Imbler Church

Imbler Church. Pioneer Church. Christmas programs, wood-warmed Sunday School lessons, and a tolling bell calling the faithful are all part of the legacy of this pioneer church building. , The Imbler Church was built in 1878. The little building was originally located two miles south of town. Sometime between 1902 and 1910, the church was moved to its present location; it was inched across the land with a cable, powered by a gear-driven drum that was turned by a single horse. , For the first 24 years, the Imbler Church served two separate congregations: the Southern Methodists and the Cambellites (later the Church of Christ). Services for the two groups were held on alternate Sundays. , After 1920, the church was used of visiting ministries and for the Methodist Sunday School. Each Sunday morning, the Sunday School superintendent arrived early to start the wood stove and ring the bell to call the congregation. After an opening hymn, curtains were pulled to separate the single room into four classrooms. , In 2003, the building was donated to the Union County Historical Society by Veytha Irene Ruckman Berry. Together with the community of Imbler, the Historical Society is working to restore this little piece of Imbler pioneer history. , The bell displayed here is the original, which once rang out from the Imbler Church to call worshippers to services. By the time the Union County Historical Society started restoration work on the church, the bell was gone. Fortunately, after a search, it was found at another site. A trade was made, and the bell returned to its home in Imbler.