A Bicentennial Timeline

1798 Methodism in America is growing in popularity and the denomination sends Circuit Riders to new frontier areas to minister to settlers; Southwest Ohio sees its first Circuit Rider who arrives on horseback from Kentucky.

1813 Enough settlers have arrived in the area for the Methodist church to begin organizing administrative Circuits; the Oxford Circuit is organized.

1814 Circuit Rider Rev. John Strange makes the first of his visits to the cabin of John Moore and his family who have established a farm near what is now Decamp Road in Hanover Township.

1815 A lay preacher named Ebenezer Wood settles on land just south of the Moore farm; Wood helps organize those meeting at the Moore cabin into a “class,” the first step toward church formation.

1817 The Moore class is upgraded to “Fellowship” status by the Methodist Episcopal Church, marking the true beginning of our congregation.

1821 The Moore Fellowship has outgrown the Moore cabin and builds a separate structure for church gatherings on adjacent land.

1822 The Fellowship dedicates its new meeting house as Ebenezer Chapel in honor of Mr. Ebenezer Wood.

A different denomination within Methodism known as the Church of the United Brethren begin holding services in the homes of several families in the Millville and Miltonville areas.

1833 Ebenezer Chapel’s original log meeting house is replaced by a brick building on the same site. A cemetery that saw its first burial in 1811 is on land adjacent to Ebenezer Chapel.

1876 The congregation of Ebenezer Chapel acquires a building originally built by Presbyterians along what is now Lanes Mill Road. The Ebenezer congregation moves there a year later and officially changes its name to Union Methodist Episcopal Church. The congregation’s receives its first fulltime preacher, Rev. George W. Dubois, who also serves Walker Chapel.

1913 The Union M. E. Church building is struck by lightning and burns. Some blame the event on the presence of a piano in the sanctuary.

1915 The church is rebuilt and stands today as the core of our present building.

1968 The Methodist Episcopal and United Brethren denominations unify to create the United Methodist Church. The Methodist congregation on Lanes Mill Road becomes known as the McGonigle United Methodist Church.

1980 The McGonigle congregation begins a major renovation and expansion to create an educational building, restrooms and expanded kitchen facilities.

1982 The McGonigle and Millville congregations merge to form one United Methodist Church serving both communities. All services are held in the McGonigle building and the Millville property is sold.

2017 The McGonigle Millville United Methodist Church celebrated its 200th year of serving God in the community.  A full day of activities including a reenactment worship service held outside with a circuit rider as pastor.

2023 The McGonigle Millville Methodist Church became an affiliate of the Global Methodist Church.