History of First Christian Church, Warsaw IN

Thanks to Helen Graham for the other wonderful historical materials

In 1849, Elder John Gordon moved from the church at Jelloway, Knox County, Ohio, to Warsaw, Indiana. Being desirous of forming a church, he induced Isaac Butler, living in Marshall County, to come and preach in Warsaw. He continued to preach at intervals for a year or more and in 1851, organized a church with eleven members. Meetings were held in elder Gordon's house until 1865. Six of the charter members of First Christian Church were: Mr. and Mrs. John Gordon, Mr. and Mrs. William Gordon, and Mr. and Mrs. William Pearsonet. Warsaw became an incorporated town in 1854, thus First Christian is three years older than Warsaw.

In March, 1865, through the efforts of the Missionary Society, Robert Howe, Secretary of the Society, and N.M. Lord were sent to hold a series of meetings in Warsaw. These meetings continued for two weeks and resulted gathering together about thirty members. The church then employed J.B. Marshall, who began his pastoral duties on May 1, 1865.

The next consideration was to provide a place to worship. A lot near the present location [the northeast corner of the block - corner of Lake and Fort Wayne streets] was purchased from elder John Gordon for the sum of $500. A small frame church building was obtained from the Presbyterian church for $150. The building was moved to the lot, put in good repair, making a neat and confortable place for worship, for $400. During brother Marshall's ministry of about two years, there were quite a few new members added.

In the summer of 1887, C.W. Granger with his estimable wife, began his ministry here. The old building was sold to the African American for $250. That building is still being used as a church building and is located on West Winona Avenue just west of Lake street. Meetings were then held in the Opera House on Sunday mornings and evenings at a cost of $2.50 a week. Beginning on December 3, 1888, the congregation began meeting in Jaques Hall at a cost of $10 a month and continued this practice until the present building was completed.

The church building was completed in 1889 and was at that time the handsomest and most complete house of worship in Warsaw. The original building (without balcony) cost $16,000 to construct. Cass Chapman of Chicago was the architect and he donated his entire work to the church.

The cornerstone of the present building was placed on April 23, 1889, and the building was dedicated on December 1, 1889. The $16,000 mortgage was paid in full on April 28, 1906. The original building had a brick facade and was constructed with only a partial basement. Certainly, in the minds of most people, the highlight of the building lay in the priceless Czechoslovakian stained glass windows. The glass, which was appraised at $250,000 fifty years ago, is today worth more than the building itself and is irreplaceable. In the rear of the auditorium is a small display case containing the original communion service. On April 21, 1911, a contract was awarded to I.F. Blosser of Warsaw to build the basement at a cost of $1,300.

During the years from 1897 to 1920 the church was led by nine different ministers. In August of 1920 work was begun on a floor above the overflow on the east end of auditorium. At the same time a balcony on the north and south sides of the auditorium was added and at the west ends of the balcony, two classrooms were added. The original agreement for the balcony construction reads: "Opera chairs will be selected by the owner and allowed for extra. They are to be eighteen inches wide and equipped with hat holders under the seats and book racks on the back." Those chairs are still in use today. Honeywell and Parker of Indianapolis were the architects and the dedication of the new addition was May of 1921.

 

 
The Loyal Bereans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Intermediate Class
Taken during Albert A. Millican's term as Minister
Aug. 1929 ~ June 1934

In 1948-49 the exterior brick facade was covered with rusticated limestone. The exterior design is in a Romanesque style. At the same time the entrance was enlarged and roofed.

In August of 1959 John Becker came to minister with FCC. Many things were begun during John's ministry of nearly six years. In 1960, communion was offered at the evening service as well as the morning and communion was taken to shut-ins. The annual live manger scene was also begun during John's ministry.

William Garner followed John Becker as minister of FCC for eight years. His leaving the congregation was accompanied by a split in the congregation due to theological differences. The congregation's size was greatly diminished by 1973 to less than 100 regular worshipers.

Paul Boden came to Warsaw in October of 1973 and stayed for eight years and five months, the longest of any ministry in the history of the church to that time. During Paul's ministry a number of new programs began that continue to bring growth to the congregation to this day. A bus ministry (now van ministry) was begun which has brought literally thousands of children into the ministries of FCC for over a quarter of a century. Paul's ministry was noteworthy because of his "Home Bible Studies" in which he went into the homes of people interested in learning about Christ and His church and taught them the way of the Lord. Many of those people are members today and several of them are elders or deacons.

In 1981 the auditorium of FCC was completely redecorated. The woodwork was stripped and refinished naturally. The original pews in the auditorium were refinished and are solid oak with hand-carved butternut decoration. The arm rests are also inlaid butternut. New cushions were added for comfort.

The congregation continued to grow and after much prayer the members decided to add an educational wing on the west side of the church building. The new wing was dedicated on April 24, 1983. A Children's Chapel of 700 square feet has proven to be an invaluable tool in ministry to children, youth, and adults. A cross and a stained glass pseudo-window was crafted by Brian Graham and Terry Bussard, members of FCC.

Ed Erskin followed Brother Boden as minister and stayed with the church for almost two years. Mike Bratten began a ministry of 3 years, 10 months, in January of 1985. Danny Pitzer moved his family to Warsaw from Cincinnati in December of that same year and Danny and Mike ministered together for three years.

In March of 1989 Ronnie Sams accepted the elders offer to move to Warsaw from his ministry in Mays, Indiana, to become FCC's senior minister and joined Danny Pitzer for nine and a half years until Danny's untimely death on Easter Sunday morning, April 12, 1998, a few days before his 49th birthday. Danny's death affected the entire community as well as the church family for he was greatly loved.

During these years the church purchased 3 vans and expanded the children's ministry greatly. The Kid's Klub was established and has grown to more than 100 children weekly, stretching the capacity of our facility to the maximum and beyond. Danny and his wife, Marilyn, who following Danny's death became FCC's first Children's Minister, built a strong and dedicated group of adults and children who are involved in Michiana Christian Service Camp in record numbers to this day. Marilyn proved to be one of America's finest Children's Ministers as she led that ministry at FCC for more than two years in ever-growing numbers of children, many of whom she led to know the Lord as their Savior.

In January of 1999, Tim Grasham came from a ministry in Beckley, West Virginia, to join Marilyn and Ronnie on the FCC staff as Youth/Associate minister. Tim has instigated a Wednesday evening program, "Refuge", and summer program, "SEE" (Summer Evening Encounter).

God has honored FCC as more than 330 new members has been added to the church in the past 14 years. This growth has created a space challenge which the elders addressed in 1999 by hiring Aker's Church Builders from Crawfordsville to do a demographic study of our congregation and of Warsaw. After the study and recommendations, the land acquisition committee found a 68.5 acre plot of ground on the south edge of Warsaw across from Miller's Merry Manor. The land was acquired for $400,000 and dedicated in November of 2000.

A steering committee was formed and "A TIME TO BUILD" was selected as the theme of our campaign.

Today we look backward in awe of God's provision in the past. We look inward at the church of today and our part in making it God's church. We look forward to providing a place for future generations to serve faithfully until our Lord returns for His bride, the church.

To God be all glory for what He has done here!

For a full historical account of First Christian Church, please contact the church office at 267-8952