Nankin Federated Church Silver Anniversary
The Nankin Federated Church is celebrating its silver anniversary this Sunday. The church was formally dedicated twenty-five years ago following the unification of the Methodist and Presbyterian congregations and the uniting of their buildings.
Special activities for the anniversary celebration Sunday include an anniversary service in the morning at 11, a basket picnic dinner at noon, and an informal homecoming program at 2 in the afternoon.
The Rev. Alfred W. Swan, D.D., pastor of the first Congregational Church, Madison, Wis. speaker at the dedication 25 years ago, will be the special speaker for the morning service. His subject will be "Far Voices Calling."
The choir will sing Guonod's "Praise Ye the Father." Also sung at the dedication services 25 years ago.
The homecoming program will feature greetings from former pastors and members and special music. All members and friends of the church have been invited to share in the festivities of the day.
The "church marriage" idea began as early as 1920. Previous to that time resident ministers of both churches in Nankin also served the churches in Polk. On occasion they had commented to each other about how much better it would be if one lived in each community serving a unified church there.
EARLY HISTORY
Early histories of Orange Township record the establishment of four churches in the county and four in the village, known as Orange, but later called Nankin. The last two of these churches remaining, the Methodist Episcopal and the Presbyterian, united in 1929 to form the Nankin Federated Church.
METHODIST HISTORY
The Methodist Episcopal Church was the oldest organization in Orange Township, organized in 1820, exactly 100 years before the federation. The first building was a frame structure built in 1830 on the present site of the Federated Church. In 1853 the church had a membership of 129 and the building was replaced by a larger one.
This building had a rather low roof, and there were two doors in the North end, one at each corner. The men entered the east corner and the women the west, and sat on their respective sides of the church.
In 1903 the church was remodeled with the addition of a higher sloped roof, a cupola and a new front entrance. Sometime later new pews and furnishings were bought and new colored glass windows installed.
PRESBYTERIAN HISTORY
The Presbyterian Church in Nankin, first known as the "Old School" Presbyterian Church, was organized in 1834 by a group of 19 members of the first Presbyterian Church in Ashland County. This church, known as the Hopewell Church, was located one and one-half miles west of Ashland.
FEDERATED CHURCH
In January of 1929 a severe windstorm struck the village damaging several buildings, among them both churches. The chimney of the Methodist building was damaged so that the furnace could not be used. The bell tower of the Presbyterian building was twisted so that it was not considered safe.
The Presbyterians were without a minister at the time, so the Methodist, with the Rev. E.C. Snyder as their minister, invited the Presbyterians to join them for a Sunday worship service in the schoolhouse.
This first service held to either proved to be so successful, and with such a spirit of friendly unity, that many expressed the desire and belief that it could continue permanently.
On the evening of February 18,1929, twelve men, representing both churches, met in the local hardware's store in the first formal effort to form a federation. These men were James Hoard, James Fluke, Willard Worst, Wallace Barnhill, Paul Ford, Raymond Lutz, Roy Keener, Joe Hammon, Fred Lovering, Arlow Steinger, Scott Donley and George Lutz.
An every-member poll was decided upon, by the means of a questionnaire postcard, which revealed that the people were united spiritually, and there only remained the task of uniting the organizations and physical properties in a manner acceptable to the people and their governing bodies. Conference and presbytery.
Many succeeding meetings were held, plans were made and funds pooled, and in October of 1929 the Methodist Conference sent the Rev. David S. Lamb to the Nankin to accomplish the organization. Rev. Lamb was an-able leader, and to him was due much of the credit for the success of the project. Services during this early period were held in the partially repaired Presbyterian building.
Pastor Lamb conceived the basic plan of combining both buildings into one unit. A building committee was formed with Ford as chairman, and also included Albert Graham, Fluke, Lutz, William berry, Keener and Donley.
An architect, F.M. Case of Mansfield was retained to design the building.
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Russ & Janet Shopbell
