Church looks back at last 200 years

TIFFIN — Pleasant Ridge United Methodist Church, often referred to as Egbert Church, will celebrate its 200th anniversary in September. Egbert Church started in 1824 in a barn by Uriah and Susana Egbert, has always been part of the Methodist ideology. After selling the farm, the church moved down the road to a new 240-acre property that cost the Egberts only $50 and met once again in a barn. In 1843, the "Little White Church" was built, but it wasn't until 1890 that the church, as it stands today, was built. In more recent times, the building has been retrofitted with electricity, plumbing, furnaces, a kitchen and many other modern necessities. The church features several stained glass windows, including one with the names of the founders and a ceiling with a hidden cross over the sanctuary. In 1993, the building and the nearby graveyard were put on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, Pastor Virginia Park leads the worship team with Roxie Roush serving as Lay Pastor and Dave Myers as Lay Speaker. With a full-time congregation of approximately 20 people. Park is concerned but hopeful for the future of the church. She says they are working to increase attendance as well as several charitable causes including food donation and gift donation during the holiday season. "Despite having a smallish congregation, I would say that the church always gets a full and complete worship service," Park said. "We just don't take it lightly because it's a small number of people. We take it seriously." Roush later said "We're finding new avenues to be active in the community so people know that we're still here and everyone is welcome." To make sure the church is ready for the upcoming celebration, congregational secretary Sherry Wheiker says recent remodeling projects, specifically in the basement, "started with the refrigerator being an unsafe issue," which then led to the fridge and stove being replaced, walls being repainted, a floor being replaced, new tables being installed in the fellowship hall and chairs for the children's Sunday school being replaced. "You'd be surprised what a difference that makes," Park said. "It livens everything up." The 200-year celebration will take place at 2 p.m. on Sept. 29 at the church, though the official anniversary is not until November. It will include live music from Heidelberg University Director of the School of Music & Theatre Greg Ramsdell. Park said invitations have been extended to the Seneca County Commissioners, Pleasant Township Trustees, Sen. Bill Reineke and several other local officials. Former and present members of the worship team will speak, and descendants of the Egberts will sing. Those interested in attending Pleasant Ridge Church's 200th anniversary should contact Wheiker at 419-639-2139. The church holds service every Sunday, weather permitting, 9 a.m. at 3721 E. CR 38.