Macedonia
Christian Church
Over
100 Years
Our
Church History As Compiled by Ruby Ruskaup
About
the year 1840, Gershom Rude, who was preaching in the Christian Church in
Harrison, as well as being a blacksmith, made occasional visits to the
neighborhood called Macedonia to preach in the old District No.4 school house,
Morgan Township, Butler County, Ohio. This was the beginning of the Macedonia
Christian Church.
Our
First Frame Building
On
December 14, 1850, David H. Smith, Richard Ward and Robison Garner, trustees
other Christian Church, re- ceived title to a tract of land of 3/4 acre from
John and Pamela Harper located in the southeast quarter of Section 18, Morgan
Township, Butler County, which today is the Macedonia Cemetery. The Harpers also
gave $50 to help finance a church building.
The
frame building was erected with the members and friends assisting in various
ways. It is written in "The History of Butler County", published in
1882, that John McClain walked two miles every night, after doing a day's work,
to split the lath used in building the church.
This
building was used until 1896. The church was then known as the California
Christian Church. An inscription on the front of the building carried this
statement, "The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch".
Elizabeth Phillips and her sister Catherine McClain were the first persons
baptized at the church.
Macedonia,
in its early years of greatest prosperity, numbered over 200 members. A Sunday
School was kept most of the time, sustained regardless of denominations. Elder
J. M. Land, of Harrison, was the minister when this account was written in
"The History of Butler County".
Many
of the members of this congregation, who worked so diligently in support of the
church in those early days, lie at rest in the boundaries of that same church
property. Some of those names are: Smith, Phillips, Goble, Laugh, Harper,
McLain, McKain and Walker.
The
people of the church were very strict and sincere in their religious
convictions. It can be found in the old church records, dating back to 1861,
that some were "excluded" from the church for drinking, dancing,
"ill conduct" and "neglecting duty". Some were
"reclaimed" at a later date.
Among
the pastors who served in that early church were: Elders Rude, Baldridge,
Campbell, Patterson (for 20 years), James and Jonathan Henry. Elder Knowles
Shaw, the distinguished evangelist, visited there several times. He was best
known for writing "Bringing In The Sheaves".
Elder
Shaw was related to Dale Shaw. Also serving that early church were: Rev. J. M.
William Kraft and Rev. McClain.
Communion,
then, as today, was served each time the congregation met; but it was served at
the conclusion of the service. It is recorded in a March 25, 1866 account that,
"By accident., the Lord's Supper was not furnished, but prayers and
exhortations were given by several of the brethren."