| About Us |
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About 1816, Methodist Circuit riders ventured into this area. As the settlement grew, the town of Benton was placed on a circuit with regular preaching at stated intervals. Benton became a station in 1879 with a permanent pastor. So began the growth of our church, culminating in the active, caring church of today. The years have been long and often tedious as interest would rise and fall, but the church grew.
The first Methodist church built in the town of Benton was on the he corner of Market and South streets, where the present Dollar Store is found. In 1893, the church moved to its present location and three different buildings have been built there.
A white frame building was the first erected. A large single room served as a meeting place for classes held in different areas and a step-up choir area. Folding doors (raised to create more space) separated the small children during the Sunday School hours.
This building was replaced in 1918 with our first brick structure. It was believed to be sufficient for all time. Beautiful stained glass commemorative windows were donated, and the women of the church worked to supply the only pipe organ in town. As our church grew, a larger plant was needed, and this involved the plans for our present sanctuary, fellowship hall and Sunday School wing. This project was completed in the early '60s. The altar rail, pulpit and pulpit chairs which had been saved from the old church were placed in the new chapel. Loving care and careful planning went into the new chapel. Loving care and careful planning went into the new church. Reverends Ralph Clayton and Edwin Dodson were the guiding lights in the movement. People gave gladly and willingly to build and furnish the church as a place of worship and learning. Fervent prayer, willing sacrifice, and the desire to create a worthy temple to God was in the minds of the membership.
We continued to grow over the years. In the fall of 1994, the West Wing and renovation of the administrative wing was completed. Today, under the leadership and concern of the senior minister, Dr. George McCoy, the church has taken on a new life and is a vibrant fellowship reaching out to all people.
More than 175 years of faith have gone into the growth of our church, due to the faith of the congregation and the thought that "God was their strength!" This strength built the church and this strength will undergird as the church moves into the 21st century.
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