Published: August 09, 2008 05:20 pm            

Universal Bethlehem United Methodist Church celebrates 150th anniversary

UNIVERSAL — Universal Bethlehem United Methodist Church will celebrate its 150th anniversary during 9:15 a.m. services today.

The Rev. Kent Beckman will give the morning sermon and Jan Sollars and Stacey Beckman will provide entertainment. Betty Wilson will explain the church history as well as reminisce about the church when she was a young girl.

After services there will be a short break so that everyone can examine all the church memorabilia on display throughout the sanctuary. Just before lunch, parishioners will release 150 balloons.

An old-fashioned picnic lunch will be served at noon outside under a tent on the south side of the church. Entertainment at 1:15 p.m. will include a performance by the Sunday school children, followed by the Coon Holler Kids and soloist Anna Marie Giovanini.

Universal Bethlehem United Methodist Church is west of Universal at the corner of Wood Avenue and Rangeline Road.

In the 1850’s, people began to settle in the southernmost part of Vermillion County. Many were ancestors of current members of the church who wanted a place to gather and worship. The only available building was a one-room schoolhouse, just south of what was to become the engine room of the Bunsen Mine and where the railroad ran into the Peabody Mine. There was no town then.

The Bethlehem Church of the United Brethren in Christ was organized in 1858 at the one-room Wright School. John Burtner was the first preacher in charge of the fledgling church and A.J. Newgent was the Circuit Rider. Charter members were Noah Hedges and wife, C.C. Hedges and wife, John A. Hay and wife, Catherine Wright (Aunt Kate), Abraham Foltz and wife, Marion Shew, Mrs. Marion Wright, Benjamin Fansler and wife, Mary Lenhart and others.

They worshipped in the schoolhouse until 1868, when a new frame church was built on the corner of Rangeline Road. Henry and Irene Shew donated a half acre of land to be used only for a church. The church was dedicated on Aug. 8, 1869; estimated cost was $1,000. The church was subsequently remodeled adding a new double door entry and a bell tower with a spire.

In 1913, the U.S. Steel Co. sank the Bunsen Mine and the town of Universal was born. The population quickly grew and church membership rapidly expanded to 216. In 1915, plans were begun to build a larger church. Included in the plans were four beautiful stained-glass windows in the sanctuary and a smaller one over the double door entry proclaiming it to be “Bethlehem U.B. Church.” This window was removed with later church mergers. It was recently returned to the church framed and now hangs in the sanctuary — a piece of Bethlehem church history back home.

In 1919, construction began on the new brick church with an estimated cost of $16,000. The frame church was moved to the south side of the church lawn where services continued until completion of the new church. Dedication services took place in the beautiful new brick church on Feb. 26, 1921, with White River Conference Superintendent J.C. Shannon preaching a very moving sermon. Attendance at Sunday school that morning was 206.

In 1946, the Bethlehem United Brethren united with the Evangelical Church to form the Bethlehem Evangelical United Brethren Church.

In 1968, the Bethlehem Evangelical United Brethren Church united with the Methodist Church and is now known as the Bethlehem United Methodist Church.

        

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