Allendale Baptist Church Building to Mark 125th Year

The Allendale Baptist Church building, long a landmark in Allendale, will mark its 125th anniversary next year. It was built in 1890 and 2015 will mark its 125th year. The congregation itself was formed in 1870 and worshiped in a log cabin where the Allendale Cemetery is now. After that building was destroyed by fire, the present church building was built. A pamphlet supplied by the church recounts some of the history of the church and building.

Charter members were Rev. & Mrs. P.W. Jones, Mrs. Calvin Tilton, Mrs. Teena Calhoon, Mr. & Mrs. R.H. Miner, Mr. & Mrs. H.W. Conn, and George Gray. The church grew to 25 members by 1880 and 56 by 1885. The present building was constructed on land given in deed of trust from Joseph and Minerva Hammer to William Calhoon for the church. The building was designed and built by a Rev. Campbell and a Rev. Miller, two evangelists who traveled and held revivals.

For a time during the early 1900's, the congregation did not meet; however, the church was reorganized on February 29, 1928. Rev. W.A. Hyde was moderator; charter members were Myrtle Hammer, Mr. & Mrs. George Monk, Mable Fletchall, Mrs. Orral Campbell, Mrs. Della Hobbs, Harry R. Long, John Tilton, Mr. & Mrs. Marvin Findley, and Lola Murray. Starting in 1944, the church expanded over the next several decades, adding classrooms, a baptistery, stained glass windows, a kitchen, dining, and rec area, a library, and an auditorium.

Among interesting facts about the church supplied in the church pamphlet, P.W. Jones, the first pastor, was the great-grandfather of Mrs. Garland Roach. The pastor's salary in 1903 was $174.74 annually. The church once shared the north side with a blacksmith shop, a scale house, and a meat market. The first funeral held at the church was in August 1893 for Charles Calhoun, father of Ruth McFadden and brother of Sarah Sims. The first musical instrument was from a reed organ gifted by the A.L. Conn family. There was a Ladies Aid society; women would do quilting to raise money for the church. During the first nice spring day, people would ride on hay wagons to a place north of what is now the Allendale Cemetery for a picnic. The church was heated by a stove; W.D. Combs would come for years carrying a sack of corn cobs to light the fire so that people would be warm when they arrived. Later, Marvin Findley did it.

New converts were baptized in the Grand River "near the old red bridge towards the Ed Glenn Farm." For many years, from 1941 to 1977, the organist was Ruth McFadden. The church has been big on youth activities for many years; they had a VBS last summer which was well attended.