United Methodist Church, Ellston IA

EVANS, MITCHELL, BROWN, TALLEY, MEAD, ARMSTRONG, TENNANT, CUNNINGHAM, BREWER, HENDERSON, KENTON, DUNCAN, SMITH, NICHOLS, NESBITT, HUNT, SAVILLE, CARTER, WOLFE, WALLS, FISHER, ROBERTS, KIRBY, RUFFNER, WEED

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 4/22/2010 at 00:39:39

United Methodist Church
Ellston, Iowa

The United Presbyterian Church congregation bought several lots in the town of Ellston for $120. Here they built a church building. Reverend J. E. EVANS, the first minister in Ellston, served as the Presbyterian pastor.

The Presbyterian congregation dissolved. On October 15, 1902, the church building was sold to the Methodist congregation for a sum of approximately $750.

The first minister of Ellston's Methodist Church was "Father" E. J. MITCHELL. He would arrive from Weldon by train on a Saturday and return to his home on Monday.

Other Ellston Methodist ministers were:

O. W. BROWN
M. R. TALLEY
L. F. BROWN
F. A. MEAD
Rev. ARMSTRONG
Robert J. TENNANT
J. A. E. CUNNINGHAM
Henry W. BREWER
Virgil HENDERSON
P. C. KENTON
L. H. DUNCAN
L. S. SMITH
Alta M. NICHOLS
K. E. NESBITT
H. H. HUNT
Cecil SAVILLE
E. Loring CARTER
Leo G. WOLFE
J. A. WALLS
Jack FISHER
Ida I. ROBERTS
C. E. THOMAS
L. M. KIRBY
Boyd RUFFNER
A. R. WEED
George C. WISE
Charles H. HAWN
Willis H. GRANT
Sam BOUSER
John BRADEN
Jerry NICHOLS
John BLACKADORE
Robert SHREVE
Lloyd JOHNSON
Les CALHOUN
Brian OLIVER

The United Methodist congregation purchased the old lumberyard site from the county for a dollar. This lot was located directly west of the old church. The parsonage, located west of these properties, was sold to Mrs. Martha GREEN for $800 and added the proceeds to the building fund. The old church was sold at auction for $320 to Leo MORGAN on October 2nd of 1959.

The new church was built at an approximate cost of $25,00. The trustees borrowed $3,500 from the Tingley bank for immediate construction needs. Various people from the community volunteer their labor. A ground-breaking ceremony was held on December 21, 1958.

The wedding of Jeanine JACKSON and Bernard WALTERS on October 5th of 1959 was the first service in the new church. Regular Sunday school and worship services followed on the next Sunday. The bell from the old church building was installed in a bell tower at the new church.

SOURCES:
Mount Ayr Record-News, Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa. April 7, 2005.

AVITT, Mike. Pages and Pictures from the Past . . . Ringgold County, Iowa: 1885-2005 p. 23. Paragon Publications, Inc. Mount Ayr, Iowa. 2009.

A Century of Memories: Ellston, Iowa 1881-1981 Pp. 219-221. 1981.

Compilation by Sharon R. Becker, updated April of 2010

Ringgold Documents maintained by Tony Mercer.
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