St. John Church
"The Church Of The Way"
A History of St. John Church, Stoutsville, Ohio
Over 130 Years of Service to the Community
Established in 1883
Pioneers coming westward into this territory came into a vast wilderness to built little cabins here and there with cleared little plots of land for the growing of crops. There were no roads, trails, stores, schools, churches or cares, on a wilderness with a few scattered American Indians. Wagons were used for travel and hauling as there were few if any neighbors. Anything needed by the settlers they made or did without. Few items were brought with them into the territory.
The current generation has grown up in an old and settled community, inheriting what others invented and created. Perhaps we may think little of the hardships and sufferings which the settlers had to endure. It is fitting and proper that we pause and pay tribute to some of the people who lived in this community and are partly responsible for the comforts and blessings enjoyed today. Many cannot be mentioned and some we have no record but all have given their share and their part is recognized.
John Shumaker, who came from Pennsylvania in 1779, was the first white settler in what is now Clearcreek Township. He cleared away timber, built a cabin and lived here for seven (7) years (where Warnie Johnson lives) without a near neighbor. Then in 1804, George Stout came to the area and then by 1810 more settlers followed. Among the new settlers were George Dilsaver, Adam Fausnaugh, John Leist, John Stebelton, Peter Wolfe, Benjamin Stouts and John Mooney. These early settler had to travel on horseback or by foot to Zanesville for their salt, nails, powder, etc. The journey took a week or more and each settler took his turn in making the trip. Life was difficult in the wilderness and settlement was slow. But after the railroad was built in 1853, thing began to look brighter.
The story of churches' beginnings in Eastern Ohio was a result of missionaries
entering the state to work with the settlers, some of whom had been their friends
in Pennsylvania. Undaunted in the face of hardship, these men of the gospel cross the mountains seek lost sheep. Some of them had been eyewitnesses of Jacob Albright and his work in their homes, and filled with his great spirit, they knew that they must search out and minister the their friends who had moved on west. These missionaries soon were called circuit riders as they located preaching places and set up classes. Their work was difficult but many of the settlers welcomed the change to hear the word preached and took them in their homes.
These faithful circuit riders we honor today as the founders of our living congregations in the Clearcreek Township area. The Pickaway Circuit was established in 1840 as a branch of the Lancaster Circuit. Matthais Hoehn of Michigan came upon circuit in 1852 was recovering from a fever when he made his first round. It took him 48 days, a distance of 277 miles. In 1858 Jacob Rosenberger and Andres Schwartz had 18 regular appointments on his circuit. The most important ones they filled on Sundays. Reverend Schwartz had this list of appointments:
1. Samuel Shoffstall home.
2. Bloom Chapel, Fairfield County
3. Wm. Miesse home near Amanda
4. Ridge School near Cedar Hill
5. Old Reformed church-Ringold
6. Emmanuel-North of Ringold
7. Zion or Zinser Church
8. St. Paul or Leist church
9. Adam Klahr home near Stoutsville
10. Circleville M.P. Church
11. Ebenezer or Driesbach Church
12. Hallsville Church
13. Barnhart's Chapel
14. Stauffer home on Dry Run
15. Michal Wisler home S.E. of Tarlton
16. Adelphi Methodist Church
17. And 18. Unknown
The first known Evangelical families in the vicinity of Stoutsville were Henry and Maria Driesbach and John and Elizabeth Moyer. Both lived on the county line, the Driesbach's near the railroad south of Stoutsville (Roy Valentine's farm) and the Moyer's, a mile north. Driesbach came in 1817 and Adam Kleinfelter recorded his home as a preaching place in 1821. Adam Klahr opened his home as a place of worship to neighbors when the circuit rider came to the area.
Prominent mention is made of Benjamin Reed (Fern Swartz's great grandfather). Father of Mae Rife's mother lived on Molly Hitchcock's farm, where John Adams lived. Mr. Reed did much to promote the worked of the early church. A great revival at St. Paul or Leist Church in 1860 occurred that influenced the starting classed in the Stoutsville Community. Jacob Ressler and Andre Swartz began a meeting in January 1860 which continued for fifty nights in succession.
One hundred twenty heads bowed at the altar, 53 of whom were heads of families. Ressler had to go on to another meeting but Swartz continued the meetings two weeks longer. For fifteen nights he rode horseback for 8 miles to care for his sick wife and back again the next evening. Swartz wrote of this meeting: "The people were bitterly opposed to our revival methods. Many of them were as immoral as the devil could wish them to be. They had a place of meeting in a private house about a mile from the church where they met for dancing, gambling and drinking. One night the proprietor of the house and his wife came to church and were converted. The man then told how he had burned all the gambling devices left there by the gage before starting to church. "
By this time Stoutsville had become a small village laid out in a small scale in 1854. Benjamin Stout platted the village, named it Stouts Station and later changing it's name to Stoutsville. Benjamin Reed himself moved into the village about 1869 and took an active part in establishing a society. This is the same man who donated land for St. John Church. A vacant room on the second floor of Pool's store, later know as the Crites building, was used as the first place for public worship and a meeting place for Sunday School. Then in the summer of 1873, S.E. Rife supervised the construction of a brick church which still stands today at it original location. During Rife's ministry he is credited with building no less than 17 churches in difference locations of Ohio. He was especially successful in securing funds for these causes. The Rift's are buried in Bloomville, Ohio. The cost $3,000 was expended for building the original church. The first trustees were: Edward Driesbach, Benjamin Reed, Joseph roof, Asbury Pool, and Dr. H.K. Ferguson. Some of the first members were Christian Drake and wife, Litha Lathouse, John Meyer's family, John Hitchcock family, William Need and wife, B.F. Blair and wife and Joseph Roof and wife. By 1874 the membership numbered 40 and it had a flourishing Sunday School.
