The Galt Christian Church will celebrate its 125th anniversary with special programs planned Friday, Oct. 13 through Sunday, Oct. 15.
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Events include former minister David Pummill and his wife, Nancy, of Maryville, CA, who will preach during the fall revival on Friday and Saturday. “Come Grow With Us in the Lord” will be the topic of the revival which will be held at 7 o’clock each evening. Pummill will also be preaching during the 10:50 a.m. worship on Sunday as well as the 2 p.m. anniversary celebration.
Catered meals are scheduled at 5:30 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday as well as at noon on Sunday. There will be past and present members of the church bringing specials during each of the services and a special anniversary celebration is planned at 2 p.m. on Sunday, with a cake and punch reception to follow. All programs are opened to the public.
According to information provided by current pastor Stan Richardson, the Galt Christian Church was formed in 1881, with many of the 15 charter members being from the Lindley Christian Church. In a year, membership grew to 166. Services were held in the old Methodist Protestant Church two blocks north of the town square. Perry Schooler of Spickard was the first pastor.
The first building of the Galt Christian Church was dedicated on Nov. 30, 1890. It was built on land donation by the Humphreys family, where the present building still stands. The congregation ballooned to over 250 following a tent meeting conducted by B. Marvin Harris and singing evangelist Stover. Over 200 persons were baptized in 1908. In the fall of 1910, a brick structure was completed.
A tornado in March of 1943 damaged most of the stained glass windows. One survived and hangs in the back of the current sanctuary. The structure was torn down in August 1966 and excavation on a new structure began in September. The 1967 Easter Sunday worship services were held in the completed basement of the present structure. Construction of the upstairs portion began in May 1974, with the first services being held on Oct. 13 of the same year.
The bell that hung in the belfry of the first two churches now sits on the brickwork adoring the front yard. A graduation affiliation with the Disciples of Christ ended in the 1970’s.
In the following 30 years, many updates have graced the building. New carpeting was laid throughout the basement, a nursery was constructed in the back of the sanctuary and in the fall of 2004, the front entrance was redesigned to make it handicapped-accessible. In June 2006, the original capstone marker of the 1910 church was encased in brickwork and landscaped to accent the west parking lot entry.
A viable part of the community, Sunday morning worship averages around 100 persons. There is a women’s Bible study on Monday nights and a prayer meeting on Wednesday evenings. In 2003, an additional Tuesday morning devotion was started at the high school before classes started and averages around 30 students. The Goof Troop elementary youth group of kindergarten through sixth grade students meets on Wednesdays after school and averages 40 students. The church started a 30-minute radio program on Sunday morning and also supports five missions with monthly donations.