Christ Church's history reflects Wellington's progress, too

The Christ Community Church, 212 W. Herrick Avenue, is celebrating its 155th birthday this year, hosting a birthday party recently for present and former parishioners.

The church has a colorful history, and involves several people who attained national prominence. Even its beginning was unusual. In 1853 a man named Garrett gave a Dr. W.A. Belding a sum of money to be used in Christian work. After much deliberation the doctor decided Wellington would be a likely place to start a disciple church, which stemmed from the old camp meetings, and the church was formed under the name of the First Christian Church of Disciples at Wellington.

A meeting place was opened in the third floor of Tripp Hall, which also housed a carriage factory. It was the only hall in town for public use in those days. Rev. W.A. Lillie, an Evangelist, was the first pastor. A church was organized at a cost of $35 with 11 charter members.

Numerous people were converted and six years later a meeting house was built. One old newspaper account give Roswell Brown credit for donating the land for the church and parsonage. Another names Nicolas Robbins as the donor. Others gave money, skill and labor.

A young minister on the faculty of Hiram College who Rev. Lillie had baptized several years before dedicated the church. His name was James A. Garfield. This is the only church ever dedicated by a minister who later became president of the United States.

The building in the early days has just one large room with a door on both the east and the west. A platform and steps reached nearly across the front. The heating system consisted of two large box stoves placed near the entrance with long lengths of stovepipe. The worshippers who sat near the stoves roasted, those in the center shivered, and the preacher froze. It has been written that it was not unusual in cold weather to see the preacher's breath float out on the frosty air and his hands turn blue with cold.

A bracket lamp at each of the windows and three drop lamps on the aisle furnished light. Parishioners often brought candles to read the fine print in the hymn book. It is said the preacher would read the first two lines of the hymn to be sung. The organist gave the key, the choir led off. After two lines were sung there was a hold up until two more lines were read off and so on to the end of the song. When the central chandelier of oil burning lamps were installed, it was a great day for the candle bearing attendants.

Women and girls entered the church from the east door and men and boys by the west door. Families did not sit together. A church member once asked an old-time pastor what passage from the bible inspired this custom and was given the answer that it was the passage about separating the sheep from the goats. Just who was which was never explained. This separation custom continued until a man named Locke was wed. He was blind and Mrs. Locke boldly took her husband by the arm and went in the east door. Then she sat him down beside her in the same pew. Others followed suit and in a short time families were seated together.

The church continued to grow and in 1903 a building program under Rev. Stivers was launched. The porch was torn off, a Sunday school room built, furnace installed and electric lights replaced the old chandeliers. Stained glass memorial windows were put in. One of the windows has the name of L.D. McIntire who was the great grandfather of Mrs. C.W. Gannett. Another bears the name of S.R. Willard. He was a former pastor and his face is well known all over the country to this day. His famous son, Archibald Willard, who painted "The Spirit of '76" used his father's likeness as the central figure of the famous painting.

Another window is dedicated to a charter member of the church, Freeman Moulton, whose son wrote the words to the song "Tell Mother I'll Be There." Still another bears the name of William Bennett, the grandfather of William Bennett, a past local banker.

In preparation for a celebration in 1903, new steps were erected at the front entrance and a modern gas furnace installed in the remodeled basement. This addition proved inadequate and in 1922 another building program was launched, creating more Sunday school room, kitchen and dining room and a modern heating system was installed. The 75th anniversary was celebrated in 1928 and again the church was polished and renovated. During 2002 more improvements to the church included paving the parking lot, repainting and landscaping. Recent improvements of sprucing up and painting the church building have recently occurred.

An important update in the history of the church is its change in affiliation. In 1986, the church became an independent bible-based nondenominational church. As a result, The Church of Christ Christian Disciples became the Christ Community Church. For many years the church was affiliated with a State Missionary Society. The Dorcas Society took over the mission work of the church.

Forty-six pastors have served the church in its 155 years of existence. More recent pastors have included Rev. Jack Mellick (1956-1979), whose son in 1967 also painted the mural in the sanctuary, "The Recovered Sheep"; Rev. Neil Reid (1980-1990); Rev. Fred Woodward (1990-1996); Rev. John Bartos (1996-2001); and Rev. Lee Francis (2001-2003). Rev. Gary L. West is the present pastor, he and his family came to the church in 2005.

Parishioners acknowledge the involvement and membership of a special woman at the church, Margaret LaVerne Swartz, known to most as LaVerne. She is the oldest living member of the church. LaVerne came to the church with her parents in 1917 at the age of two. What's extraordinary about this special woman is that LaVerne has been a member of the church through many of its changes over the past 91 years. She is currently 93 years old and is a retired teacher from the Wellington schools. Not only is LaVerne a member at the church, she still is a great role model and is very much appreciated in the community for her service as a teacher. Although retired, LaVerne is still involved in the daily activities of the church.