Part 1

The Fellowship Church was organized in Monroe Township in the 1890s when a few like-minded citizens came together to form a small congregation. They first held their services in the school house of District 3. This gathering was legally named the Fellowship Congregational Church in the year 1901. At this time, Mrs. John (Estella) Cochran was Superintendent of the Sunday School.

The building of the Fellowship Congregational Church in the year of 1904 was promoted by the enthusiastic and God fearing people in and around district number 3, Monroe Township.  Some of this congregation was made up of such peoples as Mr. and Mrs. Billy Smoot, the M. O. Brady family, 

Fellowship Congregational Church

O. C. Beech, M. Harris, Louis Aikin, Alvin Pinckney, Henry Weir, Grant Dunn, Joseph Longnecker and Leo Pinckney families and Frank and Elmer Hartsook.

Upon the decision to build a church, Grandma Kilgore donated the land for the building site.  The building material was hauled from Lorimor and the stone for the foundation from Middle River.

Carpenters were a Mr. Cox and Mr. Stiles.  The building was financed by local contributions.  Rev. Booth the pastor of the congregation, planned the architecture.  During the building of the church a serious accident occurred when Mr. Stiles fell from the scaffolding breaking his hip.

The church was completed and dedicated in August, 1904, Rev. Booth acting as minister and Mrs. Lilly Beach as Superintendent of Sunday School.

Other ministers to follow Rev. Booth as pastor of the church were:  Mr. Wolverton, 1907, Kelly, 1908, Wells, 1910, Lilly, 1912, Linthicum, 1913, Kennedy, 1914, and Mr. Hayward at sometime within this period.

At the time the church was completed there was no road to the west and north by which people from that direction might go directly to the church, so Mr. W. H. Weeks, John Cochran and Lewis Aikins donated the land for a road from the corner east of the school house to the church.

Services continued until the summer of 1914 when the church doors closed leaving the building as a candle light gone out, unable to light the way to glory for the many needy souls of the community.

Again, the doors swing open on March 17, 1918, with Mr. Lee Morris as Sunday School Superintendent and Rev. Wilson as pastor.  In 1922, the doors were closed once more and for twenty-one years there were no services at Fellowship Church.

In April 1935, a group of people met in the church to organize a Sunday School.  Among those present were Mrs. Lon Smith, Mrs. Gertie Smith, Mrs. Ethol Rhodes and Wilfred Lord.  Mr. Lord was elected Sunday School Superintendent.  During winter months the church closed but in the spring of 1936 reopened and Rev. Edgar Thompson preached for the next two years.  Records show that the offering for Mr. Thompson on at least two occasions were 25 cents and 26 cents, respectively.  It was during the depression, and he seldom received more than one dollar per Sunday.  Edgar Thompson is now ninety and in all his long life faithfully served his Lord without quibbling over money.

June 19, 1938, Mrs. Wayne Crow organized the first Young People’s Organization.  There were 27 teenagers present.  This organization was the first evening service and continued without interruption until 1963 when we found no teenagers in our congregation.

Howard Hammans a layman from Winterset, preached during 1938.  Mr. Carl Burkhead, another layman from a nearby Deer Creek Chapel, also preached and taught Bible during the next few years.

In the fall of 1942, S. J. Bole, Ph.D. and his wife held a series of meetings at Fellowship.  They continued to drive from Oskaloosa where he taught in the John Fletcher Bible College and give us Bible Studies and messages until in March.  In March, Dr. Bole and his wife moved to Indiana but a student at Fletcher College, Bob Posegate, preached for the next six months.  His sister, Eleanor, who later went to Africa to the mission field assisted at the piano.

In September, Dr. and Mrs. Bole returned to Iowa residing in Ames and they returned to the work at Fellowship with a very active teaching and preaching ministry.  We soon had both morning and evening preaching services.  On February 14, 1943 we organized loosely into a church electing to remain an independent group rather than joining the Congregational denomination.  We have been an independent group through the remaining years stressing personal salvation by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bole’s resigned in October 1948, and the following month Rev. Glen Frances of Kansas City moved into our rented parsonage to stay for about eighteen months.  He was followed by Warren Miller from Moody Bible Institute of Chicago for a year’s ministry.

The following year Deer Creek Chapel shared their young pastor, Elmer McVety for morning services and Lee Kivett preached at night.

April, 1952, Winfred Headrick came to us from Columbia Bible College.  He and his family served the church six and one-half years.  Two major improvements to the building were made during that time.  In the winter of 1952-53 a Sunday School room was added on the south.  Charlie Shaffer was carpenter.  In the fall of 1954, a full basement was constructed for additional Sunday School room and the old coal furnace made way for an oil furnace.

Hugo Schmau served from October 1959 until the next July when he resigned for reason of health.

Rev. August Evert, a former missionary to China and also former teacher at Grace Bible Institute pastored our church for the next three years leaving us in August, 1963.  During his ministry he remodeled and modernized a house that had been donated to the church by one of the members.  Now we have a very lovely and useful parsonage in the town of Macksburg.

Our present (1966) pastor is a former farmer, Leslie Mendenhall.  He came to us in March, 1964 and has been ordained since.  Our present Sunday School Superintendent is Clair Rogers.

Organizations and activities include:  a Ladies Missionary Society, two weeks D.V.B.S. each June, yearly missionary conference, yearly series of evangelistic meetings, Sunday evening Adult Bible Study at 7 o’clock, Sunday evening Preaching Service, 8 o’clock, and midweek Prayer Meeting Wednesday at 8 p.m.

Part 2

Some of the pastors from the early years were Lee Kivitt, Elmer McVetty, James Boles, Winfield Hedrick, Ewert, Ernest Moravic, Hugo Lemon, and many more.

Some of the famlies who attended were Wilford Lord, Floyd Smith, Harlan Denton, Eursie Wilson, Merril Thompson, Glen Aikins, Merrit Swigart, Estel Welch, Orlie Eivins, Edgar Moore, Clair Rogers, Mrs. Maude Tuttle, Dean Silverthorn, and Dwight Silverthorn. As of 1984, the pastor was Dwight Knouf.

__________________