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THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
By William FowlerSeven miles north of Rushville, Bethany was organized in 1830 or ’40, preaching by Elder King, and afterward by Elder Patton, then Wm. Ross, in a school-house known as the Garrison school-house, where they had preaching at intervals, as they could secure the services of some worthy brother, and the cause flourished for a while. Then there arose a dissatisfaction between some of the members, and the congregation went down, and they had no meeting for a long time.
In 1870 A. Brown, in company with A. S. Robinson, came into the neighborhood and held a meeting in the Garrison school-house again and got up a good interest, and had some new additions, and some of the old parties had passed away. They reorganized in the Garrison school-house, and in the summer of 1871 they built a house of worship about one mile south of the school-house, which will comfortably seat 200 persons, at a cost of about $1,400 in all. The first regular pastor was A. S. Robinson, followed by Joseph Morgan, M. D. Sharples, and G. F. Adams, after which A. Brown preached for them three years. At the present time M. D. Sharples is employed again for one year; his term has not yet expired. So ends this history.
Source: The Combined History of Schuyler and Brown Counties, Illinois, 1882
Transcribed by Carol Longwell Miller for Schuyler County ILGenWeb
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