USA > Ohio > Warren County > Lebanon > The Otterbein Home Church, 1913-1968 > Part 1
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The Otterbein Home Church
A HISTORY 1913-1968
Phillippi Chapel
THE OTTERBEIN HOME CHURCH 1913-1968
Researched and Written 1967-68
by
Mrs. Opha W. Ireland (Member of Otterbein Home)
While the first minutes of the Official Board of the Otterbein Home church are dated June 21, 1914, a Sunday School was already in existence. It had been organized in July 1913, less than three months after the first members were admitted to Otterbein Home. By the time the church was organized the following June, the Sunday School enrollment had grown to 95.
Members of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of Otterbein Home had discussed the establishment of a church, particularly with reference to pastoral oversight, according to their re- port of May 27, 1914, about a month be- fore the church was actually formed.
At this first Official Board meet- ing, Dr. J. R. King, superintendent of the Home, presided. Also present were George P. Sinclair who acted as secretary Mrs. Harris, steward; Mrs. Mary Mudge, Sunday School treasurer; P. Tillman, church treasurer; Silas Nicholas, Sunday School superintendent.
These names appear over and over in minutes of succeeding minutes. Mr.Sinclair served as secretary from June 21, 1914 to September 22, 1924. He was also class leader, financial secretary, and several times was delegate to annual conference.
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In addition he was secretary of the Quarterly Conference, which in those days met every three months with the Confer - ence superintendent to receive summary reports of church progress.
Mr. Sinclair and his wife had come to the Home November 4, 1913 from Lake City, Iowa. He was the bee keeper for the Home, and provided a great deal of honey for the tables. His picture with some of his beehives appears in the ear- ly Annuals published by the Home to pub- licize its needs.
Mr. Sinclair's minutes of Official Board and Quarterly Conference meetings are models of neatness and clarity. His handwriting shows none of the flourishes that were the style in those days. One gets the impression that he was an unusual- ly good recorder, with a real sense of history.
As age required him to be less active he was made class leader emeritus on August 23, 1938. He remained vitally in- terested in the church as long as he lived.
At that first Official Board meeting it was decided that the church should be- gin at once to take weekly collections. At the next meeting it was decided to try to raise $50 by the end of the year.
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Two-fifths of this would be used for lo- cal expenses and three-fifths for "bud- get . " This word "budget" is used in all the early records to represent quotas assigned the church by denominational headquarters. Local expenses were other- wise designated.
As a beginning, 300 offering en- velopes were ordered, and the bill of $1.50 was ordered paid at a later meet- ing. A church record book was purchased for $2.00. This is a well bound book with substantial pages. A financial re- cord book was also purchased for $1.50.
Services were held each Sunday in the large living room on the second floor of the Center Brick (now New Bethany) . Several times over the years, items ap- pear in the minutes concerning purchase of chairs for this room. Pictures in the old Annuals show wooden chairs with high straight backs, such as were often used around kitchen dining tables in that era.
When the new school building (now the Nursing Care Center ) was being planned the church voted to purchase seats for the auditorium, which was to be used for the church services. The limit on this ex- pense was set at $1500. When the building was finished in 1921, services were trans- ferred to the school auditorium. Then in
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1935 Phillippi building was completed, including a new chapel, and services have been held there ever since.
Church Reached Out to Community
That it was the thought that the Otterbein Home church should serve the community as well as members of the Home is indicated in several instances. In his report to the Board of Trustees, dated August 20,1914, Dr. King said: "The privileges of the preaching service are enjoyed by the community, as evidenced by the numbers who attend each week. In June of this year we organized a church with 24 members, under the direction of the superintendent of Miami Conference. Three have joined since, and a few others have their letters and will join next Sun- day. This little church has contributed $56 to the general and conference benevo- lend budget, and has a comfortable balance for current running expense."
In a report to the Board of Trustees on April 26, 1917, Dr. King made this comment : "Our church organization contin- ues to be appreciated by the community, and we believe we have a mission in this way to the neighborhood." In a report of October 22, 1923, Rev. C. W. Snyder, then pastor, mentioned having made 20 calls during which he found several children in
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the neighborhood not attending any Sunday School.
