History of Arkport UMC

Our Church's History

first church, build in 1883 Around the year 1825, a number of families moved from Pennsylvania into the woods on the hill near here which has ever since been called Pennsylvania Hill, and there is where this Arkport Society originated. These people first worshipped in a log schoolhouse at that place and later in the frame schoolhouse on the hill. As time passed, the people felt the need for a church. A meeting was called on April 10, 1883, to elect the first trustees of the church property. The first official meeting in Arkport of this society to plan for future work was held the following day.

On June 5, 1883, ground was broken for the foundation of the frame church which was fininshed and dedicated on December 11, 1884. This was located at 30-32 West Avenue (right next to the current Parsonage). Thirty years passed, and the old church was found to be too small and not modern enough for the large and constantly-growing congregation. At first, it was planned to build an addition to the old church, but it was found to be impractical. On March 6, 1913, a meeting of the trustees was held and the present site at the corner of West Avenue and Main Street was selected.

The cornerstone was laid on August 20, 1913, and on February 19, 1914, the church was formally dedicated. The pastor, Rev. Joseph Richards, and his Board of Trustees, comprising of Ira McMichael, Marshall A. Emery, David L. Dungan, Charles F. Benning and Elmer E Gilbert, participated in the dedication program, along with the Revs. J.C. Walden, S.E. Matthews, O.P. Wildey and B. Poste, all of whom at one time served as pastor of the church.

This church began its life as the Arkport Methodist Protestant Church, one the few Methodist Protestant churches in Western New York. The MP Church split from the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1828 over issues of church governance. In 1939, the Methodist Protestant Church merged with the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church, South to form the Methodist Church. In 1968, the Methodist Church merged with the Evangelical United Brethren to form today's United Methodist Church.

Pastors of this church from its beginning have been:
W.T. Edds
Alonzo Smith
F.A. Snow (1892)
O.P. Wildey (1893-1895)
B. Poste (1895-1898)
Ray M. Busler (1898-1901)
D.W. Gates (1901-1902) I.W. Hill (1902-1903)
S.E. Matthews (1903-1907)
J.C. Walden (1907-1909)
J.H. Richards (1909-1919)
Albert Weaver (1919-1924)
L.T. Reed (1924-1929)
B.J. Fults (1929-1941)
Leon B. Randall Jr. (1941-1943)
Gordon Proper (1943-1949)
Charles Foster (1949-1954)
Harold Sherman (1954-1958)
Charles G. James Jr. (1958-1961)
Gerard B. Pollock (1961-1963)
Ronn W. Eiss (1963-1966)
Paul Zelinka (1966)
Wayne C. Byham (1966-1969)
A. Howard Richardson (1969-1973)
John C. Lyga (1973-1976)
Jeffrey C. Crawford (1976-1987)
Ray Linza (1987-1991)
Stephen J. Wiggers (1991-1997)
William A. Allen & Kristen A.R. Allen (1997-2005)
Paul Emery (2005-2007)
Michael A. Smith (2007-present)