Elmhurst Church of the Nazarene in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Marks 75 Years

The Waynedale Church of the Nazarene began meeting in 1939 in a house at 6902 Bradbury Avenue in Fort Wayne, Indiana, according to the congregation’s history. Rev. V. L. McSherry served as its first pastor, and Raymond Fairfield, Floyd Hapner and DeWitt Kiester were elected trustees at the first meeting on September 3, 1939. Loree Pickard served as church secretary.

Early church records list the charter members as Raymond and Millie Fairfield, Floyd and Edith Hapner, DeWitte, Rose and Evelyn Kiester, and Mrs. Ralph Otis. Between 1939 and 1945, a series of pastors served the congregation, including Harold L. Johnston, Fred L. Vaught, James R. Shadowens and Arthur F. Merriman.

In May 1945, Rev. Harold L. Kennedy became pastor. At that time, members canvassed the Elmhurst and Miami Village areas and purchased a church bus. Gasoline was being rationed, and the church believed the bus would help more people in the area attend services (Matthew 25:35, a picture of welcoming the stranger). Sanford Geeting, whose family was the first to ride the bus, later became involved in the building work.

In 1946 the church bought its first parcel of land, the site where the church stands today, and built its first sanctuary with Sunday School rooms. DeWitt Kiester was the general contractor. The report recounts that Pastor Kennedy insisted the basement floor be poured in a single day. Extreme heat and little fresh air caused two workers to pass out from exhaustion, but the floor was finished by the end of the day. Geeting finished the exterior windows, plastered some walls and cut the stone, which was taken to a mason who was Kennedy’s father-in-law. About this time the congregation was renamed the Elmhurst Church of the Nazarene.

The church’s later history includes a parsonage built in 1948 and used by pastors and their families until 1981, and a fellowship hall added in 1973. Ground was broken for a new parsonage on Kelmar Drive in March 1981, and it was ready for occupancy that July. The older parsonage was moved to Sandpoint Road to make room for a new sanctuary. Ground was broken for that sanctuary on April 18, 1999, and it was completed and dedicated on November 14, 1999. The list of pastors runs from Harold L. Kennedy in 1945 to Richard C. Dickson, who has served since 2007.

The congregation marked 75 years on September 3, 2014, when it held a celebration at the curve on Sandpoint Road. A 75th Diamond Jubilee Anniversary observance was scheduled for September 7, with a 10:30 a.m. worship service and a celebration at 2:30 p.m. Dr. David Roland, district superintendent of the Northeastern Indiana District Church of the Nazarene, was to preach at both services. Former pastor Rev. Chuck Howie and his wife, Marilyn, were to share in music ministry. A reception was planned in the fellowship hall after the afternoon service, and the community was cordially invited to attend.

Source: Read the original report