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Just a few miles southeast of Zion, back
on Highway 35, in the small community of Milwaukee, is the third of the churches on this charge. Bethany
United Methodist Church finds itself in the center of this newly re-aligned charge. Bethany UMC stands at
the corner of Highway 35 and Doolittle Mill Road.
Bethany's origins can be traced to 1888 as
a group of people in the community began holding prayer meetings under the oak trees that were found where the
church now stands. Reverend John M. Campbell was the first pastor. The first building was built in
1888 with much of the building materials and labor for this log building done by those who would be attending the
church.
In 1926 and 1927, a more modern church was built on the same
spot. 1964 found a new building added onto the 1920's structure. This building added an educational
wing of the church. Unfortunately, just three years later, on Saturday, January, 28, 1967, a fire completely
destroyed the Sanctuary and the smoke and water damaged the rest of the church. However, the next morning,
as the congregation gathered next door, plans immediately began to reconstruct the new building, and by the end
of April, the congregation was back in the church in the Sanctuary that is still in use.*
The average worship attendance at Bethany UMC
is currently 45 persons per Sunday.
*History
information from History of Bethany United Methodist Church, 1988.
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