The annual Chalfant Church Homecoming will be Sunday, September 10 at 2:00 p.m., featuring speaker Rev. Lester Taylor who attended Chalfant Church as a child.
Chalfant Church has a rich history. Just five years after Ohio became a state, Coshocton County’s first established church was organized. The year was 1808. Mordecai Chalfant was Washington Township’s second pioneer and first Justice of the Peace. He donated the land where the current Chalfant Church stands. Throughout the years there have been two other church buildings to occupy this site. The first was built in 1811 and the current structure was erected in 1893, operating until the 1970s.
The church remained a beacon of inspiration for many in the community for several years even though it was frozen in time, sitting empty. A large religious organization had purchased the country church and left it to sit. The once beautiful structure that boasted elegant stained glass windows and an iconic bell tour was now boarded up and the bell had been removed. The church that was so significant and produced approximately over two dozen religious leaders including preachers, bishops, and ministers was now scheduled to be demolished despite the strong efforts of a number of members of the community.
“Has any other small country church made such a contribution to Methodistism? Surely the rich history of Chalfant made it truly outstanding and worth of preservation!,” Jane Siegrist writes in her book titled A Community Prevails: A Church Is Preserved. It was Jane’s father’s home church and she attended as a small child.
After much work, hours of extensive effort, and being ignored and dismissed several times by the deed holders demolition had been put on hold. During this time the community held bi-weekly outdoor worship services on the grounds, established an endowment fund for the maintenance of the church, and requested the building be accepted into the State Historical Register, which it was. The efforts of the community saved the Chalfant Church! An agreement was made that the church and its furnishings including the bell and stained glass windows would be included with the purchase. The agreement also came with a caveat, the word Methodist was not to be used in the name of Chalfant Church, and the church could not be used for regular services. To complete the purchase and receive the deed, the group involved in saving the church formed a non-profit and called it the Chalfant Society. The newly founded organization held many fundraisers and through determination raised enough money to complete the purchase of the church paying a sum of $8,500 for the deed. January 1st, 1981, the bell was placed back in the steeple and the first Christmas service since reopening was held just three days later.
Presently, the Chalfant Society keeps the church building and grounds maintained. An endowment fund is in place where donations are received and used for its upkeep. Volunteers work to keep this important part of local history alive. Part of that effort involves holding two special services at Chalfant Church annually. The first being the Homecoming, and the second is a Christmas service in December.
The Chalfant Church Homecoming is open to the public. A carry-in dinner will start at 1:00 p.m. with the program following. Chalfant Church is located at Co Rd 439 in Washington Township, Ohio.