The United Methodist Church in the Wapello County community of Kirkville can trace its history to 1844, when a group was organized by Rev. T.M. Kirkpatrick, based in nearby Eddyville. After meetings in homes and a local schoolhouse, a new church building was constructed and dedicated in 1853. The present church was constructed around the turn of the century; in 1917, a basement was added and the sanctuary was reconfigured.
Bethel Presbyterian Church in the Fayette County seat of West Union was officially organized in June 1867 with 12 charter members. The congregation first met in an old church facility and then the Fayette County Courthouse before a new brick building was constructed and dedicated in 1872. The first church was remodeled in 1893, but plans for an addition were interrupted when the building was destroyed by fire on February 11, 1922.
Prompt action was taken to construct a new church on the site of the old one, with the cornerstone laid on September 17, 1922 and dedication services held the following year. A basement was added in 1951, while an education wing was added (in the lighter brick) in 1961.
In 1873, Methodists in rural Poweshiek County organized the Sunset Church near the present-day site of Guernsey. The first church building for the congregation was constructed at a cost of $1,600 and was dedicated October 26, 1879. The town of Guernsey was platted four years later, and a majority of members desired to establish a presence in the new community. In 1894, the Sunset Church was torn down, with the lumber repurposed for use in construction of a new church building in Guernsey.
The new church in Guernsey was completed in 1894 at a cost of $3,350. Though efforts in 1941 to construct a new building did not materialize, a significant expansion project was completed in 1965. The Guernsey United Methodist Church currently shares a pastor with four other area churches.
The history of the United Methodist Church in the Jasper County town of Reasnor dates to the founding of the town. Early Reasnor records suggest in 1877 that 24 Methodist men and women were responsible for the initial platting of the town. Services were held at the local railroad depot until the first church was constructed in 1879. The present Reasnor United Methodist Church building was constructed in 1898, though it was originally occupied by the Union Evangelical Church. The church shares a pastor with the church in the nearby unincorporated town of Killduff.
Construction began in 1901 on the United Methodist Church in the Appanoose County community of Moulton. Built at a cost of $12,000, the brick church featured ornate stained-glass windows and a 400-seat auditorium. Shortly after the dedication service in March 1902, a Barchhoff manual pipe organ weighing 5,000 pounds was installed. A professional organist from Ottumwa failed to show for the dedication service, resulting in a performance from Cam Marshall, a teenager who watched and helped with the installation of the organ. The organ was hand pumped until electricity became available in 1905.