NEWS

Pleasant View Church celebrating 100 years

Emily Maddern
emaddern@newarkadvocate.com

NEWARK – For years, Pleasant View United Methodist Church has provided a beacon of light that leads people home.

Sitting on the top of a hill in Wilkins Corner, the church's lighted cross in the steeple has always symbolized home to anyone driving by and giving them a feeling that someone is watching over them.

Pleasant View has always been a staple in the community, and now it is celebrating its 100th anniversary.

"The fact that it's been here for 100 years shows that it has really solid roots in this community. It's made a really big impact here," said Pastor Caleb Pitkin. "This is a really big deal, and I'm happy to be a part of it."

To prepare for the centennial, church historian Betty Wolfe, has been digging through old copies of The Newark Advocate and memorabilia from the church to piece together its history.

What she has learned is that the church was started in 1915 following a series of revival meetings led by the Rev. A.B. Cox and a group of pastors from the area. Eventually, a small church was set up in a one-room school house and was known as Maple Grove.

Members of the church broke ground on a new building in August of 1916, and that sanctuary is where the church continues to meet today. The church was renamed to Pleasant View following the move.

McDowell has been attending the church since she was 5 years old. Her mother was a Sunday School teacher there, and she has fond memories of her family walking from their home on the other side of the valley up to the church.

"I just have a lot of good memories here. It just felt good to be in a small country church. I've seen a lot of people come through here," she said.

For the centennial, the church will host an open house from 2 to 4 p.m. April 25. Former pastors from the church have been invited to attend, and the event will celebrate the church's history and give members a chance to reminisce with one another.

The church will then have a 10:45 a.m. worship service on April 26 in the style of the service that would have been given when the church was founded in 1915.

Pleasant View is Pitkin's first assignment with the Methodist Church, and it's one that he has welcomed with open arms. He has experienced nothing but love since he joined the church and is honored to be a part of such a historical congregation, he said.

Church attendance has declined over the years, but Pitkin is confident good things are in store for Pleasant View.

"When you're thinking where we'll be in 10 to 20 years from now, it's easy to worry about those empty pews," Pitkin said. "But God has been faithful to us. We've survived through world wars, the Great Depression, prohibition, we're still here. There's nothing to say we won't be here for 100 more years."

It's definitely a possibility, and McDowell thinks the centennial celebration could be a way to spark that.

"My hope is that people don't forget we're still up here," McDowell said. "We're hoping this event will put a spark in somebody who hasn't been here in awhile to come up here, or for someone who has never been to try us out. We want to be that beacon on the hill again."

emaddern@newarkadvocate.com740-328-8513Twitter: @emmaddern

Celebrate 100 years

The church is looking for old photos and other memorabilia to display during the open house. Anyone who would like to share items can contact Linda McDowell at 740-745-2576 or ldmcdowell@windstream.net.

A limited number of "The Cat's Meow Village" items depicting the church are available for sale. Contact McDowell for more details.