Ellston United Methodist Church Celebrates 50th Anniversary

GRANT, SUMMERBELL, GROSE, HOSFIELD, JONES, PERRY, FERNANDEZ, MANDERS

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 6/15/2010 at 03:55:21

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, May 27, 2010

50th Anniversary of Ellston Church to be Observed

on Sunday, May 30 [2010], the Ellston United Methodist Church will celebrate 50 years of worship inthe current sanctuary.

The actual "church" has been worshipping as some form of Methodism for over 100 years, but the currrent building was planned and built in the late 1950's and dedicated in May, 1960.

The congregation with pastor Willis GRANT and district superintendent Dr. Merill SUMMERBELL voted to build a new building. John GROSE made the motion to proceed on the project at the board meeting and O. Z. JONES and Lyle L. HOSFIELD were made co-chairmen of the building committee.

The church was built with a cost of $25,000, which began with a $3,500 loan. To make money for the building, the congregation asked the community for support, and most of the community helped in gleaning fields for corn, mowing cemeteries, lunching sales, painting corn cribs and of course donating money and even wagon loads of corn at the fall God's portion sales.

Many in the congregation and community helped pour cement, hammer nails, sand the ceiling and paint the building.

In Bessie (JONES) PERRY'S poem for the 25th anniversary, we read:

My doors are always open
you are welcome everyone.
If you find the steps difficult
Try the ramp, it's lots of fun.

At that time the congregation was celebrating a cement ramp that brought people up to the sanctuary. Since that time a new addition with a beautiful interior ramp designed by Charlie MANDERS has been built. In fact that ramp is the only way to get from the new fellowship hall to the sanctuary.

Again the congregation helped paint, pour cement, plumb, plant and sand as they continue to serve the community and the Lord.

The Ellston United methodist Church and pastor Dan FERNANDEZ invite the public to come help them celebrate the 50-year anniversary.

It will begin with church at 11 a.m., a free lunch at 12:30 p.m. and a celebration service with bells, children's choir and music at 2 p.m. followed by an open house.

"This is our mini-revival as we step forward another 50 years," said Pastor FERNANDEZ. "It's still true our doors are always open and you are all welcome."

Article submitted by Mike Avitt, June of 2010

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