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Soon after the Civil War, a group of
Christians on the Beavertown Circuit of the Miami Conference, Church of the
United Brethren in Christ, were meeting in a one-room schoolhouse on
Taylorsville Road in Wayne Township. The Reverend Samuel S. Holden, a
circuit-riding preacher, was assigned to the area in 1869. Contemporary
accounts report that he baptized a large number of applicants by immersion in
the chilly waters of the Mad River on a May Sabbath in 1871. These Christians
soon desired a church building to call their own. They took up a collection to
build a small chapel. The foundation of faith was rewarded by an
over-subscription, which enabled them to build a larger church of brick, on
donated land across the road from the school. The new church was named Holden
Chapel to honor the good preacher. It was dedicated November 12, 1871. The tall,
white steeple contained a cast iron bell that rang to announce the Sabbath
worship hour. The original bell is still heard tolling the worship hour today.
Holden Chapel was a small country church in a small farm community. Sulphur
Grove Church, as it came to be known in 1890, stood alone for many years to draw
the faithful to worship.
As the community grew, so did the church. A wood frame Sunday
School-Social Hall was built in 1907, attached to the northeast corner of the
church. After World War II, the basement of a new addition was dedicated and put
to use in 1948. The ground level story added more space in 1951 for worshipers
in an enlarged sanctuary and in a nursery that was later made into a much-needed
office. Remodeling the sanctuary at that time made it look much the same as it
appears today.
The increasing population in the 1950's mandated additional space for
Christian Education. A new wing was added to the north in 1961, providing
classrooms and a Fellowship Hall for dinners, receptions, square dancing and
other social events.
The city of Huber Heights grew to surround the church. Attendance increased
again. A unanimous vote by the congregation in the mid-1980's authorized a
Building Committee to forge ahead and build a new sanctuary, which was dedicated
on May 14, 1989 - appropriately, both Pentecost Sunday and Mother's Day.
Another addition in 2007 is adding a large activity room, kitchen, classrooms,
restrooms, and an elevator.
Forty-four appointed Pastors and Associate Pastors have served Sulphur Grove
Church over the span of 136 years. The early pastors often led congregational
singing. A pianist was chosen from the congregation in 1914. An adult choir
became an adjunct to worship in the 1930's. Today, music is a spiritual gift of Sulphur Grove United Methodist Church as evidenced by the Chancel Choir, Chapel
Choir, Praise Kids, Steeple Bells, Holden Chapel Singers, numerous vocal and
instrumental combos, and excellent directors and accompanists. Since 1989, a
large community choir representing over 40 churches and localities has performed
Handel's Messiah annually at the beginning of Advent in the large, new
sanctuary.
Sulphur Grove Church built the first parsonage to house the pastor and family
in 1891 at the southwest corner of Brandt Pike and Taylorsville Road. In 1935, a brick home was built for the parsonage family adjacent to and west of the
church. It is now the Church Office. The current parsonage on Brandt Vista
Avenue was purchased in 1981.
Beyond the boundaries of Sulphur Grove Church, denominational changes have
occurred over the years. The United Brethren in Christ and the Evangelical
Church united in 1946 to form the Evangelical United Brethren (EUB) Church. We
became Sulphur Grove EUB Church. The EUB Church and the Methodist Church united
to form the United Methodist Church in 1968 and we then became Sulphur Grove
United Methodist Church.
Over the years, there has been a enduring commitment by our church family to
follow the teachings of Jesus. From the small farm community of horse and buggy
days to today's vision of one church in two locations in expanded facilities,
Jesus' message to go forth and preach to all the world underlies our ministry.
Sulphur Grove Church is built upon a firm foundation.
All who seek to know God are invited to learn about Him through His Son,
Jesus, at the Taylorsville Campus and at the YMCA Campus of the Sulphur Grove
United Methodist Church.
History Committee 2007
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