Dr. and Mrs. King
Dr. King served as pastor six years, 1914-1919 inclusive. He received no extra compensation as pastor; his salary as superintendent was $1200 per year for the first few years. In the first Annual pub- lished by the Home in 1915, there is this comment: "While the superintendent is at present the pastor they ( the Home members) get to hear many of our leading ministers preach, because ministers visiting the Home over Sunday are asked to fill the pulpit. Being near Dayton, Ohio, gener- al Church officers and others, upon in- vitation, preach for our congregation."
As superintendent of the Home, Dr. King carried a heavy burden in managing the farm, and a multitude of other duties including field trips to interview pro- spective members, and efforts to raise money. The Home was constantly short of money, and constantly in receipt of ur- gent requests for admittance of both children and aged. Mrs. King acted as matron, and did all the accounting for the Home and farm, at a salary about half that of her husband.
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Dr. and Mrs. King had been mission- aries in Africa. They came as superin- tendent and matron at the pressing invita- tion of the Board of Trustees, and remain- ed until April 1926. Thereafter they liv- ed in Westerville, Ohio, where they main- tained a dormitory for boys. Dr. King died in 1938 and Mrs. King in 1955.
Rev. Hendrix Comes
At the 1920 annual Miami Conference, Rev. J. P. Hendrix was assigned to Otter- bein Home church. He remained through 1922. The Official Board voted September 6, 1920 to pay him $35 per month salary. This was increased to $40 per month the next year. He was both principal of the Otterbein Home school and pastor of the church.
Rev. Hendrix is now retired, living at Fletcher, Ohio, where he was formerly pastor for 11 years. He returned to Otter- bein Home in April 1962 to conduct a week of pre-Easter services in our chapel. At that time he lived at Lewisburg, Ohio
Rev. Hendrix led a busy life at the Home. Besides teaching and preaching, he coached athletic teams. The basketball team won the county championship. He also led the children's band, and played bass drum in it. This band played at Memorial Day services at Middletown, and once gave
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a concert in Memorial Hall, Dayton.
On Sunday evenings, after conducting Christian Endeavor in the chapel (in the Center Brick) Rev. Hendrix would walk to Good Samaritan building to conduct ser - vices, as the building was too far away for those residents to come to the chapel.
Rev. Hendrix had no automobile. It was nothing unusual for him to walk to Lebanon on business. He sometimes walked to Franklin to take an interurban into Dayton, then walked home from Franklin. He and his wife and two infant sons lived at different times in the house just south of Marble Hall, known in later years as Rose Cottage, and in what had been the Shaker meeting house, which had been used as a school.
Rev. Hendrix reported 68 consecra- tions in revival meetings held early in 1921. In December that year he reported 157 church members. The Sunday School Sec- retary reported enrollment of 250 with an average attendance of 190, and average collection of $2.00 from 15 classes. That year the church roll was revised. Per - sons who did not wish to transfer member- ship from their home churches were put on an associate membership list.
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Prayer Meetings
Prayer meetings had been held regu- ly since formation of the church. After the Old Peoples' Home (Bethany ) was open- ed in April 1916 the prayer meetings were held in the living room there until the building was abandoned in August 1965. The class leader reported in May 1920 that the prayer meetings were in "fair condition, " but in October that year he reported 30% increase in attendance. This seems to have been attributed, at least in part, to a change from Sunday evenings to Wednesday evenings, and from the chapel to the Old Peoples ' Home.
Since 1964, when the building suc- cessively called the Center Brick, the Boys' Building and now New Bethany, was remodeled, the Fellowship Room on the ground floor has been available for pray- er meetings, and is now used regularly.
A chapel which seats only 12 persons is near the Fellowship room. It is used by individuals and small prayer groups . Draperies and worship center were prepared by the W.S.W.S.
Church on Springboro Circuit
During 1920 and for a few years
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thereafter, the Otterbein Home church was on the Springboro circuit. Rev. A. R. Clippinger (brother of Miss Florence Clip- pinger, now a member of the Home, was Con- ference superintendent. (Later he was Bishop). Springboro, Utica, Moore's Fork and Oregonia churches were linked. There was an oversight in 1920 when Rev. Clippin- ger failed to appoint a pastor for Spring- boro and Utica, and Dr. King served those churches as pastor that year.
On September 19, 1922 it was voted to investigate the status of the Board of Trustees of Utica church. An associate pastor from Otterbein Home, A. D. Smith, was appointed to take charge at Utica. He reported Utica a promising field. His
salary was $200.
