Antioch Church
JOHNSON, BYERLY, POTTER, MCMURRIN
Posted By: Richard Harrison (email)
Date: 12/13/2003 at 14:35:32
I'm updating information on the Church pages of the Jones website and want to add some history of the Antioch church. While it started as a Christian Church, there's some question about it's affiliation in later years or whether or not other denominations shared the building.
Here's what I have so far. Any additional information would certainly be appreciated.
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The Antioch Christian Church was founded by Elder Joseph Harrison Johnson, Michael Byerly and others in about 1860.Elder Johnson preached his first sermon and was ordained at the same time in Moscow, Iowa. He came to Jones county about 1860 and the oldest gravestone in the adjacent cemetery is from that year. There is a memorial to him in the cemetery. Michael Byerly was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, July 10, 1818, and came to Jones county in 1846. He was a trustee of the church and held various township offices.
Nathan Potter was also associated with the church in its early days. Potter was converted to the Christian faith, taking up ministerial work shortly after his conversion, and in 1863, in Clayton county, Iowa, he was regularly ordained to preach the gospel in the Christian Church. When he assumed charge of the congregation in Jackson township, Antioch church was in an unfinished condition and he was instrumental seeing to the building's completion.
In 1882, Michael Byerly's son, Milton, married Elder Johnson's daughter, Marie, and they were very active in the "United Brethren church at Antioch." Whether this was a different church or whether the congregation changed denominations or whether they shared the building, is not clear. Charles Stivers says, "As far as I know, the only church that existed near Pleasant Valley was the Antioch church."
Chuck says, "I found this in a bbit that may lead me to believe that the Antioch Church may have been Methodist at one time. 'In December 1894, Rev. Lee received Mrs. and Mrs. Glenn into fellowship of the Methodist church at Pleasant Valley'." But the History of Jones County, Iowa, Past and Present, by R. M. Corbitt (S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago, 1910) mentions, "The Christian Church society have a small, brick church edifice in the northwestern part of the (Jackson) township."
According to his obituary the Rev. Albert McMurrin preached his first sermon at Antioch in 1925. He graduated from the Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, and went on to pastor Church of the Nazarene and United Methodist congregations. He is buried at the Antioc cemetery.
Steve Hankin adds, "I think what happened was the church was pretty much a local affair. At some point in time it was probably United Brethren, but they sort of died out and turned into either more conservative Methodists or Independent Christian Churches. Antioch hasn't had a service in the building for as long as I can remember."
Jones Queries maintained by Cheryl Siebrass.
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