Adaville United Brethren Church History (1948)

ADAVILLE, BRETHREN

Posted By: Linda Ziemann, Volunteer (email)
Date: 1/2/2016 at 10:58:03

ADAVILLE EVANGELICAL UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH COMPLETING BUILDING PROGRAM

Another milestone is about to be reached in the history of the Adaville
Evangelical United Brethren church as the completion of an extensive thirty
thousand dollar remodeling program nears.

The history of the church at Adaville dates back to the year 1874. The first
services were held that year in a small school building a short distance
west of the present location and were conducted by Rev. I.G.W. Chase, who
was at that time an itinerant pastor from the Des Moines conference. The
church was known as the "Pleasant Valley" church later being named the
"Adaville United Brethren Church."

A revival meeting was conducted at Pleasant Valley church, the same winter
in which the church was founded, and resulted in such an overcrowded
condition that the men of the church gathered together extended the building
ten feet longer and held services the same evening in the new and larger
building.

A few years later this building was moved to the present site of the church
and in 1876 a parsonage was built.

The Adaville church grew in membership until 1880 it was necessary to build
a larger church to house the congregation and the building was completed the
same year.

The present church was constructed in the fall of 1908 and the spring of
1909 and the excavation of a basement with further facilities and class
rooms was completed in 1922.

The church only a few years back again took on a new look when the rostrum
was lowered and enlarged and the large windows on the sides replaced with
smaller ones. The walls and ceiling were covered with new wood sound board
which greatly helped the acoustics of the building. In 1941 and 1942 the
old parsonage was sold and moved away and in its place was constructed a new
parsonage bringing with it all the new conveniences of the present day and
age. The parsonage was dedicated on June 7, 1942, when Bishop U. O.
Weideler arrived for the all day services.

On November 16, 1946, the United Brethren churches untied with the
Evangelical churches and their names were changed to "Evangelical United
Brethren" church.

Now again in 1948, the church members have seen a definite need for
remodeling to give it new, better and expanded facilities. As with the
first church the men again turned out and under the supervision of the
building contractor, Tim DeStigter of Sioux Center, Iowa, proceeded to
remodel the building. A new entrance to the basement was provided from the
inside, the previous entrance necessitating that people go outside and
descend through the old fashioned cellar door.

The choir loft was recessed into the wall and three rooms used as choir
room, class room and pastor's study were constructed to the rear of the
building behind the choir loft and rostrum. A new entrance was constructed
from these new rooms to the basement thus giving two entrances to the
basement. The basement was effectively lowered by raising the entire church
in the air 20 inches. A new kitchen with modern conveniences was
constructed under the three new rooms and also men's and ladies' restrooms.
The basement has been finished with beautiful buff colored smooth surfaced
hollow tile wall and new would sounding board in the ceiling and a tile
floor. The lighting system has also been greatly improved and a stage with
dressing rooms on either side also added to the basement.

The furnace room has a new oil burning heating plant to heat the building in
winter and converts into a blower type cooling system for the warm summer
days. With the new oil furnace the need of a coal room no longer existed so
that room is being made into a sound proof room where choir and special
numbers maybe practiced to give last minute finishing touches without
disturbing the other activities in the building.

The building will give Adaville one of the most up to date parsonages and
church buildings in this vicinity.

It is expected that the new church will be dedicated some time in November
and will be completely paid for at that time.

~With this article there is a very nice black/white photo of the Adaville
church building.

~Unknown Plymouth Co. newspaper dated very likely in the fall of 1948