History of the Mt. Zion Church

(Including Lists of Pastors and charter members)

Note:  Clicking on Underlined Text will show pictures or details.

 DEDICATION

HISTORICAL SKETCH of THE MT. ZION FREE METHODIST CHURCH

The Mt. Zion Church is located in the Southeast corner of Deer Creek Tsp. Miami County, Indiana. (County road 400w-1300s). Mailing Address 13048 South 400 West Road    Kokomo, In.

The Mt. Zion Christian Church was organized in 1870 and met for Sunday school and church in the one room brick school house (Wininger school) North of the present church site until they built the church in 1876. Rev. James Comer was the first pastor and Dr. John Puckett was the first evangelist. There were 25 charter members with 18 being added the first year. The church joined, The Miami Reserve New Light Christian Conference.

The church was built with bricks fired in a kiln then located just south of the building site on the Davis farm. *An interesting story was told to this historian. The McConnell family was one of the charter members of the church, hence they helped build the original sanctuary. Marcella and Thomas McConnell told me that their grandfather E. T McConnell drove his horses to Kokomo and bought bricks to finish the front of the church. Since they were not fired in the same kiln near by they were a different shade. A picture of the front bears this out. The benches and woodwork for the church were made locally from oak and poplar timber cut on the Crockett farm one half mile north of the church. The church was heated by two pot bellied heating stoves, one on each side of the sanctuary, until 1947.

In 1879 the Christian conference advised the Cassville Christian church to unite with the Mt. Zion church, which they did in 1883 with 25 charter members in the reorganized church.

The church prospered until the mid-1930s when the great depression hit. It was closed until 1942, when a group of Christians from the Bennetts Switch community, called The Crossroads church, who had been meeting in the old Centennial school (highway 31 & 18) asked former deacon Merritt Clymer to use the church. Brother Clymer had prayed faithfully that God would send someone to reopen the church.

They changed their name to The Mt. Zion Christian church and soon got, Rev’s. Clarence and Arretta Darter from the Christian conference, as pastors. The Darters faithful ministry was rewarded with a revival in the spring of 1946 with souls being saved in regular services well into the fall. During this time many young couples with families were saved and children's classes were started. This growth demanded more room than the original one room building so plans were made to add to the West end of the building. About this same time the brick schoolhouse was purchased for a future parsonage.

In 1947 the men of the church came with tractors, slip-scoops, shovels and wheel barrows and dug a basement. Three classrooms and a pulpit area were built on the ground floor and two classrooms, two restrooms and a furnace room in the basement.

A small vestibule was added to the front of the church about three years later. In 1951 the schoolhouse was remodeled for a parsonage for pastor Carlisle McFarland. Rev. Howard Smith a returned missionary came to pastor in 1953 and pastored for seven years and was taken to his reward by an auto accident in August of 1960. Rev. Verlin Kling was elected to pastor and remained until 1968. During his ministry, in 1961 the west brick wall of the sanctuary was opened and the pulpit moved to the area made for it in the 1947 addition; the back one third of the sanctuary floor incline was lowered to level with the rest of the floor. New hardwood floor was installed to cover the old flooring. New blond oak benches with padded seats and matching oak pulpit furniture were soon added.

In 1966 the small vestibule was removed and a larger one added with the entrance to the north instead of to the east. This new addition had a classroom, nursery, new restrooms, auxiliary furnace and double glass doors.

Rev Leonard Hinds came in 1968 as pastor resigning in 1970 due to ill health. Thus ended Mt. Zions first 100 years.

Rev. Lon Helms then became pastor of the church starting the second century. He remained for 8 years. In 1974 a large fellowship building was built behind the church with facilities for wedding receptions and church gatherings. The fellowship hall was joined to the main part of the church by a new classroom a couple of years later.

In 1978 Rev. Jack Robbins, an evangelist and mission worker from Haiti, came to pastor for one year then felt led of God to return to mission work.

For a year the church had no pastor but God graciously gave us fill in pastors for every service, many from The Wesleyan headquarters in Marion, In. During this time the church began proceedings to end affiliation with the Christian conference.

In 1980 the church called Rev. Darrell Longstreet as pastor. He fell seriously ill before moving but prayer prevailed and God healed him for service at Mt. Zion. He was our first Free Methodist pastor. His strength and guidance carried the church victoriously through the transition from one affiliation to choosing another.

After meeting with five holiness groups the church voted to become a Free Methodist church. The Longstreets and Wabash conference superintendent Rev. Roger Johnson were very patient as the church deliberated and questioned. On September 28,1982 the church was organized as a Free Methodist church with 62 charter members, the new superintendent Rev. Darold Hill officiating. John Myers was elected to be the first delegate to the Free Methodist Conference. The Longstreets helped us get started in the programs of our new conference. The C.L.C. for children and W. M. F. I. womens mission group especially.

In 1983 Rev. Longstreet retired due to ill health and Rev. Joe Montgomery came as pastor. In 1984 the pastor’s study was moved from the parsonage to the church using the classroom by the nursery.

