OUR STORY BEGINS...
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On December 28th, 1861, the Otsego Seventh-day Adventist Church was officially founded.
(33 members signed this initial charter.)
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The church family didn't have a building of their own, a pastor of their own, or any of the modern ministries that we offer today. Those all came later. They did have something in common with us: they were thoroughly committed to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to sharing His ways, and to preparing people for His Second Coming. Here are some of the twists and turns of our congregation's journey over the past century and a half.
We know that Seventh-day Adventists were meeting in Otsego prior to December 1861. For example, we have records of a series of meetings presented by Joseph Bates in 1859 that lasted just 3 nights due to lack of attendance. We also know that James White met with believers in a tavern's dance hall in May 1859.
1861: A New Church FamilyThe early congregation was overseen by Joseph Bates, rented the home of John D. Person (for $.75 per meeting), and had an annual budget of just $100.
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1862: Joining the ConferenceDuring meetings held October 4-6, 1862 in Monterey, Michigan, the Michigan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists voted to admit several of the early churches (including Otsego) to their fellowship.
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1863: Ellen White's VisionWhile staying with the Hilliard family on June 6, 1863, Ellen White had a 45-minute vision that showed her the importance of having a healthy diet & lifestyle. For more about her vision, click here.
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The Home of Aaron and Lydia Hilliard
The Hilliards were pillars of the Otsego Church for many decades. They were among the founding members of the early congregation, were the hosts of Ellen White during her famous visit where she had her health vision, and their grandson (Arleigh) was the longest continuous member of the church. He became a member in 1891 and stayed active in the congregation for over 60 years.
The Home of Aaron and Lydia Hilliard
The Hilliards were pillars of the Otsego Church for many decades. They were among the founding members of the early congregation, were the hosts of Ellen White during her famous visit where she had her health vision, and their grandson (Arleigh) was the longest continuous member of the church. He became a member in 1891 and stayed active in the congregation for over 60 years.
1867: Time to Build the Church
Empowered by a vote on June 17 to start looking for land to purchase, the members of the Otsego church voted on October 14, 1866 to purchase land for the building of a meeting house. George Leighton handled the sale, Aaron Hilliard sought permission from the Conference Office concerning funding, and the Allegan Church loaned the group $100 to help finish the construction.
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The undated original look of the church. Notice the original windows (pre-stained glass) and matching decoration over the entry doors. This also predates the "modern" sidewalk leading to the church, and Farmer Street wasn't yet paved.
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Notable Renovations and Expansions
Blinds for the Windows & Bookshelves 1880 |
Carpet 1885The board voted on April 7 to add carpet. The original plank floor was covered over, but is still present! These photos were taken during the 2017 sanctuary renovation.
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Electric Lights 1907 |
More Hitching Posts for Horses 1908(To resolve issues with their "parking lot".)
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New Pews 1914 |
Coal furnace (to replace the wood stove) 1942 |
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Electricity throughout the Building 1947 |
Gas Furnace 1957Installed on October 10 for $980.
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Sound System 1966 |
New Pews and Lights 1974 |
Major Renovation: enlarged balcony, new wiring, new foyer, new carpet, remodeled bathrooms 1976
Other minor renovations happened in 1989-1990, and in 2017. These featured fresh paint, new carpet, and a few other cosmetic improvements.
Air Conditioning 1981 |
Baptistery 1982Voted on March 2, and installed in April. It cost $1700 to install.
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Photo taken 2013.
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Notable Ministry Notes
Our congregation has seen many ups, and a few downs, in our history.
ClergyWhile the church voted on Dec. 20, 1908 to formally request a pastor, the request wasn't granted until 1927. Since then, we've had multiple full-time pastors, and countless guest speakers.
20th Century
1927 - Hankins 1944 - William-Buck 1948 - Shaw 1950 - Lohn 1951-1959 - Crandall 1960 - Johnston 1961-1963 - Mills 1964 - Miller 1965 - Glas 1966 - Zull 1967 - Tessner 1968 - Cox 1969-1970 - Harrison 1971-1972 - Greene 1973 - Yancy 1975-1976 - Pomeroy (We're still looking for the records from 1977-1986.) 1987-1990 - Snyman (We're still looking for the records from 1991-1997.) 1998 - Korter 1999-2004 - Toms 21st Century
1999-2004 - Toms 2005-2007 - Fleck 2008-2013 - Orion 2013-Present - Taylor |
MembershipExact records are limited, but the church family has typically had around 30 official members on the books. We experienced a high of around 90 in the early part of the 20th century, but have faced eras where membership was so low that the church stopped "officially meeting" for a time.
Our 2017 membership is around 40 members. |
Dudley CanrightThe most infamous member of the church is undoubtedly Dudley Marvin Canright. Canright went from a leader in the denomination in the mid-19th century, and a member of the Otsego church starting in 1882, to outright apostasy and leaving the Adventist church on February 17, 1887. He continued to preach, but his focus changed to attacking the Adventist Church and Ellen White.
Read more about D.M. Canright by clicking here. |
The West Michigan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists was headquartered in Otsego from 1902 until 1914, when it moved to Lansing. The conference covered the territory west of Lansing, and included notable communities such as: Allegan, Battle Creek, Cedar Lake, Grand Rapids, and Grand Ledge. The Conference Headquarters (above) was the basis for Otsego's "Conference Street", located 2 blocks over from the church.
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There were high hopes for establishing an Adventist school in the community, leading to the construction of the Otsego Academy in 1909. The 1st year boasted 60 students, but enrollment dropped significantly the following year. The school closed in either 1911 or 1912, and the schoolhouse, administration building, and dorms were sold. The schoolhouse (above) is still serving as an apartment building on Hammond Street.
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W.W. Shepard, a member of the church since 1881, bought the land adjacent to the church and built a home in 1886. The family moved out of town in 1912 and sold the house, but in 1976 it was purchased for $16,000 by 3 families and then sold to the church. Initially used for extra classrooms, a Community Services ministry began in early 1981 under the leadership of Alice Hoenes.
Learn more about our Community Services program by clicking here. |
We hope you've been blessed by this brief glimpse at the twists and turns of our church's journey so far. There are, no doubt, many more bends in the years to come. There are two things that we hope you can take away from this reflection:
1) God is still working. As we celebrate highlights, and are reminded of lowlights, we see The Almighty driving us forward as a community. He's not done with us yet.
2) The congregation isn't perfect yet, but that's because we're not done yet. We're still growing. Our vision is to be a church that is growing inward, growing outward, and growing upward. Would you join us on our journey and grow with us?
1) God is still working. As we celebrate highlights, and are reminded of lowlights, we see The Almighty driving us forward as a community. He's not done with us yet.
2) The congregation isn't perfect yet, but that's because we're not done yet. We're still growing. Our vision is to be a church that is growing inward, growing outward, and growing upward. Would you join us on our journey and grow with us?