History of the Church

In 1855, the same year that the community of Manchester was plotted, was when the first Methodist Circuit Rider (Simeon Alger) rode in from the east, gathered a few inhabitants, and preached and organized the first study class. This continued until the first recognized Methodist Episcopal Congregation was formed in 1856 with the appointment of Rev. F.X. Mille. In 1860 the Manchester Charge included Greeley, Hickory Grove, the Yankee Settlement (Edgewood), the Bay Settlement and the Sand Creek Settlement, the Prairie Township, plus "Regions Beyond." This charge was reduced by the middle of the Civil War and in 1864 the first Methodist Episcopal Church building was erected.

Up until this point no accidents had hindered the work on the church, but when Henry Gillespie was giving the top of the steeple the finishing touches, he missed his footing and fell to the roof of the main building and then to the ground, landing on a pile of rocks. Not only did he avoid serious injury, but he was back on the job a few days later. No one knows whether this experience shaped his religious belief, but soon after that he became a Universalist preacher.

The congregation enjoyed their church until the great depression when the church suffered not only financial hardship, but an event that eventually split the church. The story goes that a popular young preacher was removed from the pulpit by the District Superintendent and several Methodist ministers from the area, against substantial numbers of members wishes. This split resulted in the formation of the Manchester Community Congregational Church. The Methodist Church held its own, following the split, but sustained a loss of over half its members, which had risen to just over 400.
As time marched on, it took its toll on the church building, so in 1955, the parsonage that stood next to the church was moved and what is the present educational wing was built. Sunday services were held in what is now the parlor, thus creating the need for two Sunday morning worship services. In 1965 the current sanctuary was erected and the burning of the mortgage and the dedication of the current building was on May 6, 1979 at the corner of Wayne and Butler Street.

On the corner stone of the new sanctuary the dates of 1855, 1864, 1884, and 1965 still serve as a reminder of the past.