Bethany Church

(1892  -?)

The Gospel Messenger Jan. 12, 1892 page 27 Vol. 30 No. 20

Two New Churches Organized

  The Raccoon Creek church, in Southern Indiana, being a large church with four good meeting-houses, and its members scattered over five or six Counties, began to think it would be more convenient for them to be divided into three separate, organized churches.  Accordingly, after visiting their members and counseling in their assembly, they agreed upon lines.  One of them divides off about fifty members living in Putnam and Park Counties, with one meeting-house, in Little Walnut Creek, Putnam County.  The other line was designed to divide off a cluster of about twenty-two members, situated in Boone and Hendricks Counties, with a good meetinghouse in Boone County.

  On Thursday, Dec. 1, the members of Putnam and Park Counties assembled in their meeting-house on Little Walnut Creek.  Three elders were present. After the opening exercises some explanations were given by the elders; then they unanimously decided, by individual vote, to accept the line, offered by the Raccoon Creek church, and to go into a separate organization, abiding by the decisions of Annual Meeting.  An election was then held for an elder to take the oversight of the church, and the choice fell upon William Harshberger.  They also adopted the name. “ Little Walnut Church.’

  We then went to the meeting-house in Boone County, where we met with the members of that branch of the church Dec. 3.  Four elders were present at this place.  They were organized in a way similar to that of the Little Walnut church.  They then close Eld. D. C. Campbell to take the oversight, and adopted the name “Bethany Church.”

  These new churches have no resident ministers among them and are in need of ministerial help.              

R. R Goshorn,  Hausertown, Ind.