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In January of 1869 a series of meetings were held in an unfinished store building in Rock Falls by Rev. A. J. Alling, pastor of Fourth Street Methodist Church, Sterling. A class was organized with J. L. Bakus as leader. In March, 1869, a Board of Trustees was elected, composed of M. L. Coe, J. S. Merrill, C. R. Brown, and J. A. Bickford. During the summer of 1869 a church was build at a cost of $4,000. The first regularly appointed pastor was Rev. John A. Stayt in 1870. The church was completed and dedicated to the worship of God on April 9, 1871. The church building was enlarged and remodeled in 1880, at a cost of $4,300 and rededicated in September. In January 1922 the church burned to the ground early on a Sunday morning. The present structure replaced it at a cost of $65,000. And the educational unit was added in 1961. |