Livingston county history
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- FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH CHILLICOTHE
DAWN FEDERATED CHURCHIn the early 1920’s, many of the churches in the Dawn area were finding it difficult to secure and support full-time ministers. Because of this an informal committee, representing the Congregational, Presbyterian, and Methodist churches, met in 1925 to discuss possible solutions. Following these discussions, the three groups decided to jointly hire one minister. The first minister hired was the Reverend S. G. Gutensohn, a Congregationalist and a person committed to this project. The real beginnings of the Federated Church took place with a formal organization in 1926, governed by a Board of Control. On Nov. 27, 1927 a committee of this Board proposed a set of By-Laws which established a Council and five committees made up equally from members of each congregation. Later all three churches began meeting as one congregation in the Methodist church building. (This building, still in use today, had originally been constructed as an opera house by Watson Fisher. It was purchased for use as a church building by community subscription, and converted to this use by the Methodists.) The year 1927 also saw the formation of the church group with the longest life - the recently revived “T. M.’s” This women’s group chose the name “The More The Merrier” and has been active in church and community affairs ever since. During the late 1930’s, the Federated Church joined with the Avalon and Chula Presbyterian Churches in being served by one minister. Then from 1945 until 1952 it was yoked with the Liberty Methodist Church. The early 1950’s saw the beginning of the annual Lord’s Acre Sale or Harvest Festival. At this time the building underwent some major remodeling. A full basement was added, and a new furnace, pews, and pulpit furniture replaced the old equipment. The congregation also decided to hire a full-time pastor once again and this led to another construction project. The old Congregational parsonage was inadequate, so a new one was built, being finished in 1955. In 1961 the church once again faced the difficulty of supporting a full-time minister. The Livingston County Larger Parish was organized, which included the Blue Mound and Ludlow Christian churches in addition to the Federated church. Within a few years the local Christians became a formal affiliate of the Federation. Over the years many changes took place in the Larger Parish: the Plymouth Methodist church joined and later left; the Blue Mound congregation left; the Mooresville Christian church joined; the Ludlow Christian church became the Community church through a union with the United Methodist congregation. The Parish dissolved in 1974 when all three remaining congregations decided to try it on their own again. The Federated church is still loosely connected with the four constituent denominations and has been served by pastors from each of these. Membership has dwindled along with the population of the Dawn area, but it is still a strong congregation attempting to fulfill its ministry and standing as a witness for cooperation among churches. FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH CHILLICOTHEIn the early fall of 1844, the second courthouse of Livingston County located in the Public Square served as the meeting place for Baptists to have their first religious services. Here, perhaps not more than ten or a dozen Baptists, under the leadership of the Pioneer Baptist preacher, William W. Walden, organized the First Baptist church in Chillicothe and here the little church continued to meet until 1850, at which time they joined the Christian church people in worshipping in what was probably the first building used exclusively for church services in Chillicothe. It was located at the present site of the Masonic Temple. The two churches cooperated in holding their services until 1856 when the Baptists disposed of their interests to the Christian church. Soon after this, the Baptists began the erection of a splendid brick building at the corner of Elm and Webster streets. This church was formally dedicated in 1858. The Civil War brought about a division in the church but the Baptists were able to overcome this Civil War dissension and in 1869 the two churches appointed committees to bring about a union of the two churches. The committee was composed of Rev. G. W. Rodgers, Deacon, J. M. Alnutt, Dr. E. S. Poindexter, Deacon J. C. Bernard, A. S. Stewart, and Z. N. Goldby. The committee devised a plan whereby the two churches were to reorganize under the name of First Baptist Church of Chillicothe, Mo. This was a great day for the Baptists of Chillicothe for after the consolidation the church had a membership of almost one hundred. Two years later in 1871 under the leadership of their new pastor, Rev. L. M. Berry, the church held a revival with Elder Randall doing the preaching. There were 110 baptisms. The church actually doubled itself in membership. June 17, 1903, under the leadership of Dr. Ray Palmer, a contract was let for a new and modern building to be erected at Vine and Clay streets. The building was completed in less than a year at a cost of $16,525. Members of the church instrumental in raising money for the completion of the church were J. P. Hunt, F. A. Davis, R. M. Bruce, J. W. Botts, J. M. Dunn, C. E. Cornue, and C. 0. Hatcher. The First Baptist Church had a continuous growth and in 1943 purchased the D. G. Johnson property across the street from the church at a cost of $3500. They also voted to remodel the home to accommodate the Sunday School growth, and to finish the basement of the church for educational purposes. In 1951 a division arose among our members and the Calvary Baptist Church was formed. Since then, the wounds have been healed and two strong churches have resulted. A church educational building was erected or annexed in 1952, consisting of a basement and one story. A second story was added later. In May, 1967, the foundation was laid for a new church building complex at 1601 Bryan, the lot being purchased from Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Miquelon. The construction was completed and dedication services were held March 17, 1968 with over 800 people in attendance. (The former church building located at Vine and Clay Street was torn down, leaving the educational building which was converted into apartments.) The people of First Baptist Church of Chillicothe feel they have been blessed of the Lord both spiritually and financially in being able to have carried on so rich a heritage. 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