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Church of God 7th Day |
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The
Church of God 7th Day began years ago with Leo and Ruby Harrelson. At that
time it was just their family and they commuted on Sabbath to Milan to
attend church services or studied at home and sang songs. The children got
tired of riding back and forth. In
1973, the group began meeting in a little country church called Peden
Chapel, which is 5 miles southeast of Marceline. Various individuals
joined the group from time to time but we numbered approximately fifteen.
The winters were very cold and forced us to meet in homes. At that time
our young people were our biggest asset. More than half our members were
below 16 years. In
1978 the group began meeting in the house located on what used to be the
Orland Lake farm. It provided better accommodations and more warmth during
the winter months. The new church, now located at 1200 North Kansas, was
in the building stages during this time. The land was purchased on Kansas
Avenue from Mr. and Mrs. Gail Harrison. Although
the new church held its open house in September 1979, the church had its
first wedding June of 1979, before the carpet was laid or the walls all
painted. In
January, 1981, the church rented the basement to provide an opportunity
for the community to establish a day care. They remained in the church
basement until August of 1986 when they moved to a larger location. Our
first resident pastor was Elder Claude Ellis. He and his wife, Velma,
joined us in September of 1985 from Idaho. Submitted by Sharon Siddens |