Belfast United Methodist Church celebrates 200th anniversary with special events July 11-12

Courtesy of Dorothy J. Countryman
Anniversary Events Chair
Belfast United Methodist Church

BELFAST – The Belfast United Methodist Church, located at 1862 S.R. 73, will celebrate the 200th anniversary of its ministry in the community on July 11 and 12.

A variety of activities at the church will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 11, and will conclude with a meal from 4-6 p.m., and an anniversary concert at 7:30 p.m., featuring the Hardy Boys.

Worship on Sunday will begin at 10 a.m., with visiting pastors and special music, followed by a potluck luncheon for the congregation at noon.

The public is invited to attend both days.

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Church history

The history of the Belfast Church is assembled below by Dorothy J. Countryman from the research of the late Gerald Newman and Mrs. Joyce Frazer, as well as earlier work done for the congregation’s 175th anniversary by Mr. and Mrs. John E. Haigh.

In the fall of 1800, when much of what is now Highland County was still a wilderness, Thomas McCoy, his wife and child, came to the area from Bourbon County, Ky. He built a cabin near the banks of Brush Creek, somewhat northwest of the current village of Belfast. By 1804, other families had arrived, and Job Haigh hosted the first preaching service in his home. The Rev. Leamons, a Baptist, conducted worship, and soon a Baptist church was located on Rock Lick, a mile southeast of the village.

Sometime in 1815, a Methodist church/class was organized by the Rev. James Quinn in the home of Samuel Clark, near the present Haigh Cemetery. At this time, Methodist lay persons (non-clergy) throughout Ohio gathered in small groups, known as classes, to worship, study scripture, pray, and encourage/assist each other according to the teachings of John Wesley.

When a pastor was available to meet with them, they celebrated the two sacraments – baptism and communion – in addition to worship. The members of this Belfast Methodist Church rotated the meetings among their homes.

Clark and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Spencer Wilson, and Mariah Haigh are listed as early members and hosts of the group. Since records available do not include mention of specific pastors again until 1840, and the Ohio United Methodist Archives do not list any pastors for Highland County in this period, we reasonably assume that the congregation was kept alive by the lay members of the community in the interval between visiting circuit riders.

Jackson Township was formed in 1816, and the village of Belfast was platted in 1834.

On Aug. 15, 1836, for the sum of $5, James and Elvira Redkey conveyed one acre of land to the trustees of the Belfast Episcopal Meeting House. The trustees were Jacob Shup, John Haigh, Daniel Milburn, Jacob Hall, James Kennedy, Henry Waldron, and James Redkey.

This parcel was located in the John Mark Survey (1521), on the west side of the Furnace Road. (This refers to the road to Marble Furnace in Adams County that is the present-day site of State Route 73, about two miles north of Belfast).

The property is currently known as the Hastings Cemetery, but has also been known as Mt. Pleasant Cemetery and as the Wisecup Cemetery.

From 1840-50, the congregation was led by: H. Wharton and B.J. Jefferson, 1840; John Stewart and J.W. Stone, 1841; John Stewart and A. Meharrer, 1842; Phelps Nation and Jacob Bruner, 1843; Phelps Nation and J.W. Locke, 1844; David Reed and J. Holmes, 1845; J.S. Brown and B. Mark, 1846; A. Morrow and J.W. Locke, 1847; J.W. Locke and A. Hite, 1848; H. Wharton and J.W. Steele, 1849, and H. Wharton and J.B. Austin, 1850.

In 1841, the members built a church, using 50-foot logs, in the village of Belfast. The congregation was assigned to the Bainbridge Circuit. The quarter-acre lot was transferred to the congregation for $25 on July 4, 1849 by Lancelot and Ann Brown and comprised the S.E. corner of lot No. 36. (There is no explanation of the discrepancy in the dates of this location.)

The trustees were John Haigh, Robert Cochran, Sampson Reno, David Milburn, John Brown, and Jonathan C. Puckett. The log church was used until 1893 when a new building was completed. The logs and lumber from the old church were sold to Aaron Brown and he used them for a barn on his farm on North Union Road.

In 1850, the congregation became part of the Sinking Spring Circuit, where it remained until 1879. During this time, 31 different pastors served.

When the Belfast Circuit was formed in 1880, a new group of pastors visited the congregation, usually for a single year each. Most notable among these was Charles Harley (or Hartley), who served from 1889-93. During his tenure, a camp meeting was held in a grove near the village and more than 1,000 persons attended.

Pastor D.W.C. Washburn, an ancestor of current members Lois Frazer Newman and James Frazer, served from 1900-04.

