Our Past
A Church Steeped in History
Methodism in Circleville started within a year after the establishment of Pickaway County in 1810. According to Van Cleaf’s History of Pickaway County, the Methodist Episcopal Class was the first religious group to be organized in Circleville. Itinerant preachers had brought the gospel to gatherings, led by Judge McArthur, in private dwellings, the new courthouse in the center of the circle, and then Circleville Academy. In about 1815, Rev. William Swayze started a class of nine people who met in the home of Judge McArthur.
In 1820, they built a church on two lots on Watt Street; it was destroyed by fire in 1851. The trustees immediately bought a lot on the corner of Pickaway and Main Streets and built a new structure at a cost of $12,000. The building was ruled unsafe because of a shallow foundation and was razed in 1908.
The new and present structure was dedicated in 1910, featuring art glass windows, class rooms, and modern facilities at a cost of $42,000. It was then known as the Methodist Episcopal Church (ME) until 1939 when it became The First Methodist Church. A needed Christian Education building was added and dedicated in 1964. By 1968 it could no longer be the First Methodist Church because officials of the Evangelical United Brethren and Methodist churches voted to merge. It then became the Community United Methodist Church of today.
Since then, additional adjacent land has been purchased for parking and future expansion. Most recently, in the years 2009 – 2012, the original church building underwent major renovation both inside and out.
Throughout her history, the church has continually strived to fulfill its mission to the community and beyond. We embrace our purpose of “Connecting People to Christ, Equipping them to be in ministry, and Sending them out to serve others in Jesus’ name.”
740.474.4796
120 N Pickaway St,
Circleville, OH 43113