The Official Board (later called the Council of Administration and now known as Local Conference) sometimes had long dis- cussions as to how the pastor's salary and other expenses could be met.
Although the Otterbein Home church and the Otterbein Home itself are two dis- tinct organizations, they have traditional- ly helped each other. While Otterbein Home church was on the Springboro circuit, it seems that the other churches contributed toward the pastor's salary.
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By 1938 there was a definite movement to have Moore's Fork dropped from the charge. "It breaks into our work to have the pastor go to Utica, and Otterbein Home should be a full time pastorate, " says a report of August 31, 1938. It was agreed that Utica should meet with the then Con- ference superintendent, Dr. L.M.Hohn, and decide its own course of action. Otter- bein Home church wanted all of Rev. E. C. Petry's time.
The previous year (1937) an agreement had been reached that Moore's Fork and Utica should each pay its share of the pastor's moving expense, according to the proportion of salary each paid.
At the meeting where the matter of making Otterbein Home church a full time pastorate was discussed, Rev. C.E. Traylor, superintendent of the Home, stated that he thought the Otterbein Home Board would pay as much of the pastor's salary next year as they had paid this (1938) but not any more.
There is no definite statement in the record as to just when the separation of the churches took place, but Otterbein Home did become a full time pastorate. Rev. Petry served only a comparatively short time, however, as he died while pastor of the Otterbein Home church. His widow,
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Mrs. Stella Petry, lived out her life here. She taught music to the children of the Home, and was church pianist for many years.
Church Finances
Pastor's salary gradually increased over the years from the $35 per month paid to Rev. Hendrix (at such times as the church had enough money to pay him) to $5700 per year in 1967.
This $5700 represented an increase of $700 cash, approximately the value of produce formerly given the pastor by the Home. This produce allowance was discon- tinued. He still has the privilege of purchasing groceries from the Home store, which gives him an advantage as to price on some items.
In recent years there has been an agreement with the Home trustees that the church treasurer may be allowed up to $100 per month to help with salary and other ex- penses . During 1967 it was not necessary to ask for this allowance, as the church was self-sustaining. The previous year it had been necessary to ask for it only about half of the time.
The Home furnishes the parsonage and pays utilities, the telephone basic charge, and such long distance tolls as are neces-
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sary for transacting church business.
In 1967 the church also paid, in addition to cash salary, the assessment for minister's pension, workman's compen- sation, group insurance, automobile mile- age of 8; per mile, and expenses for attendance at conventions.
Responsibility for a $500 unit of support for the Roger. Burtners, serving as missionaries in Algeria, was undertaken Ligerla by the Otterbein Home church. This was in- cluded in the 1967 budget. It was fully paid in 1967. In the early part of 1968 a substantial amount had been already con- tributed to a similar $500 unit project for the year, which had been included in the 1968 budget .
Changes in 1968
For several months discussion went on as to whether this church should be discontinued, and a change to chaplaincy made at Otterbein Home. But in November 1967 the Local Conference voted 10 to 9 to retain the church organization. Dr. W. K. Messmer, Miami Conference superin- tendent, presided at this meeting.
Meantime, years of service in the pastorate had been set by Ohio Miami Con-
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ference as the basis for salary for each EUB pastor. As Rev. Charles W. Peckham had 13 years of service, his salary basis became $6,625.
Because of the special circumstances of Otterbein Home church, this was out of reach for the church itself. Accordingly the Board of Trustees of the Home employ- ed him, as of January 1, 1968, to work part time as co-ordinator for all Home programs. As pastor of the church he re- ceives $5,000 salary, and the Home pays him $1,625 as co-ordinator. The Home also took over travel expense and work- men's compensation, which had been includ- ed in the church budget, and a proportion- ate part of the pension assessment.
Throughout the years the church has been assigned quotas for the various funds of the denomination. In some instances payment has been delayed because of in- adequate contributions, but in the main the quotas have been met.
Otterbein Home is unique in that its membership is so largely made up of per- sons whose funds are very limited, and therefore their giving must be limited. But the numbers who pay tithes into the church treasury, and contribute to mission. ary and community projects over and above
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their tithes, is a constant source of gratification to the church officials.
