Huntsville Presbyterian Church hosts a weekend full of festivities Saturday, Sept. 21, and Sunday, Sept. 22, inviting the public to help mark the congregation’s 200th anniversary.
“A milestone to be sure for any organization, but as part of the Church Body, that milestone means 200 years of reaching out to our community, 200 years of rejoicing in our collective good times and weeping in shared sorrows, 200 years of sharing life, for better or worse, together,” Pastor Ben Beres said in a letter to the community.
“We’ve tried to be salt and light in this village for a pair of centuries.”
The church at 6940 Fruit Street, Huntsville, hosts an open house from 2 to 8 p.m. Saturday. Pastor Beres noted there will be tents set up outside and lots of seating, and attendees are also invited to take their own lawn chairs.
Throughout the day, food will be served, music will be playing and a “surprise or two might be in store,” the pastor said. The church will be open for tours as well. The day will conclude with time around the campfire.
Sunday, activities include morning fellowship beginning at 8:30 a.m., with coffee, juice and donuts. Worship begins at 10 a.m. in the sanctuary.
Pastor Beres will continue the 200 year anniversary series with his sermon, “We Are: Celebrated,” based on Matthew 5:13-18. Betty Jane Davis will be the lay reader and Aryn Forsythe will be the organist. Special music will be provided by the choir and the congregation will celebrating its 2024 confirmation class as well.
Church members and the Logan County History Center provided a historical overview of the church’s founding.
Two Presbyterian churches were first organized in the village of Cherokee, a former bustling stagecoach town located just north of Huntsville.
The Cherokee Run Presbyterian Church was organized Sept. 23, 1824, in the home of Thomas Scott by Rev. Robert B. Dobbins with 14 members. The congregation built a log meeting house the next year, which served them until a new brick church was built in 1842.
A second Presbyterian Church was also located in the village of Cherokee. The Cherokee Associate Presbyterian Church was organized on Oct. 13, 1831, in the home of John Coulter by Rev. Wilson. They built a new church in 1854 on a hill in Huntsville behind the current location of the Huntsville Presbyterian Church.
In 1858, following a national merger of Presbyterian churches, they changed their name to the Huntsville United Presbyterian Church. They also helped established a Presbyterian Church in Bellefontaine.
When the Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad bypassed Cherokee for Huntsville in the 1840s many people and businesses relocated to Huntsville, including both Presbyterian churches.
In 1854, the Associate Presbyterian Church moved to Huntsville and built a new church. The Cherokee Run Presbyterian Church purchased lots 26 and 27 in Huntsville and constructed a new brick church in 1866. The name was changed to the Huntsville Presbyterian Church and the Cherokee property was sold.
Fire destroyed the Huntsville United Presbyterian Church in February 1928. The church bell, although cracked from a fall during the fire, was repaired and installed in the tower of the new church. The church was dedicated on July 21, 1929, with over 350 people at the morning service.
Both Huntsville Presbyterian Churches merged in September of 1945 and the name changed to the Federated Presbyterian Church of Huntsville. By terms of the merger, the Huntsville Presbyterian Church building was used for church purposes. Items that were moved to the current church include a clock, cupboard, the communion table, and three ornate chairs that still sit on the sanctuary platform.
Members of the Huntsville Presbyterian Church have always worked together to find ways to support the church and the community. Around 1950, the church rented farmland from McArthur Township farmer, Ornell Hughes, for one year to generate money for the church. Church members planted and harvested the crops.
During 1958, a national merger took place between the Presbyterian Church and the United Presbyterian Church. The congregation completed its unification and became the Huntsville United Presbyterian Church of North America. The Gordon Annex was built for new Christian Education classes in May 1960. The Gordon Annex was named in honor of Rev. J.H.T. Gordon and his wife Anne. Rev Gordon served as pastor from 1902 through 1920.
In the mid-1970s, the church began an annual Election Day Bazaar that included a wide variety of crafts, home baked and home-cooked items. A highlight of the event was homemade apple butter made by church members. The apple butter was made in three copper kettles using 12 bushels of apples and 100 pounds of sugar. It took nearly eight hours of constant stirring and cooking to make around 300-pint jars.
They also sold quarts of homemade mincemeat, made with real meat. The church served Election Day lunches and suppers. This tradition continued for about 17 years.
During February 1984, the church voted to change their name from the Huntsville United Presbyterian Church of North America to the Huntsville Presbyterian Church.
Several years ago, the front entrance of the church was remodeled with a new enclosed entrance. This has been beneficial for special events, such as weddings. Before the new addition, the bride and her party had to go outside to enter the church from the lower-level dressing room, many times in inclement weather.
At one time, the Huntsville Presbyterian Church and the Huntsville Methodist Church took turns having Thanksgiving services. Members of the Huntsville Presbyterian Church continue to help the community by serving food at Daily Bread of Indian Lake, working at the United Christian food pantry and supporting the Chippewa Outreach Center. They also have a “Blessing Box” at the church with personal and household items that have been donated for anyone in need.
In preparation for the anniversary, church members Betsy Forsythe Shoffstall, Todd and Joyce Gordon, Betty Davis and Jerry Fry shared their church history and photos with the Logan County History Center. Their families have been members of the Huntsville Presbyterian Church for several generations. Matt Zarnosky, chairman of the Huntsville Presbyterian Church 200th Anniversary Committee, also was instrumental in this effort.
Visit the Logan County History Center at 521 E. Columbus Ave., Bellefontaine, to learn more interesting aspects of Logan County history. The History Center is open for tours from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.