The United Methodist Church in the Union County town of Arispe can trace its history to the 1870s, when early services were held in a rural schoolhouse. In November 1897, a committee met at the home of Arispe resident G.W. DeLay to consider raising funds to construct a permanent church facility. Funds were raised quickly, and the $1,200 church was dedicated in October 1898. On April 1, 1915 the church was destroyed by fire, and services were temporarily held in the school building.
Plans for a new church were drawn up, and Lamoni-based Charles F. Church was hired as the architect. After much work by volunteer labor, the new church was finished just 8 months and 19 days after the first building was destroyed. In 1976, new siding and doors were installed, and a special service was held to commemorate the bi-centennial of the United States. Weekly services continue to be held in the church today; it shares a pastor with United Methodist churches in Afton and Lorimor.
Affiliated with the United Church of Christ since 1933, brick church at Main and Third Streets in Fonda is the oldest in Pocahontas County. Constructed as a Methodist Church in 1879, the building originally cost $1,800 and consisted of a sanctuary and pastor’s study. Extensive remodeling in 1906 reshaped the entire building, with a new brick structure constructed around the original building. The church currently shares a pastor with two United Church of Christ congregations in the nearby town of Newell.
The Mission Committee of the Iowa District of American Lutheran Churches decided to establish a congregation in the Floyd County community of Marble Rock in December 1944 under the leadership of Rev. I.J. Deines from nearby Greene. The first services were held in the Christian Church building in February 1945, with 80 people present for the afternoon service. Within two years, members began raising money to purchase the building; the $1,300 sale was made official on October 12, 1947.
The church was formally dedicated on November 30, 1947; a basement was added in 1955.
Located four-and-a-half miles southwest of Maxwell, the Loring United Methodist Church can trace its roots to 1863, when J.T. Overholt and family came to the community from the Evangelical Association in Ohio. Worship soon began in homes, with services later moved to local schoolhouses. A dedicated building was constructed and dedicated in July 1885, with membership exceeding 150 by 1892.
The first church was destroyed by tornado in 1907, but was rebuilt by December 22, the same year. The building remains, and the church continues to serve area residents, today.
July 1, 2007, marked the end of an era for residents of the Union County town of Shannon City. The local United Methodist Church held its last Sunday service that morning, after being a part of the community for 118 years. First services were held at a school house north of town before a permanent church facility was constructed in the summer of 1889. The building saw a number of upgrades through the years including the addition of a basement in the 1940s, exterior updates in the 1980s, and finally, changes to lower the sanctuary ceiling and remove stained glass to create a more comfortable environment.
In an article from the Creston News-Advertiser, church members recalled elaborate Easter pageants, the live Christmas nativity scene, and the annual fried chicken supper held each September. But, member Alice Ringberg summarized the challenges facing the church: “We couldn’t meet monthly expenses because of the declining congregation. People were getting older and passing away, [and] we just didn’t have many people on Sunday coming to worship.”
Though the United Methodist Church affiliation was discontinued in 2007, the well-maintained building now serves as the non-denominational Shannon City Community Church.
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