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 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.
Mount Ayr Record News
as part of building campaign The United Methodist Church of Ellston is presently in the midst of a campaign to expand the existing church building. The campaign begins with three Sundays of celebration in June with the theme Yesterday (remembering the activities of years gond by on June 10), Today (what we are doing now on June 17), and Tomorrow (our children and youth, the church's future on June 24). The first Sunday in July will be a Thanksgiving Sunday to thank God for all He has provided. For many years the Ellston United Methodist Church occupied the lot east of where the church is today. In the 1950's a new church was built with much dedication and hard work in tearing down the old structure and building a new one. The current project is to address the accessibility of the church with the addtion of an enclosed handicapped accessible ramp, two bathrooms on ground level and an attached ground level fellowship hall. The Ellston United Methodist Church invites any who are interested to join them for each or any of the Sundays. Sunday school is at 10 a.m. and the worship service at 11 a.m.
Mount Ayr Record News
Ground-breaking for a new addition to the Ellston United Methodist Church will be held Sunday, March 30. The effort started over a year ago as the "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow" capital campaign began to raise funds for an addition to the Ellston United Methodist Church. The addition will make the church fully handicapped accessible and add valuable space for ministries. Plans include the addition of two bathrooms, a kitchen, and fellowship hall. With the support of members and friends of the church, the campaign has been successful and building is scheduled to begin this spring. The public is invited to help celebrate the ground-breaking for the new addition. A soup luncheon will be held on Sunday at noon, followed by a ground-breaking ceremony at 1 p.m. Church services are held at 9 a.m. with Sunday School at 10 a.m. and people who would like to spend the morning with the church group as well are welcomed to do so.
Mount Ayr Record-News
50th Anniversary of Ellston Church to be Observed
 On Sunday, May 30 [2010], the Ellston United Methodist Church will celebrate 50 years of worship in the 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: 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
SOURCES: 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 and transcriptions by Sharon R. Becker; updated April of 2010; updated August of 2012
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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.
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