As long ago as December 1, 1919 there is reference in the minutes to a "self- denial" special fund. That year it amount- ed to $196. As it was continued for sever- al years, the total varied, but it was al- ways substantial. It was sent to the Board of Foreign Missions.
Mutual Aid
From October 6, 1914 through many years, the church paid the Home $15 per year on the coal bill, usually in two in- stallments of $7.50 each. On October 6, 1914 also, the church voted to pay $125 into the fund that was being established by the Home for renovating the Shaker meeting house (across from Marble Hall) to serve as a school. The old one-room
Shaker school, which stood near where the swimming pool is today, had been condemn- ed by the county authorities, and as there was no money for a new schoolhouse, the old meeting had to be made to "do".
Agreement between the Official Board and the Otterbein Home Trustees seems to have existed to the effect that the trust- ees would supplement church funds wherever needed for salary.
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For instance, October 4, 1938 it is noted that the salary was to be $800 of which the church would pay $440 and the Home Trustees $360. In addition to cash salary, the pastor received milk, meat, vegetables and Home grown fruits free of charge. Similar arrangement was carried along for many years.
Occasionally the church treasury was empty, but the Board of Trustees of the Home always came to the rescue with an appropriation. Then the tide would turn, and the church was able to lend money to the Home, to help carry it over the very difficult times when funds were extremely low and needs were great.
There is an entry as of June 1926 showing that the church Official Board had voted to loan E. E. Ullrich, treasurer of Otterbein Home, $400 from the Symmes fund accumulation. (More about this fund later) A new note was made for $1900 at 6%, dated June 19, 1926. This included $1500 previous- ly loaned, plus the current loan of $400.
The Parsonage
In the early days the church seems to have been responsible for the physical property of the chapel and parsonage, al- though the Board of Trustees of the Home
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gave attention to these needs. Example : Supt. King reported to the Official Board on March 21, 1917 that the chapel in the brick building (New Bethany) needed re- pair, a pulpit platform, and chairs. At a congregational meeting this matter was considered and plans were made for the im- provements to be made without drawing on funds that had accumulated for a new church building.
April 6, 1927 the treasurer reported that there was no money in the treasury and a deficit of $50 existed. At this meet- ing, however, the pastor was instructed to select one person to serve with him as a committee to discover the cost of redecorat- ing the parsonage. This was to be paid from the Symmes fund. In June that year the treasurer reported to quarterly confer- ence that the pastor's salary and the ben- evolence quota had been paid in full. A bill for $11 for decorating the parsonage was allowed, also a bill for $12 forshrub- bery on the parsonage property.
In May 1929 it was decided that two rooms of the parsonage should be repaper - ed, and a Mr. Markee was to be asked to hang the paper free of charge.
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Responsibility for Parsonage
In 1935 the question of who was re- sponsible for the parsonage came up for somewhat heated discussion in two or three meetings. Repairs were needed, and it was stated in the minutes of August 25: "As far as we can find out it is the property of the church. Rev. Deever assumed re- sponsibility for seeing it was done."
Again, September 1937, it was report- ed to the Official Board that the parson- age needed repairs. In October that year a committee was appointed to "find out who is responsible for repairing the par- sonage, and whether or not there should be a local board of trustees."
On March 7, 1938, however, the minutes say that "Mr. Traylor ( superin- tendent of the Home) stated that he thought he had made it perfectly clear that the Board of Trustees of Otterbein Home is the only Board of Trustees of the church." From that time on few references to repairs on the parsonage appear in the minutes.
However, a bill for repairs and de- corating the parsonage was allowed at a meeting of the church board March 5, 1945, and in November 1947 there was a discus-
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sion about buying a cabinet sink for the parsonage.
On December 6, 1954 Rev. Comrey was authorized to try to have the trouble lo- cated in the parsonage furnace, recently installed. The report of August 25, 1953 notes the purchase of this furnace and the fact that it was paid for from church funds. In August 1, 1955 a bill for floor covering for the parsonage kitchen was allowed.
In August 1962 the secretary was in- structed to write a letter of thanks to the Board of Trustees of Otterbein Home, for the remodeling and beautification of the parsonage, including wall-to-wall car- peting. This, however, was paid for by the Home.
