Embedded Files
Church Timeline
The Pine Grove Community Church was built in 1896.
Its design was based upon that of a small theater with worshippers seated on a slanted floor. Rows of chairs are positioned on the slanted floor with holes drilled in the floor to secure their back legs. The church is embellished with elaborate interior and exterior millwork.
The Altar
The Altar
View from the Altar
View from the Altar
Methodist Services
The original congregation was established by 1893 as the Pine Grove Union Church.
Although its members included Baptists, Presbyterians, and Methodists; it was the Methodist-Episcopalian Church that regularly supplied ministers.
A lady’s aid society called the Willing Workers was an active and effective fundraising addition to the congregation.
Church attendance began to dwindle in the late 1940s, and it became increasingly difficult to meet financial obligations.
Methodist ministers stopped holding regular services in Pine Grove.
Mennonite Mission Church
About this time, the Union Church Trustees were approached by Mennonites who wished to hold a Summer Bible School as a mission outreach. The idea for a Bible School was well-received by the Trustees as well as the parents in the extended community.
The Summer Bible School was followed up by regular Sunday School at the church. The Mennonites transported children from near and far and attendance steadily rose.
Other Mennonites began attending to assist in this mission work. Eventually the church became too crowded.
In 1990, the Mennonites reluctantly left the Pine Grove Church behind to move to a larger facility in another township.
Students attending a Summer Bible School
Pine Grove Community Church Preservation Society, Inc.
The Pine Grove Community Church sat unused for several years. Neighbors, who claimed ownership of the land, began to use the church for storage. The building received no maintenance and slowly deteriorated.
Some local individuals became alarmed that such a historic structure would be neglected! They formed the Pine Grove Community Church Preservation Society in 1997 and were able to earn the title to the property by 2001.
The Preservation Society successfully completed the necessary paperwork to have the church listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and it steadily works to make repairs.
The Pine Grove Church in 1998
The Pine Grove Church in 1998
August 2023 - after 22 years with the Preservation Society
August 2023 - after 22 years with the Preservation Society
The Pine Grove Community Church was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 20, 2009.
If you wish to see additional historic photos or read more detailed information,
please click on the "Church History" and "History of the Preservation Society" pages.
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