The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1941-10-09

Before other churches were estab-
lisched in the community the Metho-
dist church was the meeting place
and the spiritual center for the en-
tire community. Thursday was
prayer meeting night and the little
chapel was always filled to capacity.
Although in total numbers the at
tendance was not large, proportion
ally it was perhaps larger than to-
day. Early records show that most
of those on the membership list at
tended the services in full force. In
the early days there were few other
distractions to divert the attention
of the residents and the social oppor-
tunity as well as the singing made
a strong appeal to many who were
otherwise not especially religious in
nature.
Few HYMN Books
At first there were very few hymn
books and hence the necessity of
Ginning the hymns" in which the min
lister would read two lines of a
hymn which were then sung by the
leader and the people, then two more
lines were read and so on to the
close.
A quaint social practice is revalled
in which at the close of the service
the young men would line up just
outside the women's door. AS the
girls came out each young man
would extend his arm to the young
lady of his choice and inquire as to
whether he could take her home.
Often these social engagements
would develop into relationships Of
a more permanent nature and many
young men found their life mates
through these arrangements.
DIVIDED ON SLAVERY
During the Civil war and postwar
period the church was divided con-
siderably on the slavery issue. Most
of the ministers preached very Wig
orously against the southern practice
of holding slaves. Most church au-
diences had southern sympathizers
who would take issue with the min
lister and many quarrels, some rath,
er serious, took place on the matter
During heated arguments it was
not at all unusual to see a loyal pa
triot snatch a Butter Nut badge
the symbol of the south, from the
lapel of a southern sympathizer.
Before a regular pastor was in
stalled, the Bluffton Methods
church was visited by itinera
preachers who made the "circuit"
Among the early ministers were
Delisle, Powell, Drown, Charles Ash
ton, 1865; A. J. Frisbee, 1868; ]. C
Miller, 1870, and D. B. Long, 1872
SECOND CHURCH
The membership continued to grow
with such strides that necessity fol
new structure soon developed anC
the corner stone for a new church
located where the present Methods
church stands, was laid in 1873. TIL
( cost was $4,000 and parsonage wa
built at a cost of $1,000.
The pastoral succession in the ney
church included: A. j. Fish, 1873
Jabez F. Blair, 1874; ]. A. Wright
1875; j. F. Crooke, 1877; A. c
Barnes, 1879; w. w. Winters, 1882
and l. N. Smith, 1888. In this yea
the membership of the church wa
rs, while the Sunday school had al
enrolment of 100.
RECENT PREACHERS
More recent preachers in order o
their succession were Sameue
Boggs, E. S. Dunham, William Dea
L. H. Lindsey, w. S. Culp, E. I
Daley, E. S. Keller, l.. n. Kalb, F
]. Beard, E. d. Smith, F. M. Housel
j. H. Butler, w. r. Burton, w. f
Verify, P. Ross Parish, E. E. Cole
M. E. Ketcham, w. o. Miller, A. N
Mann, C. 0. Dutton, o. P. Hoffman
Valentine Hainen and J. A. Weec
the present pastor.
In 1915 the present church wa
built and dedicated in 1916. TIL
church is the third one in the his
tory of Bluffton Methodism.