The 1893 structure is the building in which the congregation of the Belfast United Methodist Church meets today. The church bell was acquired in 1895 during the pastorate of the Rev. J.E.H. Streitman, whose name is stamped on it. It was cast for the church by Buckeye Bell Company, Cincinnati, and is solid bronze, three inches thick.

The Ladies of the Belfast Church organized as the Ladies Aid Society in 1913, under the leadership of Mrs. Anna McGuire, president; Mrs. Anna Calvert, vice president; Miss Iva Tannehill, secretary, and Mrs. Clare Haigh, treasurer. W.N. Hirst was pastor at this time. Dues were 10 cents.

The ladies hosted an Easter Sunday Supper at the Odd Fellows Hall on March 22 that year. The menu was pressed chicken, egg salad, pickles, bread, pie and coffee. Their proceeds from this event were $11.15.

In November, they made a comforter to send to the YMCA of Hamilton, Ohio. They did the sewing at the home of Mrs. Swanger. The total cost of the comforter and the postage to send it was $1.60.

They served oysters and ice cream at their Thanksgiving supper and raised $39.55. They used five gallons of oysters, five gallons of milk and seven pounds of butter to make this feast. Charge for the full meal was 25 cents.

By December 1915, the ladies had raised enough money to purchase incandescent lights for the church. At the end of the year, they had a balance of 57 cents in their treasury.

In 1916, they purchased a communion set for the church. In June 1918, they reported hemming napkins for the Highland County Hospital. On May 7, 1919, they held a last meeting with only seven present. No minutes were recorded.

In 1923, carpet was purchased for what was then called the Belfast Methodist Episcopal Church.

In 1927, Mrs. Clara Haigh, Mrs. Margaret Easter and Mrs. Anna McGuire traveled to Lynchburg where they selected the color and design for repainting the inside of the church. Mr. Post did the work during the summer, using six coats of paint. He also completed a stencil of The Ten Commandments on the center of the wall behind the pulpit, which remained there for many years. The entire project cost $125.05.

The next time we can read about the ladies group was on July 17, 1940, when the ladies made plans to hold an ice cream social on the town lot Aug. 2. Each person donated a cake and several donated homemade ice cream. They netted $22.22 for this effort.

During an August meeting at the home of Mae Young, they planned a bake sale and market at the Ford Garage in Hillsboro, and the Rev. Ralph Young gave a short talk. He advised the ladies that the name of their group was to be changed to the Women’s Society of Christian Service (WSCS).

They chartered this new organization at a September meeting with the following members: Mrs. Nora Gall, Mrs. Sara Milburn, Mrs. Mary West, Mrs. Coreene Bryant, Mrs. Juanita West, Mrs. Jennie West, Mrs. Ola Cooper, Mrs. Rena Tannehill, Mrs. Florence Kelly, Mrs.Florence Milburn, Mrs. Rose West, Mrs. Rowena Cooper, Mrs. Jessie Jones, Mrs. Jennie Cooper, Mrs. C.R. Craycraft, Mrs. Frances Gall, Mrs. Loreene Frazer, Mrs. Mae Young, Mrs. Ethel Nolan, Mrs. Gettie Kelley, Mrs. Annie Easter, Mrs. Wilma Perry, Mrs. Bertha Davis, Mrs. Genevieve McKenzie, Mrs. Mary J. Tannehill, Mrs. Mary Margaret West, Mrs. Opal Ferguson, and the Rev. Young.

For about the next 30 years, the WSCS raised funds in many ways and aided the church and the community. They prepared refreshments for Bible School, helped pay for children to attend church camp, donated to families that lost homes in fires, sent Valentines cookies to college students and military personnel, and prepared food baskets for the needy and ill at Thanksgiving.

Their funds purchased flags for the sanctuary, as well as a water heater and pump, and helped increase the building fund for the basement, paid for furnace repair, and helped with plastering the basement ceiling. They found time to play, too! The group attended the “Ruth Lyons 50/50 Club” in Cincinnati, and later “The Paul Dixon Show.”

The church became the home church of the Belfast Methodist Charge in 1954. At this time, the pastor was Rev. Kenneth Nason, who hosted a meeting of the board in the house being used as the parsonage on Aug. 2 of that year. Officers elected were John Haigh, chair; Ed Jones, vice president, and Gerald Newman, secretary. No minutes of earlier meetings having been located, it was concluded that reports for the charge and the church had to be kept separately. At this meeting, repairs to the buildings were discussed.

In 1958, the Rev. Roy Locher was called to minister to the charge and a new parsonage was constructed on land east of the church. This parcel was donated to the church by Mr. and Mrs. Roy Carroll. Don Ward constructed the parsonage at a cost of $9,300.

