Chico Church

(1908-)

The Gospel Messenger Dec. 26, 1908 page 840 Vol. 47 No. 52

  Chico.- Monday evening, Dec. 9, the members residing at this place met for the purpose of being organized a church.  Brethren M. E. Andrews and J. Overholtzer were with us and assisted in the work.  The organization included thirty-one members.  Bro. Hiram Forney was chosen elder in charge; Bro. Fightner, clerk; the writer, church correspondent; Brethren Kline, Rothrock and Ola Gillett, church trustees.  We expect soon to begin work on the church building.  Funds are being solicited, and we are anxious to have the house as soon as possible, in order to stop paying such high rent for a place of worship.  We heartily invite those, who contemplate locating in the West, to see our country before purchasing elsewhere.  Our congregation will be known as the “First Church of the Brethren,” at Chico. – Clemma L. Peebler, Chio, Cal., Dec. 10.

The Gospel Messenger March 11, 1916 page 165 Vol. 65 No. 11

History of the Chico Church, Chico California.

  The writer and his wife were the first members to locate in Chico May 9, 1904. In the fall of 1905 Bro. Bro. A. J. Peebler and family, a minister in the second degree, located here.  June 9, 1907, the first Brethren mission Sunday-school was organized with fourteen in attendance.  April 26, 1908, Eld. Hiram Forney was sent here by the District Mission Board to take charge of the work.  Dec. 7, 1908, the “First Brethren Church of the Chico” was organized with thirty-one members.

  At the present time there are only six of the charter members left.  Later the mission was in charge of Elder J. H. Stover and W. H. Pullen.  We now have a membership of thirty-eight.  Thirty-one have been baptized since the mission started.  Our Sunday-school, for the last year, had an average attendance of seventy-one.  Eld. J. C. Wright is our minister at present.  Bro. O. Mathias, another minister, is located fourteen miles from here.  We would appreciated if another minister would locate with us, as Bro. Wright must work every day for a living, and can not give his time to the work as he ought to.

  Any minister coming through Chico, wishing to stop over, can take the electric car at the Park Hotel which will take you right to the church at the corner of Fourth and Walnut Street, Chapmantown,  Thos, Kline,  Chico, Cal., Feb. 24