Our Heritage

With four or five families gathering for worship in 1843, the Church of Christ (Christian Church) of Albia, Iowa had its beginnings.  However, the recorded history of the Christian Church at Albia, Iowa has its beginning in the year 1847 when Isaac Watson and John Mock, two of the pioneers of Monroe County, drove to Marion County to enlist the services of Rev. Aaron Chatterton, a Campbellite minister.  Rev. Chatterton returned with the two men and began a tenure of ministry that lasted until 1848. 

 

During this period of time Rev. Chatterton preached his sermons in the old school house, said to be at the location of the present Lincoln Center, and in the little 20 foot square log courthouse built that same year.  He occasionally held services at the home of "Old Jimmie" Robinson four miles south of Albia. This home, it is believed, was located near the back door of the present new home of Darrell Stocker.  ​

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Under the leadership of Rev. Chatterton, who had the distinction of conducting the first revival meeting within this county, a church was soon organized.  Among the charter members were John Mock, Mrs. Margaret Mock, his mother, Mrs. Zerelda Watson, Mrs. Margaret Hollingshead, "Old Jimmie" Robinson and wife [Lucinda Robinson], Peter Robinson, Miss Eveline Robinson, Robert E. Robinson, Miss Angeline Robinson, Miss Cornelia Robinson, Miss Zerelda Robinson, Miss Martha Robinson, and Miss Helen Robinson (Hickenlooper 266).   

 

We are not sure where the congregation held its regular services. However, legend tells us the sanctuary was erected in the early 1860's on land donated by a Willis Arnold and that John Mock mortgaged his farm to finance the materials. The Rev. Chatterton did not confine his ministry strictly to this church nor was he a resident here. His services were to all of Monroe County as well as Marion County.

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In 1848 Joseph Caldwell assumed the pastorate of the newly organized church.  His residence was a few miles southeast of Albia and he drove in every Sunday to preach. Elder Caldwell became the first resident pastor of our church and served it faithfully until 1851.  

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Elder Mott was the next leader to take charge of the church and remained in leadership until the year 1853. The call was then again put out and the pulpit at this point was filled by the members within and no formal minister is reported to have been retained until 1856.  Elder Reuben Garriott then took over from 1856 through 1862. 

 

On November 30, 1861 the Christian Church purchased from a Mr. Richardson Lot 4, Block 32 of the 3rd Survey to the City of Albia for the price of $100.00.  This is the lot at the southeast corner of South 2nd Street and 2nd Avenue.  Several congregations have called it home through the years: Christians, Baptists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, and back to the Baptists once more.  An old Albia map from 1919 shows its location when it was housed by the Presbyterians.  However, the church was eventually demolished and a house currently stands in its place.  

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From 1863 to 1867, Elder Amos Buchanan served as Pastor and preached the Living Word to the members.  This was during and after the turbulent years of the Civil War.   Following Elder Buchanan there was a brief period with no formal minister but guest pastors and elders filled the pulpit.

 

In 1868 a "young infidel or Universalist school teacher" named Free Waldron heard a debate between Elder Chatterton of the Christian Church and Rev. Frank Evans of the Methodist Church.  After the debate, Free Waldron converted to the Christian Church.  Later that year, he assumed the pulpit of this congregation.  Waldron ministered to the Christian Church until 1874.    

 

While worshipping at the 2nd & 2nd location, Rev. Free Waldron built up the congregation into a church that enjoyed considerable influence and popularity. Elder Waldron was reputed to be a fine singer and a talented speaker. He had the ability to instill within the congregation a great sense of spiritual hunger and due to this hunger the church witnessed a phenomenal growth.   However, in 1868, a disagreement arose within the church.  The question was, "should there or should there not be musical instruments allowed within the church?" After considerable debate among the group, it was agreed to have an organ assist with the singing.  This solution aroused some anger within the congregation, even to dividing the church. Because of this, a few left to start their own congregation. 

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Also during the ministry of Brother Waldron in 1874, he was accused, many believed unjustly, of acts unbecoming of a Minister of the Gospel. Because of this, he was dismissed from the pulpit. This caused a division within our church family. But through a strong faith in God, our congregation was able to weather these and other problems to reunite and once more go forward with a strong ministry in Christ.  