Members of the Parsonage Committee were from all the churches served in the charge: Harold Mohr, Belfast; J.R. Chambers, Flat Run; C.W. Jones, Louisville; W.B. Ward, Louden, George Hastings, Prospect, and Howard McCoy, Folsom.

As the church continued to grow, remodeling and expansion were planned. A building fund was established, and gifts given in memory of Charles Milburn, to whom the new fellowship hall was dedicated, and other members of the congregation, as well as a bequest from Mrs. Anna Brown Easter were combined to cover the costs.

In 1963, the church was raised from its foundation and a full basement with a kitchen, space for fellowship gatherings, and a Sunday school room was added. New chairs and tables were purchased and the interior of the church was re-decorated. The committee for this renovation included Joseph P. West, Sr., Russell McCalla, and Harold Mohr.

The contractors were Ralph Thompson, Ernel Ward, Ronald Tong, and William Thomas.

A rededication ceremony was planned as part of the Sesquicentennial Celebration for Oct. 3, 1965. Committee members serving for this event were Mr. and Mrs. John E. Haigh, Mr. and Mrs. J. Harold McKenzie, Mr. and Mrs. Wendell Milburn, and Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Milburn.

At this time, James Frazer served as Sunday School superintendent, as he does today; Mrs. John Haigh was the organist; Mary Mohr was pianist, and Marie A. Broomhall was the pastor. F. Gerald Ensley represented the Ohio West Conference at the celebration, and John G. Koontz, superintendent of the Wilmington District of the Methodist Church, also attended.

In 1964, the Belfast Church began making ice cream, using freezers from the Sardinia Presbyterian Church. The original socials became the popular “ice cream suppers” around 1968. It was also about this time (1966) that Jim and Joyce Frazer organized a youth group for the entire Belfast Charge.

The young people met every other Sunday afternoon for devotions, refreshments and volleyball. The youngsters attended the District youth rallies, supported Asbury youth mission teams, and conducted worship in all three churches on Youth Sunday. They enjoyed camping, held hay rides, and attended Reds’ games. In the winters, they sledded, went Christmas caroling, and delivered Christmas baskets to the shut-ins. The Frazers continued to lead the group until about 1980, when former members Marilyn (Hastings) Heflin and Diane (West) Mason became the leaders for a time before most of our young people grew up and moved away.

The ladies became the United Methodist Women in 1972. The next year they made bed pads for the Otterbein Home in Lebanon. They purchased curtains for the fellowship hall and painted it in 1974 and helped purchase wheelchairs for Otterbein.

In 1975, they hosted Judy Post, who came from Nigeria, West Africa. In 1976, they made lap robes for Ohio Valley Manor Rest Home, and gave some to local neighbors.

In 1979, the ladies began hosting a church outing during the month of August. Their destinations included restaurants and museums all over Ohio and Kentucky. They started their Mother-Daughter banquets about 1981 and continued to hold that event for the next twenty-one years.

In 1985, they developed a soup kitchen and clothing cupboard to help people during the rough economic times. By the early 1990s, they were serving fewer than 10 people on a regular basis and closed that project.

In 2011, it was determined that the bell tower had deteriorated significantly and would need to be closed to protect the church family and building from the bats who were literally making themselves at home in the belfry.

Over the course of 2012, the stained glass windows were restored and the sanctuary was completely redecorated. Donald Edingfield created a beautiful frame for the round stained glass window that had been above the front doors of the church, and it was moved into the sanctuary where it was installed in a new wall with lighting behind it so it can be enjoyed during the services. Donald also made the baseboard and matching shelf for that wall. Following his death in 2014, a plaque was added to the window wall, dedicating that part of the sanctuary to him in appreciation for his work.

In 2014, after 44 years, the church – regretfully – held its last July 4 weekend Ice Cream Supper.

The church, however, continues to participate in a number of very valuable ministries. Gifts to members of the Belfast and Bright Local Schools communities in need because of deaths in the family, fire or other hardship are often the focus of monthly mission offerings.

Every fall, the church joins other Highland Countians in packing hundreds of shoebox gifts for Operation Christmas Child, and a delegation from the church travels to Boone, N.C. to assist in the sorting and packing operations for this ministry, which takes place at the Samaritan’s Purse facility.

The church also supports the Southern Ohio Pregnancy Center baby bottle fundraiser, Gideons, and the Ross County Correctional Center Kairos Prison Ministry.

The public is always welcome at worship (9 a.m.) or for the monthly activities during the school year.