Clinton-Shiawassee County MI Archives Church Records.....Grace Methodist Church, Ovid Copyright Date April 4, 2006
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
David Hunt wehunts2@mutualdata.com April 5, 2006, 10:52 am

As written in 1976

Grace Methodist Church


During all this time, another group was very active in this area forming and 
building the Methodist Church.  In 1860, 116 years ago, the Ovid Methodist 
Episcopal Class organized in a meeting in the village schoolhouse by Rev. J. 
Fowler who was in charge of the Duplain Circuit.  There were but four 
organizing members: Mr. And Mrs. H>C. Sheffer and Mr. And Mrs. W.H. Faxon.  Mr. 
Faxon was class leader.  Services were held once a fortnight in the schoolhouse 
until 1862 and after that once a week.  By 1866 there were five “classes”. One 
class of 36 met Sunday at noon, one with 29 members met Sunday evening, one 
with 45 members met Thursday evening (Mr. Faxon leader), one with 45 members 
met at the Meridian Schoolhouse, and one with 69 members met in Elsie.  During 
this period church membership averaged one hundred fifty people with some 
being “probationary” members and some being “members in full connection”.

The earliest recorded baptisms took place in 1868 with baptism being celebrated 
either by “sprinkling, immersion, or pouring”.

In 1868 a church edifice was erected and dedicated.  The location is believed 
to be across the street from the location of the United Church.  

In 1870 there was a revival season and materiel additions were made to the list 
of members.  Between 1860 when Rev. Fowler organized the church and 1880 
fourteen pastors served the church:  The Revs Peck, Pratt, Clark, Gulick, 
McKnight, Mason, McEwan, Dayton, Iddings, Doust, Russell, Hamilton, Warner, and 
Sherman.

In 1876 the pastor salary was recorded as $900.00 per year.  In 1878 the salary 
rose to $950.00 and in 1881 to $1000.00.  From 1883 through 1887 salary reached 
$1,150.00.

In 1875 a parsonage was rented and purchased in 1879.  Church records in 1876 
show church property valued at $4400.00.  By 1880 church property was free of 
debt and membership numbered 192.  Sunday School average attendance was 120 and 
had a corps of twenty teachers.  By 1887 church property was valued in the 
records at $6,000.00.

In 1893 construction began on the beautiful Grace Methodist building in the 
present location of the United Church (at 131 W. Front St, Ovid, MI 48866).  It 
was completed and dedicated on January 11, 1894, at a cost of $15,850.00.  
Several hundred people were seated in the church for 10:00 A.M. dedication 
services conducted by Rev. Maveety of Hillsdale, Rev. Stewart of Elsie, and Dr. 
Lewis Curtis of Chicago.  The text of Dr. Curts’ sermon was “This is the 
Victory that Overcometh the World, Even Our Faith”.  The pipe organ was played 
by Miss Wiley of Detroit.  Choir was led by George B. Faxon.  Evening service 
was held at 7:00 P.M. and Mr. A.M. Eaton handed the key to the pastor in the 
name of the trustees and presented the building to be formally dedicated to the 
service and worship of God.  This concluded what one paper at the time 
called “one of the most important days in the history of Ovid Methodism”.  The 
statement was also made that “the church is a monument testifying to the 
loyalty of true men and women to their religious convictions.  Long may it 
stand as a hallowed sanctuary of worship, a house of God, a gate to heaven”.  
The new building is remembered as having two large furnaces, one in front of 
the auditorium to the left of and underneath the rostrum; the other was under 
the east vestibule.  Both furnaces burned wood and coal.  The church was 
lighted with a gas lighting system.

The following account taken from the local paper dated January 4, 1894, 
describes the building:  “Grace Methodist Church has the handsomest church in 
Clinton County now ready for dedication.  Grace Methodist Church is a brick 
veneer structure extreme dimension 58 by 90 feet.  The auditorium has a seating 
capacity for 340 without crowding.  The lecture room is directly in front of 
the pulpit and can be used at times to increase the seating capacity to about 
500.  Upstairs over the lecture room is the parlor or Epworth League room with 
the kitchen leading off it on one side and a store-room on the other.  In 
addition to these rooms there is a pastor’s study and two classrooms.  There 
are two vestibules in the towers and ample room in the rear of the pulpit for 
the choir.  The church is heated thruout by two large furnaces on the Mead 
system and lighted by gas.  The windows are in handsome designs of Venetian and 
Opalescent glass making a fine effect.  The walls are frescoed in soft tints 
beautifully harmonizing so that they please and rest the eye of the observer.  
The pews are in circular form and the carpets and cushions in harmony with the 
general coloring of the walls and woodwork.  A pipe organ of sufficient power 
and great sweetness of tone and exquisite outside finish, fills the space 
prepared for it behind the pulpit.  The appearance of the church from the 
outside is impressive as a graceful and substantial edifice and the inside 
finish more than fulfills the promise of the outside.  It is a credit to the 
town and fills along felt want in the work of the Methodist congregation.  They 
will now have sufficient room for all who desire to attend the services.  The 
Sunday School will no longer be crowed for space.  The young people will now 
have a beautiful commodious parlor for their meetings.  We expect every 
interest of the church will be advanced by the increased accommodations 
furnished by this new House of Worship”

“Dedication.

The program for the services at the new Grace Methodist Church next Sunday will 
be as follows:

9:00 A.M. – Prayer & Praise Service led by Horace Hitchcock of Detroit.
10:30 A.M. – Preaching by Rev. Lewis Curts, D.D. of Chicago
7:00 P.M. – Preaching by Rev. P.J. Maveety of Hillsdale.
After the evening service the beautiful and appropriate ceremony of dedicating 
the church to the service of God according to the Methodist Ritual will be 
conducted by Dr. Curtis, D.D. of Chicago.”

In 1915 the basement was dug out and enlarged.  Prior to this in 1909 the organ 
was in need of repair on the bellows that furnished the air for the organ and 
Orla D. Allen from Ionia was hired to do the work.  He also tuned the pipes 
(493 in number – the bass pipes were of wood).  While this work was being done 
the seats in the auditorium were varnished and a new cork carpet laid in the 
auditorium.  An October 21, 1909, paper carried the following account: “Grace 
Methodist Church re-opened Sunday.  The edifice has been redecorated and placed 
in fine condition.  Two good sermons were delivered by Rev. Day of Albion with 
fine music?.

An account in the local paper on February 17, 1916, states “At a banquet 
Tuesday evening by the Men’s Class of the Methodist Church, a sumptuous supper 
was served and enjoyed by 75 men.”  A musical program was enjoyed and the paper 
states that “the purpose of the banquet was that of re-organization of the 
class”.



Additional Comments:
History originally written in 1976

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