Indianola First United Methodist Church

OUR CHURCH HISTORY

BEGINNINGS - 1849

    The first Methodist services held here were in 1849 when a circuit rider preacher by the name of George W. Teas was assigned by the Iowa Annual Conference to hold services in what was called "Three Rivers mission".  The Mission included all of Warren and Madison Counties and the south part of Polk County and a sizable part of Marion County.  Its name was derived from the North River, Middle River and South River which flow through this region.  When the Mission was established the first house was yet to be built in what was to become Indianola.

    The first sermon to be delivered in Indianola was by Rev. Teas in 1850 in a log cabin owned by Sam Johnson located southeast of the city square.  A class of 8 persons was organized that year.  By 1853 the circuit was no longer listed as Three Rivers Circuit, but as Indianola with a total of 305 members.  By that time portions of the circuit had also separated and formed into a Hartford Circuit and Winterset Circuit.

FIRST CHURCH BUILDING - 1855

    By 1855 the first church building was built as a cost of $4,000.  It was a brick building erected on the northeast corner of the city square, a location which later was the site of a J.C. Penney store.  This was used be the church for 36 years until 1885.  Until the county courthouse was building in 1869 the church was used for court proceedings.  It was also a site for various cultural events such as literary readings, lectures, magic lantern shows and even county political conventions. By 1857 the church had 440 members and 163 probationary members.

    The congregation outgrew this building and it was decided that a new church building was needed.  The building was sold in 1985 to Silas G. Keeney  who turned it into a livery stable.  The proceeds were used to build a large more spacious structure on the site of the present church on Ashland Avenue one block west of the city square.

SECOND BUILDING BUILT - 1886

     After the building was sold church services were held in the Simpson College Chapel until the new church was finished in 1886.   The new church had a bell tower and spire more than fifty feet high.  However, some time after the turn of the century the tower was struck by lightening and damaged to the point that the upper portion was removed.  By 1896 the congregation had outgrown the new church and so an addition was built.  By 1906 church membership had grown to 1,040 members.

CHURCH SCHOOL BUILDING ADDED IN 1926

    A new brick church school building was added in 1926 containing class rooms and the Parish Hall upstairs.  This building now houses the church offices and hospitality room, chapel and library and some class rooms.   The year 1955 was celebrated as the congregation's 100th anniversary and a special centennial service was held to mark the occasion.

CHURCH BURNS IN 1956  

    On February 14, 1956 the church was destroyed by fire.  The Parsonage, which was located in what is now the courtyard area between the two wings of the church, was saved by valiant efforts of the fire fighters. 

NEW CHURCH BUILDING BEGUN IN 1957

    The cornerstone for a new larger and all brick building was laid on February 17, 1957. The building cost $424,419 including equipment. It was consecrated on September 8, 1957 and celebrated by a special program and three worship services attended by total of 2,128 people.

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

    By 2004 the church had again outgrown its facilities.  Membership of the church reached nearly 1,800 and classrooms were over crowded.  So a major capital campaign in was completed in December of 2004 which raised 1.6 million dollars in cash and pledges to renovate the west wing heating and plumbing systems, repair the roof, and install a new phone system and video projection system in the sanctuary for worship.  It also included parsonage renovations and the purchase of the house and lot just south of the sanctuary.  The house was used as an annex for classroom space until April 2006 when it was demolished to make room for a new addition to the south side of the church.