about the wrecking, going on next door to the parsonage, the minister said that it has not been nearly so uncomfortable thus far for his family, as he had expected.
But, he added, if he had realized how unsteady the walls had become, their condition revealed by the wrecking, he might have been somewhat uneasy for fear some day they might have collapsed without the aid of a technical engineer's supervision.
Beginning in 1832 with 78 "scholars" and eleven teachers, Greene Street's Sunday School has, grown to an enrollment of 795 and a staff of 110 in five departments. During that long period of growth, changes in customs and in out community resources have greatly affected the purposes and procedures of the Church School.
Among the rules of that first Sunday School, as given in
the original Minute and Organization Book are the following:
Rule #3 After the school is opened (with singing and prayer) the teachers
will hear the children read or spell from 30-40 minutes. The scholars then
spell off the book from five to ten minutes, after which the Scripture Lesson
given the preceding Sabbath will be examined by asking questions from it,
in order that the children may better understand and remember what they
read. The Lesson for the next Sabbath will then be given out, the Library
Books distributed and the School closed.
Rule #4 - No Doctrines shall be taught in the school but such as are common
to all Christians...in order that all the children of our neighborhood may
reap the advantages of this school."
When the first church on Greene Street was completed in 1837, the Sunday School was removed from the old church to the basement of the new one. But, says Mr. William Wood who was then superintendent, the basement "lacked light and I had it (the Sunday School) moved up to the gallery, which was a great improvement. School increased to 150.
About 1864 the library which was for long an outstanding feature of the Sunday School, began to receive much attention. A handsome library case was built at the cost of $265.77 and new books were purchased. This excellent circulating library was part of an improved program which helped to build the attendance to an enrollment of 300, requiring a staff of 27 teachers.
Apparently this steady growth of the Church School continued until the 75th anniversary in 1907, when the enrollment is given as "nearing 900". It is worth noting this report continues, that our adult Bible classes now have 40,50,60 and even 80 members.
At about the time the congregation moved into the new church, in the late 20's church shool attendance began to decline, reaching its lowest ebb in the 30's.
In the 40's a gradual increase was again in evidence and during the last ten yeas, growth has been steady. The highest average attendance during this period was 250 in 1955-56.
In 1946 a need was felt for a young adult class in the Church School. Under the leadership of Mr. Robert Winter, superintendent, the Wesleyan Class was formed and a social group called the Supper Club which met once a month. This year-1957 - a social group called the "39ers" has been organized with Morrie Looney as president.
The first Vacation Bible School sponsored by the Church School in recent years was held in June 1948 under the direction of Mrs. Walter Hughes, Sr. with an enrollment of 78. Each year since, a successful Vacation School has been held and the enrollment has grown to 150. A need in our church and community was met by a Vacation Bible School Training Session sponsored by workers in our Church School and held in our church in 1951. Interdenominational in scope, it was reported by outsiders to be one of the best in this part of the state.
In 1948-49 a fine addition was made to our educational equipment by the gift of a movie projector by Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Brelsford. The Church School set up a film fund to provide films or rental fees as needed. This has greatly encouraged the use of visual aids. For the first time also a Board of Education was set u in our church School. This is provided for in The Discipline of the church to oversee all educational work undertaken by the church. The first chairman was Elsworth Beach.
In 1952 it was decided that the Junior, Youth and Adult department should have separate assemblies instead of meeting together before going to classes. This greatly improved attendance of the Juniors and Youth proved that this step was a good one.
For many years people asked to teach have said, "We would like to, but we don't feel qualified." Under the direction of Rev. Austin Whitmore, a teacher training class was held in 1953, and in 1955-56 three such classes were held. Besides this, several of the staff attended workshops or training laboratories each years. In 1956-57 Mrs. Robert Fultz, a visiting director of Christian Education offered her time and directed on-th-job classes for teachers in the entire Children's Department.
This same year the church, for the first time, decided to employ a Director of Christian Education.
The records of our church contain very little regarding music, but we do know that it played only a small part in the services of those early years. Since there were not enough hymnals for the congregation, the hymns were "lined" by the preacher. He, or someone in the congregation, would set the tune (usually with a tuning fork) and then two lines were read and sung at a time.
First mention of a choir was at the dedication of the former church in 1837, when it was called an "innovation." The choir was trained and led by a Mr. Dawin of Troy.
The records mention at the introduction of musical instruments in the church service cause no little concern, and that one pious sister of the early days would leave church and sit on the steps while singing was accompanied by a violin or bass viola which she termed "ungodly instruments." In 1861 the records tell of the use of a melodion, and in 1873 mention is made of a pipe organ which required a pumper to keep it going. It is not known who the early organists were. Beginning sometime in the 1890's Mr. Rey Wiley served for many years.
A few years before the congregation moved into the present church building, a chorus choir was organized under the direction of Mrs. James Brandon. Before this the choir had consisted only of a quartet. Several organists and directors served for short periods of time with the chorus choir. At the time of entering the present church in 1927, the choir was again only a quartet and Mr. Wiley the organist. However, the following October senior and junior choirs were organized with student directors from the Westminster Choir School in Dayton. In 1929 Mr. Philip Gates became the director.
Among the many gifts to the new church were the Clark Memorial Organ, the Boyer Memorial Tower Chimes, the Hester Grand Piano. Later the amplifying system in the tower was given as a memorial to the late Mr. Raymond Mote. A few years ago Mr. and Mrs. John Leonard gave the Steinway grand piano which is used in the sanctuary.
Mrs. Raymond Mote became organist in 1933 and served as
choir director and organist since 1949. Under her supervision the music
program expanded and included six choirs.
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