ABOUT US

OUR STORY

The story is told that in 1874 the Methodists came to Beulah to establish their colony because of the beauty of the land and stopped at a restaurant in Girard for dinner. They obtained a table apart from the other customers in the restaurant and it is there they burst into the song “Beulah Land” and from that time on, the community was named Beulah. The Girard Press on October 1, 1874 reported the Beulah colony purchased land from the railroad company and about one half has been disposed of. They first built a school house and then a church.

The United Presbyterian Church was established in Beulah in 1880. It was reported the two churches got along marvelously well with complete cooperation between the two. We do not know the exact date of the disbandment of the two churches, but there was a time when there was no church in Beulah.

Roy Brown, while campaigning for Register of Deeds, saw many children in Beulah with no church to attend. Recognizing the need and according to an article in the Pittsburg Headlight on September 20, 1941, Mr. Brown with help from others organized a community Sunday School in June 1939 which et in the Beulah school house.  The Sunday School was popular and a revival meeting was held which resulted in raising money for a new church with the understanding it would be a community non-denominational church. Titus school from north of Crowburg was purchased and moved to Beulah, a distance of twenty miles and placed where the Methodist church once stood.  The purchase and cost of moving and preparing the small schoolhouse for worship came to $635 leaving the church with a balance of $11.81. We believe after studying the minutes of 1941, but are not certain, August 19, 1941 on the front of the church is when the Titus school building was moved onto the church site. The church was dedicated, free of debt, at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 7, 1941 with Reverend Mae Haskins, pastor of Beulah Church, delivering the dedication sermon. The American Legion presented the church a flag during the Sunday School service that morning. Upon leaving the dedication service, it was announced war had officially been declared.

According to church minutes on January 29, 1942, Frank Wolkar reported he had received a letter from Dr. Bruce Wilson of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania giving a favorable reply on the request that we might call Mrs. Haskins a pastor though we didn’t go under the Jurisdiction of the Presbyterian Church board. The same evening the first Board of Trustees were elected. They were:

Oliver Banks
Jess Clutter
Frank Wolkar
Roy Wilkerson
Ralph Copenhaver

A committee of three, Roy Wilkerson, O.E. Miller, and Grace King, were elected to draw up the Constitution and By-Laws. The Constitution and By-Laws were adopted April 2, 1942.

The Articles of Faith were adopted April 10, 1942.

Beulah Community Church was incorporated May 17, 1942 as a non-profit organization.

The object of the church: The Support of Public Worship

Signed by: Frank Wolkar, Oliver Banks, Jess Clutter, Roy Wilkerson, Ralph Copenhaver, O.E. Miller, Grace King, and Roy Brown, Register of Deeds.  The State Seal was placed on the Articles of Incorporation by Frank Ryan, Secretary of State.

November 22, 1942 at 8:00 p.m. the doors of the church were opened for membership. Reverend Armstrong, pastor of the United Presbyterian Church in Pittsburg officiated, assisted by Reverend Mae Haskins.

Ministers through the years have included:

Reverend Mae Haskins
Reverend John Haynes
Reverend Herbert Butler
Dr. William Hall
Reverend Vinita Jones (1955-2000)
Reverend Murray Balk (2000-present)

Also mentioned were Reverend Pierce and Reverend Armstrong.

Wilma Wilkerson, one of the first members of our church, served faithfully as a missionary to Africa and also in the states with after school clubs as long as her health permitted.

The early church included Christian Endeavor for the young people and a Mother’s Circle which met Thursday afternoons for Bible Study. Through the years youth groups and ladies organizations have continued.

The men and women of the 1940s made the wise decision that our church would not go in debt with improvements only being completed as money was available. Several projects have helped raise money including serving farm sales, serving meals at the Crawford County Fair for 50 years (1957-2007), Little Balkans Days, Girard Fall Festival, and rummage sales, to mention a few.

Plans were made in 1961 to add a Fellowship Hall, which was finished in 1962. Classrooms were added to the west end of the church in 1986. The pasture north of the church was donated, allowing room for a playground in 1995.

A new building was added adjacent to the playground in 2003 to provide more room for an active congregation.

Through the years many faithful people have helped continue the work started so many years ago.

We know God has blessed us with our little country church and are thankful for the people who saw a need and worked together with God’s help to provide for that need. We pray the church will continue for many years to come.