Midway Larger Parish (Sullivan County, Ind.) records

Affiliated (or was affiliated) with the following churches: Fairbanks, Graysville, Mt. Tabor, Kingsley, Merom, New Lebanon, Rose Chapel, Prairie Creek, Dodd Bridge, Union Chapel and the Sullivan Methodist Church.

The congregations of the Parish were first organized as Class Meetings of Frontier Methodism. Methodist families would open the doors of their homes to neighbors for peiods of prayer and worship, Class Meetings would be organized, then Circuit-riders would be appointed to organize these meetings into Societies.

The Fairbanks congregation is the youngest: organized in 1892. It continues to worship in its original building, which was erected in 1893.

Graysville and Mt. Tabor (disbanded in late 1983) were organized around the 1850's. Mt. Tabor is thought to be the older of the two. Their first building was a log church, but it was replaced by a frame structure in 1871 on land purchased from the family of Frederick Wilkey. By 1858, Graysville had been organized, apparently a strong Society from the beginning, with perhaps an advantage in its location, which made it the lead church for the circuit organized that year, known as the Graysville Charge. This Charge, with Rev. John H. Lester as pastor, included the congregations of Merom, Providence, Mt. Tabor, and Graysville from the New Lebanon Circuit, and the Kingsley congregation, which was on the Sullivan Circuit.

The Kingsley congregation started in 1835 in the homes of Andrew Weir and William Strain. In the early 1850's these classes joined with others of the community, using the Cross Road School for their meeting house. They were placed on the Sullivan Circuit by the presiding elder, Rev. R. S. Robinson. The first church was built in 1871, and the present structure erected on the same ground, was built as a memorial to pioneer families of the community and given the name Kingsley's Memorial Church in memory of the late Bishop Kingsley.

The Merom Society was organized around 1819. Their first building was a log church, which was replaced by in 1832 by a frame building. The present brick structure was erected in 1913, under the leadership of Rev. Pope.

The trends of the times and the desires of the groups, which have made up the various congregations, have resulted in many changes in the charge alignment during hte 153 years the Methodist movement has been organized here in the Western part of Sullivan County. At one time or another, the congreations of our Parish have been affiliated with the following churches: New Lebanon, Rose Chapel, Prairie Creek, Dodd Bridge, Union Chapel and the Sullivan Methodist Church. We have also had close ties with the Big Spring Church and the Merom United Church of Christ, as well as the Benson Chapel Friends congregation, which added to the stability of our Parish.

The present circuit was organized as the Midway Larger Parish under the leadership of the Rev. Arthur L. Fields in the early 1960's. The philosophy of the parish was established in the traditions and beliefs of beloved ancestors who brought Methodism into the area. They believed that both God and humanity could best be served in the rural areas by small congregations working together in a common ministry. This continues to be the aim, the purpose, and the goal of the Midway Larger Parish.