In 1985 the Rev. Robert Constable came and pastored for four years. At this time the pastors office was moved to the classroom by the fellowship hall in order to enlarge the nursery area.

Rev. Thomas Brown became the pastor in 1989. In the winter of 1993 the sanctuary was remodeled and the contractor agreed that the people of the church could help and save money by tearing out the old ceiling, insulation and cleaning up ready for the carpenters. The ceiling was vaulted, new arched windows were put in, also new oak doors and added a door in the north east corner of the sanctuary. New lighting was installed, as was new blue carpet and seat pads. The sound system was redone with speaker mounted in pulpit area and oak sound booth in rear of sanctuary, built by Rex Dillman. Many others contributed many hours of labor some even helping the carpenters.

This year, (1995) found us finishing the remodeling plan by enlarging the vestibule and rest rooms, making them wheel chair accessible and adding a car port to load and unload in bad weather.

Over the years Mt. Zion has had as the main purpose the Salvation of souls. Through the years many things have been used as an outreach including, basketball teams, softball teams, ladies bible studies, men's prayer breakfasts, vacation bible schools, C.L.C. and youth classes on mid-week bible study night, S.S. classes for all ages, good preaching and revival meetings. God has blessed the efforts of the church and when there was a need He supplied it whether it was finance, talent, or the man of the hour in time of need.

As we approach our 125th Anniversary of Mt. Zion Church we are praising God for all His leading and need supplying through the years and now.

Historian- Georgiana L. Myers

PASTORS OF MT. ZION and DEACONS OF MT. ZION

                    After reopening 1942 to 1995                     After reopening 1942 to 1982**

Claire Brooks - - 1942                                         Merritt Clymer
Clarence & Arretta Darter1942-51                    Louise Crockett
Carlyle McFarland - 1951-53                            Thomas McConnell
Howard Smith - 1953-60                                    Verlin Kling
Verlin Kling - 1960-68                                        Eli Eash
Leonard Hinds - 1968-70                                    Harold Fellar
Lon Helms - 1970-78                                        John W, Myers
Jack Robbins - 1978-79                                    Horace Ingram
No Pastor 1yr. - 1979-80                                    Andrew Glassburn
Darrell Longstreet - 1980-83                                Irene Ingram
Joe Montgomery - 1983-85                                 Cappie Donahue
Robert Constable - 1985-89                                Ervil Gross
Thomas Brown - 1989-97
Jack Andrews - 1997-2004
Russ Veldman - 2004 - present                            

** The Free Methodist Church (joined in 1982)  has a different organization and does not include lay Deacons.

List of names of charter members over the years

Organization 1870 Charter Members Mt. Zion Christian (New Light) Church:

Columbus Davis, John Davis, GeorgeWininger, Cinderella Wininger, Asher Crocket, Susan Crockett, Nancy Sullivan, Ellen Sullivan Ault, Mary Wininger Willson, Cathrine Ault, W.H. Willson, Nancy Jackson, Joseph Willson, Rachel Willson, Maggie Wininger Mills, Ruth Wininger Zehring, Rilla Wininger Mills, Mary Piles, Christine McConnell, Samuel McConnell, Joseph McConnell, *Joseph Ault, Hannah Rickard, Noah Cotterman, Cathrine Cotterman.

                   Organization 1942 Charter Members Mt. Zion Christian Church: (reopened)

Thomas H. McConnell, Louise Marshall, Rudolph Myers, Luticia Myers, Anna Spaulding, Louise Crockett, Minnie Waisner, Bertha Davis, Joseph Davis, Mrs. W.E. Davis, Verlin Kling, Margorie Kling, Harry Zehring, June Zehring, Edith Toney, Clifford Toney, Frank Phelps, Alta Phelps, *Joseph Ault (only living 1870 member).

                    Organization 1982 Charter Members Mt. Zion Free Methodist Church:

Edith Betzner, Cappie Donahue, Mildred Donahue, Rebecca Gannon, Martha Gannon, Paul Gaskins, Charlene Gaskins, Ervil Gross, Betty Gross, Andrew Glassburn, Catherine Glassburn, Joyce Goodman, Ronnie Harrell, Karen Harrell, William Hudson, Mary Jo Humphrey, Carol Ingram, Ralph Ingram, Julia Irene Ingram, Bessie (Kessler) Roark, Norma Jean Kelly, Allen Livingston, Ellen Ann Livingston, Hazel Louks, Larry McCune, Linda McCune, Phil McIntosh, Linda McIntosh, Randall Moorman, Retta Moorman, James L. Myers, Brenda K. Myers, John W. Myers, Georgiana L.  Myers, Elsie Neal, Everett Neal, Judy Neal, Bernice Robertson, Brian Sanders, Ruth Smith, Renita Tafflinger, Dick Tew, Joan E. Tew, Louise Unger, Paul Wenger, Connie Wenger, Janet White, Charles Wyant, Marie Wyant, Tim Wyant, Jan Wyant, Jill (Wyant) Schroerer, Clara Clester, Ella Longstreet.