A committee was chosen on February 2, 1942 by the trustees to discuss improvement to the church. They met with Rev. Dutt at the parsonage. Cash-in days were set up to get a fund started for adding to the church. This continued until 1951 when an addition was build on the back and other improvements were made. Stain glass windows were completed and dedicated in 1948 at a cost of $800. Bishop George E. Epp had the sermon. By 1958 the project was about completed. Four years later a new project was considered necessary for growth of the church. Mr. Gerald Leist was given the contract for another addition to the church. Amos Valentine laid the brick and Don Reed was instrumental in the construction. It was completed in 1968 and the debt completely paid off.
Many folks have been faithful in supporting these projects. To them and to those interested persons who pushed these project to the finish, we owe a debt of gratitude. In 1984 the belfry was replaced. In 1996, Mr. George Valentine left a very generous gift as a part of his estate which enabled us to make many needed improvements to the church. The sanctuary ceiling was repainted and all the walls repapered, new carpeting was installed, the kitchen and bathrooms were remodeled and the pastor's office remodeled. In addition, the old furnaces were replaced and air conditioning was installed for the church, a new roof was installed, a ramp for the handicapped was added plus all the windows in the nursery, kitchen, pastor's office, and all three Sunday School rooms were replaced. The ceiling and walls in the Sunday school rooms were repainted. Then in 1998 the vestibule was renovated with the money received from our beloved Eleanor Fausnaugh's estate with a dedication ceremony taking place on September 27, 1998.
In 2005, the Drum family dedicated in memory of Ross and Mabel Drum new ceiling lights for the sanctuary. In 2006, the Reed family dedicated in memory of their parents, Don and Blanche Reed, a new computer for the pastor, painting of the walls in the kitchen, bathrooms and Sunday School rooms, pew cushions in the sanctuary and carpeting throughout all the Sunday School rooms. In 2007, the church steeple and bell tower were remodeled
We give thanks to all of these people and their families for their gifts and donations made by the members of the congregation as it enables the church to move forward. We believe their labors are and will be rewarded to their fullest.
St. John was originally the Evangelical Church of Stoutsville but at some unknown date changed to St. John. When the Evangelical Association united with the Evangelical United Brethren (EUB) in 1947, the church became known as St. John EUB. St. John EUB was a three church charge during these times with St. Paul and Pleasantview but in 1966 Pleasantview was dropped from the charge and Fairview was added. Then in 1968, Evangelical United Brethren merged with the United Methodist Church and we were given the title of St. John United Methodist Church. At the direction of the United Methodist Church, St. John became a one station church effective July 1, 1995 but was not provided a pastor.
On January 1, 1996, with the approval of the congregation and it’s Administrative Board St. John severed its ties with the United Methodist Church and became an independent nondenominational church which obligated itself only to God and the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The good Lord has really blessed this old country church which calls itself “The Church of the Way.” May we always remember God’s grace and how the Lord’s has blessed this old church and its continued existence.
Since 1996 we have been truly blessed with the presence of Reverend Ted Davis as our pastor and the many members of the church who likewise held importance positions on committees, led our Sunday school classes and made numerous contributions to the mission and ministry of St. John Church in the name of Jesus Christ.
1912 Men's Bible Class - St. John Evangelical Church
Note: The curved pews in the picture are still in use after almost 100 years.
First Row
H.O. Harden, Rev. E.V. Tovey, and Harvey Tyman
Second Row
Frank Smith, John Warner, Arch Drake, Nelson Rife, Arch Drake Sr., Christ Drake, Howard Hamp,
Lottie Drake, Noah Seimer, Oscar Dozer, and Eli Bolander
Third Row
Bud Faunsfelter, Mose Fausnaugh, Arthur Rife, Andrew Seimer, Oscar Baldozer, George Kocher,
Charles Steeley, George Bowman, Charles McDonald, Ward Miller, Joseph Sells, and Berton Calton
Fourth Row
Marion Noggle, Charles Kinney, Charles Baird, Jud Armstrong, Frank Jinks, Clint Tomkins,
Joseph Seesoltz, Lou Campbell, Earl Thomas, and Bill Phillips
Back Row
Harl Betz, Omer Marks, Walter Miesse, and L.W. Rife