 

As the town grew, so did our congregation. It soon found that the church at 2nd & 2nd was much to small to house the growing group.  On August 31, 1874, county records show that the Christian Church exchanged churches with the Baptist Church and we moved into a wooden frame building located on Lot 6, Block 13 of the 3rd Survey to the City of Albia.  This is the lot where the present office complex sits.  In return our church traded off Lot 4, Block 32 at 2nd & 2nd to the Baptist.  Records indicate the values of the lots being $1,000 and $1,165.00 respectively.  The Monroe County Recorders records show the transaction was recorded on September 3, 1874.  The Baptist Church had incurred considerable liabilities against their building which our church assumed for nearly $500.00.  Since there were was a church building on each lot, the Christian Church, upon purchase of the new location commenced an extensive remodeling project of their newly acquired church home.

 

It is interesting to note that the record of this exchange between the Christian and Baptist churches was within the same week as the second filing of the Articles of Incorporation.   The Articles of Incorporation were dated September 3, 1874 and filed for record on September 5, 1874.  They can be found in the the Monroe County Recorder's Office in the "Articles of Incorporation, Book A; page 8."  This second Articles of Incorporation was necessary because the original Articles had been lost.  

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In 1889, under the tenure of G.L. Brokaw, the church remodeled by adding two wings.  ​​In 1893, when Brother W.J. Hastie began his ministry with the church, the congregation numbered nearly 500 members.  During this time, the member seemed to drink deeper than ever before of the spirit of service, had a greater interest in missions and many were added to the membership.  

 

After four years of service Brother Hastie seemed to think that someone else might accomplish more and so on July 25, 1897 he resigned.  The congregation voted unanimously to ask him to remain at the church but could not prevail upon him to do so.  Before securing a successor, the church was repaired, repainted, papered, and for the first time electric lights were installed.  

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In 1899, under the leadership of Brother R.H. Ingram, action was taken towards the construction of a new and larger edifice to house this growing Christian Church of Albia.  On March 7, 1900, the site where our church now stands was purchased from Fred Galliers for the sum of $1,400.00.  The last meeting was held in the old church on August 12, 1900 at which time the members agreed to sell the church to the Hocking M.E. Church.  That group began dismantling the building on August 14th, two days later.  At this point the Christian group was forced to relocate their services temporarily to the the Court House, the Presbyterian Church and various homes.  It was August 24th, just 12 days from the time of their last meeting in the old church, till the excavation was started for the new, current, church structure.  The cost of the new structure was $14,000.00 plus the time and sacrifices of many members. 

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At the annual meeting held on January 1st, 1906, the church clerk reported a total membership of 502 and the treasurer reported collections for the year in the regular fund of $1,299.63.  Sunday morning, July 7th, 1907, was the first time that a printed bulletin was used for the worship service. 

 

Brother C.E. Rainwater  was elected to the ministry on April 1, 1908. Under his leadership, our church first instituted the revolutionary idea of a choir.  The idea was accepted by the church and was considered a great help to the meeting. An entry in the records during this time records that Brother Gantz informed the Board the paving tax was due in a few days so a special collection was taken to pay the tax. Enough money was donated to both pay the tax plus a tidy sum to go towards new song books. This is mentioned to denote the time the brick was laid on East Washington Avenue.  

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It's interesting to note that Sunday School attendance was a high priority in the early 1900's.  Attendance soared to over 200 and the flock was frequently admonished to be in class on time, increase their offering and follow other "rules" of the institution.  In 1910, it was decided that the Sunday School teachers would start using a grading system, similar to the public school system. 

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In 1927, the ladies of the church put forth an all out effort and through many hours of work and devotion were able to see the completion of a dream.  Our first parsonage was erected at the location of 414 East Washington Avenue.  The building was a brick structure constructed on a lot that had been previously purchased from Mrs. Edna Kester. The home was used until the early 2000s when the house of Denis and Helen Homerin at 316 Washington Avenue East was purchased for use as the parsonage.

 

As the congregation continued to thrive and grow, additional remodeling and construction took place.  In 1948 the church basement was remodeled into a "Service Center".  An extensive remodeling project of the sanctuary and Sunday School classrooms was completed in 1957.  This was the culmination of a $28,000 program designed to meet modern day needs.  In 1978 the current church office complex was completed.  A gift of $230,700.00 from the Robert "Red" Stevenson estate in 1983 allowed the church to complete its current structure.  The building project included a large fellowship hall, kitchen, friendship room, sewing room, and courtyard.    

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Throughout its years of history, the Church of Christ, now known as First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), has sought to provide a rich fellowship and sense of community for people of all ages and walks of life, from teaching children to love Jesus to helping adults live Christ-like lives. Our mission remains one of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, witnessing, loving, and serving from our doorsteps to the ends of the earth.  

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