History of Pastors
A HISTORY OF PASTORS SERVING
THE
GUNNISONVILLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
1860-2008
The Gunnisonville Episcopal Church opened its doors for its first service on
November 4, 1888; however, our oral history indicates that religious
services were held in this community beginning shortly after the arrival of
the Elihu Gunnison family in 1833. Meetings were held in the different
family homes of the community. Since the church was closed for ten years
in the late 1920’s and some of the documents were kept in the homes of
faithful members, areas of our history are dependent upon that oral
history.
In the beginning the church was known as the Gunnisonville Episcopal
Church, but went by other names during its history. After being closed it
was reopened by Reverend Carl Seipp in 1937 as the Gunnisonville
Community Church. Later, it became Gunnisonville Methodist Church until
it was again officially closed by the Methodist Church in 1952. During that
time we remained open as an independent church and again as the
Gunnisonville Community Church until it resumed operation as a
Methodist church in 1956.
A search of the internet by Alta Catherine Reed in 2007 resulted in
obtaining the following listing. Reverend W. S. Atterbury in 1837 and H.
Hall as the presiding elder with James Roberts preacher in 1862.
CIRCUIT RIDERS
Records show we were served by the following circuit riders beginning in
1860. They were: A.L. Crittenden, H. Law, George Bradley, William
Stafford, Charles Chick, Henry Jordan, William Swift and John Merrihew.
OFFICIAL RECORDS
1885 Reverend McNutt
1888 Reverend Duncan Ward
1895 A.W. Barnes, Pastor
1919 Elder Seipp
1927 Reverend G. M. Simon
1927-1937 Church closed
1937 Reverend Carl Seipp
1938 Reverend C. Harry Moon
1945 Reverend J. Oliver Hall
1949 Reverend Earl Champlain
1952-1956 Church Closed**
1952 David Gorton**
1956 Reverend Ray Birdsall
1957 Reverend Herbert Hengst
1960 Reverend John Keith
1965 Reverend Bill Cessna
1967 Reverend Marcel B. Elliot
1970 Reverend Ted Otto
1972 Reverend Daniel Miles
1975 Reverend Paul Scheibner
1978 Rev's. Lynn & Tom Pier-Fitzgerald
1984 Reverend Charles Smith
1989 Reverend Carl Staser
1991 Reverend Tom Peters
1994 Reverend Ray Field
1998 Reverend Nancy Bessemer
2003 Reverend Tom Truby
2006 Reverend Beatrice Robinson
2007 Reverend Mark Johnson
**During the period of 1952-1955 we were served by David Gorton as an
interim minister. He was a student who agreed to pastor our group during
the time of our closure by the Methodist Church. David’s grandparents
were the Krause family who had originally donated the land upon our
church is located.
Lois Rhynard Baumer
Historical Committee
