A History of Methodism in Madisonville

1801 - 1950

The first church work in Ohio was established by what was then known as the "local preacher." Rev. Henry Smith was sent to Chillicothe by one of the Virginia Conferences and authorized to form a circuit in the valley of the Scioto. In the fall of 1801, the "Miami Circuit" was formed. In November of the same year the first Methodist Episcopal Church of Madisonville was organized in the house of Usual (also spelled Uzziel meaning "the power of God") Ward on Duck Creek. This is one of the oldest societies in the Northwest Territory.

The first preacher was the same Henry Smith with William McKendree as preaching elder of the then Miami Circuit. The first church services were held in the homes of the members, with Usual Ward's house mentioned most as the society's meeting place, but still others are mentioned.

A log church was built in 1801 but burnt in 1803. In 1805, a log cabin was built to serve as the meetinghouse but for some unknown reason the church was never completed and the records show that a member of the Bramble family occupied it. In 1814, the preaching place was centered in the home of William Robinson, which was located on the southeast corner of Madison Road and Whetsel Avenue. The house of Patrick McColm (McCollum) was also used as a meeting place for the congregation.

In 1823 a Board of Trustees was formed among the members of the church for the purpose of erecting a church home or a "Meeting House" as it was called then. Benjamin Muchmore donated the lot for a church, parsonage, and burying ground to the Trustees. Thus the first church on the present site was erected and dedicated in the year 1824.

In 1857, during the pastorate of Rev. B. Glasscock and A. M. Lorain, the second church building on the present site was begun. It was dedicated in the fall of 1858.

At a meeting of the Board on October 3, 1887 there was a call for a new building. In July 1890, the old church was torn down and a new building was erected. The dedication of the new church took place on April 19, 1891. Additions to the church were made during the pastorate of Rev. S.W. Bell, and extensive improvements were added later.

The first parsonage was built in 1832 and stood forty years, but in 1873 a second parsonage was completed. The church has been in four conferences, namely: the "Western", the "Ohio", the "Cincinnati", and the "West Ohio". It has been included in eight districts, namely: Kentucky, Ohio, West Cincinnati, Lebanon, Miami, Cincinnati, Ripley, and East Cincinnati. It has also been a part of six circuits, namely: Scioto and Miami, Miami, Cincinnati, Madison, Miami, and Madisonville.

The records of the congregation indicate a steady rather than a spasmodic growth. There are, however, at least two instances in the history of the congregation when a large number were added to the membership of the church. The first of each instance was during the pastorate of Rev. J. H. Lease, in 1887, following a revival of that time, a class of 113 probationers were accepted into the church. The second high mark occurred during Rev. Seward's pastorate. One hundred nineteen new members were received into the church.

Passing years have brought striking changes in the church services. The records disclose that in 1871 and 1874 attempts were made to prevent the playing of the organ during church services.

The records also tell of the "old-fashioned Love Feasts". A report gives details of one, which was held on April 12, 1896, in celebration of the Silver Anniversary of Rev. D. Lee Aultman. "Admission was by ticket, and nearly 500 of these tickets were given out on application of those desiring to attend. About 400 persons were present. Testimony of young and old to the power of Jesus to save and to keep followed in quick succession. For an hour and a half the old-time power and fire of Methodism burned on the altar of many happy Christian hearts."

Boy Scout Troop 39 was chartered at the church January 31, 1923. Troop 39 was one of the earliest in the area. This troop was unique in that it operated continuously for over half a century at our church.

Then in 1925 disaster struck. The church burned. A heavy firewall prevented the fire from spreading to the Sunday school department, built in 1913 but all else was destroyed or heavily damaged. That same evening, the Board met to begin plans for rebuilding.

On Sunday, March 21, an account of the entire proceedings was given to the congregation, and the usual morning service was replaced by congregational consideration of the building project. Every member present accepted and voted for the proposition. The new church was dedicated in May 1927.

It had the largest Sunday School enrollment and church membership of any Methodist Episcopal Church in the city. The Sunday School had grown from an average attendance of 200 in 1891 to an average attendance of 475 in 1926 while the membership of the church had increased to a total of 900. Mildred Schulz, a present member of the church, was among the first infants baptized in the present sanctuary.

In 1936 a Commemoration Service was held on the 135th Anniversary of the organization of the church. At this service Mr. And Mrs. Robert Miller presented for baptism their youngest son, a member of the fifth generation of this family in this church.

