The
origin of the Oak Run Christian Church is unclear. It was formed
in rural Ohio Township some time before 1900. Like most rural
churches of that era, it first gathered in members homes and then
in school houses as they became available. Whether it was called
the Oak Run Christian Church early on is unknown and there are no
mentions of it in the newspapers before the 1900s. The earliest
know pastor is Rev. Carpenter who was pastor in 1906. Others are
Rev. Roy C. Helfenstein in 1910 and Rev. Powell in 1911. In
about 1908, The Oak Run Friends church building became available
as that congregation dwindled and it was purchased by the
Christian congregation and became known as the Oak Run Christian
Church. The Christian church, in the next few years, became a
community church and thrived until the building burned to the
ground on December 17, 1922. Following the loss of the building,
the church apparently disbanded as there was no further mention of
the congregation in the newspapers. This was an era when the
automobile was becoming the favored means of transportation and
going into town to go to church (in this case Truro) was likely a
better choice than rebuilding the rural church. No photo of this
church has been found. ___________________
Source: The
Winterset Madisonian, Winterset, Iowa, December 12,
1922, pg 1. |
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