Submitted article

A church that has been active in Bucyrus since 1876 will soon cease exist as a local congregation.

Everyone in the community is invited to share in a celebratory closing service and fellowship meal on Sunday, September 8 at 10:15 a.m. at the First Christian Church (Disciples of Chirst), 301 E. Warren St., Bucyrus. Special guests include Rev. William H. Edwards (Ohio Regional Pastor and President), W. Darwin Collins (Christian Church Foundation), and Rev. Harold Hopkins (District 6 Elder).

The congregation which began meeting at the corner of E. Warren and S. Lane Streets in 1876 is ceasing their operations as a church this year. The congregation has had several names over the years. In 1893, they were incorporated by the State of Ohio as the Church of Christ. Corporation papers filed with the State of Ohio in 1956 show a name change identifying them as the First Christian Church. In 1987, with congregational approval of a new constitution, they officially added “(Disciples of Christ)” to their name.

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) traces its roots to the Great Western Revival on the American frontier. Barton W. Stone, a pastor in Cane Ridge, Kentucky, participated in this Revival and in 1804, ended his Presbyterian ties to be known as a “Christian” only. In 1811, Thomas and Alexander Campbell, also Presbyterians, founded the Brush Run Church in western Pennsylvania, seeking the union of all Christians on a simple, non-creedal basis. They called themselves “Disciples.” These two movements merged in 1832 and spread rapidly throughout the frontier, which as that time included Ohio.

According to Alexander Campbell’s journal, “The Millennial Harbinger,” on May 3, 1849 a congregation with at least eight members from Bucyrus was organized near Oceola. By 1851, there were over fifty members.

In 1858, a church building was erected at the corner of Galion and Parcher Roads, but it was decided to relocate to more centrally-located Bucyrus. The new building, located at the present site was dedicated in 1876, and the first full-time pastor, George T. Smith, was called. In 1883 he was appointed a missionary under the Foreign Christian Missionary Society and served in Japan. His pastorate was followed by a number of other ministers. Brother L.A. Warren was pastor when the original church building was torn down in 1916-17 and rebuilt to include the present sanctuary. In 1964-65, an addition of classrooms, a new kitchen and fellowship hall, and pastor’s study more than doubled the size of the building. On May 17, 1964, Rev. A.N. Hinrichsen was minister when the ground was broken for the new $80,000 Educational Unit and Rev. Harry Headley was the minister when the building was dedicated June 27, 1965. During Rev. Donald Childers’ pastorate from 1974-1978, a “time capsule” was placed in the church in celebration of the church’s centennial celebration. Most recently, during the tenure of Rev. Bradley J. Smith who began serving the congregation in 1993 and is the current pastor, both the nursery and the sanctuary have been renovated. A new mural was also painted in the baptistery by Jennifer L. Irby.

Following the celebratory closing worship, a meal will be served in the fellowship hall and a historical display will be available to peruse. The display will contain some artifacts from the congregation’s history which includes, but not limited to, the original articles of incorporation, framed pictures of Sunday School classes in the early 1990s, various newspaper articles, handwritten notes from the “time capsule” placed in the church in 1977, and pictures of recent activities of the church such as the father-son banquet, the all-church birthday dinners, Christian Women Fellowship installation dinners, and youth programs including annual Fall Festivals and Vacation Bible School.

The event is free and open to the public. For any questions, please feel free to contact the church at 419-562-3051. Everyone is welcome.