McConnell United Methodist Church

History

This is an abbreviated history.  A more complete history of McConnell UMC, entitled "McConnell United Methodist Church - A History" can be purchased for $10.00.

Email to order at mcconnellumc@yahoo.com

 The history of the McConnell United Methodist Church is a long and interesting one.  Our church's earliest history stems back to some of the earliest formation groups established by John Wesley in the Eastern United States in the 1700's.  The decendents of the William Robey family  were devout Methodist believers, who invited several noteable Methodist circuit riders and preachers into their Pennsylvania home, including Peter Cartwright.

    The Levi Robey family of Illinois, who were direct descendents of William Robey, continued their Methodist heritage and organized their own formation groups when they settled in Waddams Township, about a mile away from McConnell.  The Robey family was also known to be a gracious and hospitable host to the circuit riders who made their journey through the countryside reading the Word and teaching the settlers of John Wesley's Means of Grace.

    In 1865, the first small group of Methodist believers officially organized into the McConnell Methodist Episcopal Church.  It is unknown who our first official pastor was, partly due to the fact the circuit riders who preached only made it to a particular spot once every few weeks, and numerous ones lived within the McConnell area, including Rev. Asa Ballenger of Winslow,  and Rev. James McKean.  It is believed however, Rev. Ballenger would most likely have been the minister who preached to the McConnell congregation.  Also, the first minister found in our records was Rev. C.E. Smith, who was another circuit rider in the region.

    In 1868, with Rev. Smith's Christian demeanor, he set about preaching the Good News to the people of McConnell, which caused 35 persons to join the church that same day.  Some of the ones mentioned as joining were: Levi Robey, Cyrus Robey, Mr. Wolf and wife, William Diveley and wife, two Miss Williams, Richard and Jacob Rayhorn, Frank Wait, Tute Pecht, Charles Consider Graves and wife, and Mrs. E. Frager.

    The early church at McConnell did not have its own building to worship in.  Instead, from 1865 to 1868, the members met in each others homes to study the Bible, pray and sing hymns.  Then, in 1868, after the McConnell  Salem-Lutheran Church finished building their handsome brick church, the Methodist members used this church for their worship services as well.  The two congregations alternated their times of worship, with one holding services in the morning one week, while the other at night.  This friendship with the Lutheran church of McConnell continued until 1921 when internal conflicts within the Salem-Lutheran Church caused them to close the church for a brief period, causing our church to loose its home to worship in.  The members then went back to worshiping in their homes or attending services at the McConnell United Brethren Church, which the Union Sunday School was already utilizing for several years.

    In 1878, the McConnell church joined the Orangeville Methodist Episcopal Church in a charge to share a minister and make it more likely for an increase in membership.  The church also had the hopes to build a church of their own, but money was scarce to build.  The Orangeville-McConnell Charge lasted 11 years, with four ministers serving the church during that time.

    Then in 1890, the Winslow Methodist Episcopal Church, which was in a charge with Christian Hollow and Nora M.E. church's decided it wanted to start a new circuit after Nora split away.  They then asked McConnell to join in the new Winslow Charge, making the new circuit Winslow-Christian Hollow-McConnell, with Rev. D.T. Kahl as first minister.   The new charge proved to be a tremendous success, with many new families joining both Winslow and McConnell churches.  Winslow was also able to erect their church in 1897 with the pledges and tithes made.  Christian Hollow already had a church, but McConnell was still without a church of their own.

    The Charge purchased its first parsonage to house the preacher in 1902.  Then in 1918, the church built a new parsonage next door to the Winslow church, where another former church sat.

    In 1919, after it became clear the Christian Hollow Church was declining in membership due to numerous deaths, they decided to disband from the Charge, leaving McConnell and Winslow together.  Money from the sale of the Christian Hollow church was to be split between the Winslow and McConnell congregations, but to be given to McConnell when the funds were available to erect a church in McConnell.

                                                                                                    The McConnell Methodist Episcopal Church made an agreement with the McConnell Modern Woodmen of America to hold worship services in their hall starting in 1921.  This was done until 1928, when the McConnell church was finally erected.

    The church cornerstone was laid Sunday, July 8, 1928 with a special ceremony attended by many, including Dr. A.D. Klontz, an early church member.  The building was then dedicated in September of the same year and has been continuously used by the congregation since that time.

    In 1935, the Rock River District of the Methodist Episcopal Church decided to eliminate all its German-speaking services, which included the nearby Basswood M.E. Church, which was largely a German speaking congregation.  This church then became a part of the Winslow Charge.  The new name given to the group of churches was, "Win-El-Wood Parish."  This new parish existed until 1972, when conflicts between with the Basswood members and the new minister and a sharp decline in membership of that church caused the Basswood church to disband.  The Basswood Church was then closed and let decay for many years until it was sold in the 1980's to the Basswood Cemetery Association, which then tore the building down.

    McConnell Methodist Church and Winslow Methodist Church then went back to a two-point charge as they had been in the past.  The McConnell church spent the next several years reaching out to the community through Christian witness and allowing the use of its spacious hall for community functions.  In 1969, the McConnell Methodist Church officially changed its title to McConnell United Methodist Church.

    WLS Radio Station of Chicago came to the church a few times to perform their Prairie Farmer Shows live from the "big top".  Annual Fish Dinners and the Rose Tea Luncheon put on by the women's group were large draws and financial drives the church put on.  The fish dinners were replaced with our annual Ham Supper in 1979, and continue today.

    In 1998, with the acceptable reality that it was becoming difficult to support a pastor of our own with Winslow, the invitation came from the Lena United Methodist Church to join them in a blended parish to help offset expenses and to ensure we could still have the benefit of having a full-time minister.  Rev. Rodney Porter and Rev. Gavin Brandt were key in starting this new parish with many hopes of better years to come.  This hope was increased when we finally had a Youth Pastor assigned to the church, but tragically Pastor Dan Corbett was killed in an auto accident only one month into his pastorship with the Blended Parish, and things never were the same.

    The Blended Parish was then renamed Lena-McConnell-Winslow Cooperative Parish in 2001 to create a new identity between the three churches, meaning the Winslow-McConnell churches would go back to their joint ministry together as they had historically been used to and favored, while Lena would remain in the grouping.  All three churches kept their own separate workings, while sharing ministers.

    The Cooperative Parish began to see many spiritual breakdowns starting in 2003 with the loss of understanding who we were as a church and repetitive changes in pastors in a short time period, making situations uneasy.  In 2005,  it became clear things were not going well, so the churches in the Cooperative Parish voted to dissolve for the best of the three churches.  Many of the problems led to a dramatic decline in membership and attendance in the Winslow UMC and the Conference decided it best to close the Winslow church and merge its membership with another UMC in the area.  McConnell, having been the sister church of Winslow for over 100 years, felt it their duty as brothers and sisters in Christ to invite and welcome the Winslow membership to join.  The Winslow church accepted the invitation and its membership was then merged into the McConnell United Methodist Churches.  Our ties continue to bind us in Christian love and support for each other, while we remain friends in Christ with the Lena United Methodist Church.

    In July 2005, the "new" McConnell United Methodist Church started its new beginning with a vision that sustains us and binds us together in Jesus' love.  We have begun to revamp all of our programs and ministries and start new ones as well.  We are once again finding it is ok to love one another...come join us as we grow in Christ the Lord!!!

    Come on in...we will find a place for you in our hearts and minds. 

We are the people of the McConnell United Methodist Church.