In 1939 the Methodist Episcopal Church of Madisonville became the Madisonville Methodist Church. At that time the South Methodist Episcopal Church and the North Methodist Episcopal Church, established because of a split at the time of the Civil War, merged with the Methodist Protestant Church. The Episcopal was dropped, and all became the Methodist Church.

There have been special Sunday School classes within the church. The Protheon Class was formed in January 1941. Protheon means "for God". It began as a women's class and was very successful. "Mom" Copeland was one leader that was loved and respected. Spiro was a short-lived young adult group organized in 1946. Its purpose was to get the returning service personnel from World War II back into the Church for spiritual and social contacts. The Wedding Band Class was a long-lived class formed in 1949. Other classes through the years have been The Peabody Class, The Wesleyan Class, The Friendship Class, The Gilbert Class, and many more.

Throughout the history of the Church, its women members have been well organized for efficient service. From 1902 to 1939 there were three divisions of the Women's Society: Women's Home Mission Society, Women's Foreign Missionary Society, and Ladies Aid. The Women's Home Missionary Society met in May 1940 to celebrate its 38th anniversary. They would meet again in September to be reorganized under the Methodist Church. At the reorganization meeting that year the three groups were merged into one group known as The Women's Society of Christian Service. Also in 1940 an evening women's group was first formed.

In January of 1973 after the merge with the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the Women's Society again changed their name to United Methodist Women. They continued to meet in smaller circles also. The United Methodist Women held many activities. Some successful fundraisers were the rummage sales, fish fries, and Noel Fete. They sponsored many activities. They would visit shut-ins and the sick. Many of the women also held positions and were "Key Women" on the various Guilds. United Methodist Men met for many years at our church. They had regular meetings with programs and often did necessary work around the church. There have been girls' organizations through the years such as: Girl Scout troops, Camp Fire Blue Birds, and a Girl Reserve Club.

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1951 - 1991

The 150th Anniversary of the church was on December 9, 1951. Rev. Ralph Simester, pastor, conducted the morning service, with the sermon being preached by Rev. T. T. Crawford, a former pastor. In 1959, church membership was approximately 800. Sunday School enrollment was 695. Our pastor was Rev. Roger J. Turrell. Madisonville Youth Fellowship (MYF) was active for many years. The Junior and Senior Fellowships met in separate groups on Sunday evenings for serious programs devoted to religious, social, civic, and educational themes. The purpose was not only to share knowledge, but also to develop our young people in churchmanship, social concerns and religious understanding.

The 1960's brought drastic changes to Madisonville. Many families chose to leave Madisonville and move to the suburbs. These times changed Madisonville Methodist Church from a thriving congregation to a declining congregation. The Methodist Churches and the Evangelical and United Brethren churches merged becoming the United Methodist Church in 1965. The church now was called Madisonville United Methodist Church.

In 1969 a new parsonage was purchased in Mariemont. It was sold on March 29, 1996 after the merge with Korean United Methodist Church.

Under the pastorate of Rev. Ezra Luessen and by action of the Charge Conference, many names were removed from the membership list to an inactive list. This action continued from the 1970's through the 1990's. October 1995 found our membership at 117 with an average attendance of 24.

In 1975 the Conference decided that the two Methodist Churches in Madisonville (Madisonville and Gaines) should work toward a merge. Both congregations did not accept this challenge. During this declining membership time, the church continued its outreach programs for the local area and beyond, and offered our building to organizations. Some of these projects and organizations were Madison Villa, Madisonville Day Care Center, "M" House, MEAC, the Hunger Pot, M-Help, New Life Youth Services, Samaritan Counseling Center, AA and NA.

The church celebrated its 175th anniversary in 1976. Reverend Robert Knell was pastor. The outside of the church building was restored in 1980 through a special fund raising project. A ramp for handicapped accessibility was added. Our first church cemetery property that had been donated by Usual Ward located on Red Bank Road was sold on April 28, 1989.

On February 20, 1991, Dr. R. Gwinn Lacy and Dr. Sooun Lee of the Korean United Methodist Church had their first meeting. A member from both churches had talked and discovered that Madisonville UMC had much vacant meeting space and Korean UMC was in the process of exploring new facilities as they had outgrown their building. This led to many meetings with talk of sharing facilities or merging the two churches. This was a time of much prayer and discussion. Following the vote in December 1992 by both congregations we merged and became the Korean-Madisonville United Methodist Church.