• Features

Uhrichsville church celebrates 100 years in same location

• By Teri Stein
• October 25, 2022
• 434

Helping the community has kept the First Presbyterian Church in Uhrichsville relevant since 1838, and the church recently celebrated its 100th anniversary in the same location with a service and remarks on its history by local historian Jon Baker.

The church has lived up to its mission statement: “Seek to be a cornerstone of our community.”

Activities at the church each week are numerous. The church is the site of the Claymont Senior Center, which offers programs five days per week, a GED program that is offered through Buckeye Career Center’s Aspire program and AA meetings once a week. Over the years many Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and other youth groups also have met at the church.

In the early 1800s, there was no Presbyterian Church in Uhrichsville. Church members needed to travel to Feed Springs, near Deersville, to attend Sunday services.

“They were riding their horses out there, and then they decided to go to Wooster to petition the presbytery to say, 'Can we have a church in Uhrichsville?'” said Rev. Mark Unrue, who has served as pastor at the church for 34 years.

The church’s first building was at Third and Main streets. It was completed in 1843 and was in use until June 1922. The current building at 633 N. Main St. in Uhrichsville is a Tudor Gothic style built of brick. It was completed in 1922.

According to records, one of the highlights was the first communion service held April 8, 1923. Two-hundred people received communion that day, with 10 new members received and nine children baptized.

One of the highlights of the church is a wall of eight panels of memorial windows. The central cluster of symbols is composed of the Greek letters, Chi Rho or X and P, a symbol for Christ. Other symbols that can be seen on the memorial windows include a burning bush, a lamp, a star and a cross inside a crown of thorns.

A painted glass window above the altar depicts Jesus praying in the garden.

There are some original pipes left of the church’s organ, and the stained-glass windows are still original, although they were redone about 10 years ago.

Through research it’s known some church practices that would be surprising today have been eliminated over the years. Unrue has some tokens that were once used to identify who was qualified to receive communion. Communion in most Presbyterian churches occurred periodically and still does today. That left the elders of the past the opportunity to talk with members ahead of time to ensure they were following the church’s teachings.

“The elders would go around and ask, 'Are you doing devotions? Are you studying God's word? And how's your life coming?'” Unrue said.

If they received positive answers to those questions, the member would get a token to be able to receive communion.

At one time in the history of the church, they kept a close eye on their members.

“If somebody was not living the Christian life, one or two elders would go and talk to them,” Unrue said. “And if you didn't change your life, then you came before the whole congregation.”

Though it’s not done anymore, the practice seemed to work.

“What's ironic to me, not just in our church here, but so many churches, if it ever got to the point of they were excommunicated, if you will, they almost to the person came back to the church no matter how long of a period it was that they were excommunicated. They needed the fellowship; they needed the Christian teaching,” Unrue said.

Now the church is focused on one of their main projects for the year — a Thanksgiving Day meal for anyone. Meals also can be delivered.

“The dinner is for anybody. There are no income requirements or anything. We just need them to call ahead and say they would like to eat. It's just nice to know,” Unrue said.

The Thanksgiving dinner was started when the church learned of a number of people who aren’t celebrating the holiday for whatever reason. They have had the dinner for 32 years, although they took a year off for the pandemic.

“Ideally, we would like them to come in and eat (at the church) so that they're not sitting at home alone,” Unrue said. “Although we serve about 600 meals here on Thanksgiving Day, most of them are delivered.”

The dinner has become a community effort, but there is some conflict over who can lay claim to the title of the turkey church. Dennison Foursquare Gospel Church has taken over the duties of cooking the turkeys.

“They bring them in cooked and pretty much ready to serve. So they want to be termed the turkey church. We cannot be called the turkey church,” Unrue said.

The turkeys are taken care of for this year, but more help for the meal is always welcome.

Unrue told the story of one small church that wanted to help but could only bring 12 pies. He was thankful for their help and that the small church could be a part of the effort.

Last year was the first time the group needed to peel their own potatoes for the dinner.

“We had 250 pounds of potatoes. And folks came through, and we were probably done in less than three hours,” Unrue said.

To date, they’ve never run out of turkey, but it’s been close.

“One lady in our church said if anyone calls me before 10:30, I'm going to reach through that phone and smack them silly,” Unrue said. “Then we're almost out of meat, and here she comes down the street carrying a turkey breast. There are always stories like that, and they are very special, very touching.”

The dinner really makes an impact.

“We use real plates, we use real silverware and that's become a tradition,” Unrue said.

He recalled the story of a girl who told her teacher she had gone to a fancy restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner. It was later discovered the girl’s family had eaten at the church that day.

Considering what they have accomplished so far, the church is sure to remain a cornerstone of the community for another 100 years and more.

Services are held each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. The First Presbyterian Church of Uhrichsville can be called at 740-922-3692.