In the fall of the year 1858, a Methodist circuit rider named Rev. Archibald H. Murphy, came to the town of St. Charles and held a revival meeting in the home of William Porter.  From this revival meeting came the first Methodist organization in St. Charles.

A class was organized, with D. Simpson Smith as the first class leader.  About a year later, Mr. Smith left the community, and Mr. Adam Stiffler succeeded to the class leadership.  Early Methodist class meetings were held in Mr. Stiffler’s home, and in other homes in the community, until the erection of the first church building.

At the annual Methodist Conference, held in Fairfield, Iowa, in September, 1858, St. Charles was place in the New Virginia circuit, with the Rev. John W. Anderson as the first pastor.  He was the grandfather of Dr. Glenn J. Anderson, a former resident of Winterset.  Since Rev. Anderson had a large circuit, with several other churches, services were held only about every three weeks.

In the year 1861, the Methodists of St. Charles purchased a store building, and converted it into a place of worship.  The same building was also used as a public school until the year 1874, when the property was sold to the St. Charles United Presbyterians.

A second church building was then erected on the property now occupied by the City Park, directly across from the public school house.

The present building was erected in the year 1905, during the pastorate of Rev. M. J. Rarick.  It was dedicated early in the year 1906.

Many members have contributed to the worship of God through music, during the hundred years of St. Charles Methodist history.  Among the pianists and organists during the last half century, have been Arlie Johnson, Myrtle Killian, Maude Armstrong, Maxine Neuman Shreeves, Betty Coutts, and Althea Sanders.

Carrie Johnston Guilliams was the choir director for about twenty years, previous to her death in 1952.  In 1941 she gave each member of the choir a Bible and the next year presented each member with a hymnal.  She provided all of the choir music and in 1944 furnished material for Junior Choir robes.  In 1949 she gave the choir a set of wine-colored choir robes and in 1950 bought the Wurlitzer organ.

One of Carrie’s dreams was realized in 1951, when the carillon bells were installed.  Her many gifts and devoted service to the church and the choir have been an inspiration to many choir members through the years.

The St. Charles Methodist Church has supported a Sunday School since the early days of the church.

Although records are incomplete, there is evidence that Mr. T. E. Husted was Church School Superintendent in 1880.  Then, just before the turn of the century, a Mr. O. M. Horton served as Superintendent.

Records from 1908 on are intact.  Arthur Nelson Smith was superintendent from 1908-1912; Herman Mueller from 1912-1943; and Mrs. Perry (Madge) King from 1943-1947.

The present Church School Superintendent is Mrs. Ernest Cox, who has served for thirty years as Church School treasurer.

In the year 1887 or 1888, the minister, Rev. Francis Plumb, asked Mrs. Virginia Brown and Mrs. Mary Anderson if they would sponsor a musical entertainment, with the proceeds to be used for the purchase of a church bell.  The purchase price of the bell was fifty dollars---a considerable sum in a day when the standard admission price for entertainment was ten cents!

The musical entertainment project filed to produce the necessary money, so the women sold subscriptions to a paper, and finally had enough to purchase the bell.

Colonel Woods, the janitor of the church at that time, objected strenuously to the placing of the bell in the church tower, saying that the steeple would never hold the added weight.  But Colonel Wood was overruled, and the bell was raised successfully.

That same bell is now in the present church tower, still calling St. Charles Methodist to study and worship together.

In the one hundred years of its existence, fifty-seven pastors have served the St. Charles Church.  The pastors names are as follows:  John W. Anderson, Enoch Wood, Sam Jones, Joseph Knotts, John Hestwood, Michael Sheets, John Hestwood, William Abraham, Israel Mershon, Frank Goodrich, James Morrow, Arthur Bradley, John Branston, Benj. Kennedy, Charles Stewart, Benj. Shetterly, Adam Kern, George Patterson, Appheus Hunt, W. Capps Smith, Francics Plumb, Simon Lauck, W. W. Williams, Frank Ewan, Andrew Hancox, George Palmer, Wm. Christie Smith, M. J. Rarick, William Mercer, A. W. Armstrong, A. E. George, J. E. Cunningham, William Piper, N. A. Orcutt, W. L. Allen, G. T. Andrews, E. L. Fields, Ernest E. Parks, B. W. McEldowney, F. G. Barnes, Hugh S. Mitchell, L. W. Nixon, D. F. Barker, Elmer Patterson, L. L. Smith, L. M. Kirby, J. A. Kettle, Michael Millen, George Buchanan, R. Paul Carothers, Oren B. Hall, Eldon Haworth, Clifford J. Pine, William Trimble, Howard Cho, Leonard Root, James Louk.