Building the Parsonage
While Supt. J. R. King was pastor of the church there was no need for a separ- ate parsonage, since he and Mrs. King (who served as matron and accountant ) had their own apartment. £
Rev. J.P. Hendrix and family lived in the Home for Missionaries' Children, later known as Rose Cottage, and also for a time in the Shaker meeting house which had been a school until the new building (now the Nursing Care Center) was erected.
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The parsonage was built in 1925, just north of Bethany and across the road from Phillippi.
In minutes of the Board of Trustees of Otterbein Home, dated May 28-29, 1924 there is this item: "Dr. J. H. Dutton, superintendent of Miami Conference, had just come from the annual Sunday School convention of Miami Conference, held at Middletown, and reported a vote of the con- vention to raise $12,000 in the next Christ- mas offering, with an appropriation of at least $5,000 of the amount to construction of a parsonage."
June 20, 1924, however, the minutes state: "As the action of the Miami Confer- ence bodies was in apparent conflict with plans already made by Rev. W. E. Stanley of St. Joseph conference, to gather money for a parsonage, the action being taken by the Sunday School convention without any know- ledge of the plans of Rev. Stanley, the chairman and secretary of the executive committee were appointed to take up the matter with Mr. Stanley for any adjustment that might be made."
As of September 24, 1923, the Board of Trustees of the Home had made an agree- ment with Rev. W.E. Stanley "touching the solicitation of money for a memorial par- sonage at the Home, the same to be occupi-
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ed by the regular pastor, but to be at the disposal of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley at their option. Mr. Stanley had given much thought to the matter and had submitted two plans, one to gather $4000 or $5000 for the par- sonage as a straight contribution to the Home; the other to enlarge the amount to a $10,000 foundation, enlarging his own con- tribution thereto by $1000 with the same. arrangement for pastoral residence, or his own residence, at his option, and the en- tire amount to carry annuity either to the original donors or to himself, said an- nuity, however, to cease in case he should occupy the same. The Committee decided practically upon the second plan, with the understanding that all donors should be apprised of the annuity feature, leaving the way open, however, for adoption of the first plan should that seem best."
The Stanley agreement seems to have been voided, because in a Trustees minutes of April 27, 1926 there is the statement that during the year a new parsonage had been erected and dedicated. The Miami Con- ference, through the Christmas offering of 1924 had supplied $5000 of the total cost of $5969.13. There is no mention of the source of the $969.13 additional; presum- ably it came out of regular Home funds.
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no-called parcovar Used by school acabeifel 1934-36
This house was used as a parsonage until Charles W. Peckham came as pastor in 1966. The Peckham family took up resi- dence in a cottage formerly occupied by Dr. and Mrs. L.N.Main, on the west side of the main road. (Rt. 741)
After occupancy for several months by the family of Supt. Charles K. Dilgard, while a house was being built for them at the north end of the campus, an addition was made on the south side of the old par - sonage. It is now (1968) occupied by the Dwight Williams family. Mr. Williams is assistant treasurer of the Home.
Related Societies
From its beginnings the Otterbein Home church has fostered the growth of auxiliary societies. By August 1915 a Missionary Society had been formed with 21 members and five life members, the latter having brought their life certifi- cates with them. On April 22, 1917 all but six women of the church belonged to the Women's Missionary Society and a large number of members of the Home also belong- ed to the WMA who were not members of this church, never having transferred from their home churches.
Over the years, the Women's Mission-
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ary Society, later known as the Women's Society of World Service, has been very much a part of the local scene. It has contributed sums of money to the denomina- tional missionary work that have amazed the national officers. The Otterbein Home W.S.W.S. is one of the strongest in the Ohio Miami Conference. Miss Mary Mckenzie for 16 years treasurer of the Home, and now its Admissions Secretary, has been active
in the "Branch" W.S.W.S., now known as the Ohio Miami Conference W.S.W.S. She was second vice president for several years and has served in other capacities. At this time (1967-68) Mrs. Charles (Arline) Peckham is serving as secretary of special projects for the Conference W.S.W.S.
There are at present two Circles of the Otterbein W.S.W.S. Circle I member - ship is composed chiefly of members of the Home, many of whom have been active in the churches where they formerly lived. Circle II is principally made up of employees of the Home who meet in the evening after work hours. Both circles follow programs outlined by the Conference W.S.W.S. Occasionally they have joint meetings, and sometimes invite the E.U.B. Men to attend special programs.
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