FOUNDING of the CHURCH
Eleven people of
the community met with a traveling minister, Reverend Kellog, to found
a Congregational Church here in St. Joseph. Those people were: Dr.
David Crane, Mrs. Anna Crane, Mr. John Enos, Mrs. Jane Vanderbeck, Mrs.
Isabella Mahue, Mr. W. Samuel Maynard, Fannie Stowe, Mr. James B,
Sutherland, Mrs. Marie Sutherland, Mrs. Ann Olmstead, and Mrs. Betsy
King. Also present on that Saturday, April 28, 1854, were Reverend
Thomas Jones of Galesburg, Reverend William Denison of Kalamazoo,
deacon Charles Johnson of Watervliet, and Reverend William H. Osborne
of New York state who would become the first minister of the newly
founded First Congregational Church and Society.
There
is one current member of the Congregational Church who is a decendants
of Dr. David Crane, Mrs. Donna Johnson, his great-great-grandchild. The
late Robert Kimmerly was also a great-great-grandchild.
OLD WHITE SCHOOLHOUSE
Fowler Preston, a builder and the first Marshal of Saint Joseph, built
the second schoolhouse in the village in 1835. His great- grandson is a
current member, Attorney Arthur G. Preston. The schoolhouse was called
The Old White Schoolhouse and was located at 311 Ship Street. This is
where the Congregational Church, and some other churches, met.
PURCHASE of 601 MAIN STREET LOT
The lot on the corner of Main Street and Market Street was purchased on December 8, 1858.
NAME of CHURCH CHANGED
On December 9 of 1858 the name of the church was changed to First
Congregational Church and Society of Saint Joseph.
CONTRACT to BUILD
A contract to build was signed with William C. Weaver, great
grandfather of current member Patricia Strouse Sprunger on February 15,
1859. The church was to be built for $1,947, but the final cost of the
wooden structure was $6,000.
SCHEDULE of WORSHIP
The minutes of the church show that the church held preparatory
lectures on Saturday, with the worship service on Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
There was a meeting of the society following the church service.
Another service was held on Sunday evening at 7:30 p..m.
NAME CHANGE AGAIN
On August 31, 1867 the name of the organization was changed to First
Congregational Church of Saint Joseph, Michigan.
ADDITION to CHURCH
In 1869 an enlargement was built to house a new pipe organ and add a prayer/conference room.
MEMBERSHIP in 1872 - 89 members with 152 in Sunday School
LOT PURCHASED for PARSONAGE
The lot south of the church was bought for the purpose of building a parsonage.
PARSONAGE at 709 MAIN STREET (mentioned in 1878)
MEMBERSHIP in 1891 - 177
ANNEX ADDED in 1910
An annex was added in 1910 for Sunday School rooms, an office, meeting
room, and installation of a new heating plant. The total cost was
$8,000. The parsonage south of the church was already built at 609 Main
Street.
DICKINSON ORGAN and WINDOW
In the fall of 1912 The Dickinson and Hoffman families donated a new
organ and stained glass window, which was moved to the new church
structure. The addition included a new choir loft and more room to
accomodate the new organ for a cost of $6,000.
MAJOR RENOVATION
In 1922 a major renovation was undertaken to enlarge the sanctuary,
remove the balcony, build a social Fellowship Hall downstairs with a
kitchen, and add a boiler room. An additional side entrance was added,
the entire building was bricked, and new pews were installed for a
total cost of $35,000.
CHURCH RE-INCORPORATED and CHANGED NAME
In 1929 the church was re-incorporated and the name was changed to First Congregational Church of Saint Joseph.
PROPOSAL of NEW BUILDING
Reverend George Horst proposed a new building in 1931 following an
evaluation by the fire department! Replacement of the building would
cost $80,089.
PARSONAGE SOLD
On June 15, 1937 the parsonage at 609 Main Street was sold for $375.00 and was dismantled.
MORTGAGE BURNED
The worship service on one Sunday in April of 1945 featured the burning of the mortgage.
PARSONAGE PURCHASED
The house at 712 Church was purchased for the parsonage.The house and renovation cost $9,000.
STUDY DONE for FUTURE CHURCH PLANS
In 1946, committees were set up to study the plans for an addition to
the present building or the purchase of property for a new church
structure. The vote of the congregation was to move to a new location.
The Frederick Uptons donated $50,000 to begin the new building fund.
PURCHASE of NILES AVENUE LOT
On November 12, 1947, the almost 8 acre lot on Niles Avenue was
purchased from Edward Hoffman, a Dickinson grandson, for $12,000.
MEMBERSHIP in 1953 was 762 with 375 in Sunday School!
GROUND BREAKING SERVICE
On May 2, 1954 the ground breaking service was held at 2001 Niles Avenue for the
new Congregational Church building. Construction began in late summer of that year.
FINAL CHURCH SERVICE HELD
The final church service was held at the Main Street location on August 28, 1955.
FIRST CHURCH SERVICE at 2001 NILES AVENUE
The first Church service was held on September 11, 1955.The final cost
of the building (without the $12,000 for the lot) was $527,908.54.
MAIN STREET CHURCH SOLD
The Main Street church was sold to the Evangelical United Brethern
Church for $20,000 and their former church building in 1956.
GROUND BREAKING for the PARSONAGE
The ground breaking service for the parsonage was held on August 31,
1958. The cost of the building, which was finished in 1959, was $57,000.
FORMER CHURCH BECOMES HISTORICAL SITE
On August 7, 1968 the church at 601 Main Street was registered with the
Michigan Historical Commission and put on the State Registry of
Historical Sites. It was then called the Landmark Center, and housed
the Heritage Society.
MORTGAGE BURNING
The mortgage was burned during a Sunday worship service in September of 1976.
LANDMARK BURNS DOWN
In December 12, 1994, the Landmark, our former church building, was
burned beyond repair. It was torn down and later the site became the
home of the Priscilla Upton Byrns Heritage and Cultural Center. The
Heritage Society is still housed in that building.
NEW SOUND SYSTEM
In the year 2000 the sound system was updated for $10,000 from the Ankli Memorial Fund.
ADDITIONS MADE to the CHURCH
In 2002 renovations in the church were made to the Gathering Room and
new restrooms were added with funds from the Women's Fellowship.
MEMORIAL GARDEN
On October 25, 2003 the Memorial Garden was dedicated. This was a gift
of the R. Jack Zimmerman family. It will be the final resting place of
deceased members who have been cremated and wish to be buried there.
HEATING and AIR-CONDITIONING ADDED
The heating plant and new air-conditioning was added and completed in
April of 2003. Removal of asbestos was also undertaken. The project
cost $600,000, and was funded by the Capital Campaign Fund and the
Women's Fellowship and other church organizations.
NEW RESTROOMS ADDED on MAIN FLOOR and LOWER LEVEL
The rennovation of the restrooms was done, enlarging and changing
location of the rooms on the main floor. The Lower level restrooms were
modernized and improved in 2007. The Women's Fellowship rummage sales
were a great help in funding these projects.