Ministry and Ministers

Church records tell the story of the organization of two early Sunday School classes.  The Ruthian Class was first called the Veronica Class, but because the newspaper confused the Veronica Class with the Veronica Society, the group changed its name.  The Ruthian Class was  established for young married women before 1914. The Bethany Class was organized in October  1920.  This class also was for young married women, presumably because the members of the Ruthain class were not longer that young.  They met, at first, in the front rows of the center section of the main auditorium, but met in other spaces over the years and took up a number of mission efforts.

Mr. Alfred Hubach came from Kansas City to Independence by train to serve as organist and choirmaster, beginning in September of 1914.  After two years, he moved his family to Independence and, until 1940, served as “Minister of Music.”  Marjorie Rader took the responsibility of organist in 1943, a position she held through the tenure of twelve pastors and some 45 years, retiring in 1988.

In 1939, the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church South and the Methodist Protestant Church merged to become the Methodist Church.

Rev. Owen Prince was appointed to First Methodist Church in 1951.  During this time as many as fifty men gathered before work for prayer and Bible study.  Some of the same men participated in a Fishermen’s Club and called on prospective members.   The center aisle was extended to the front of the sanctuary sometime before December 30, 1951, when Don and Dana Aitken married and walked to the altar through the open aisle. Upon the request of Rev. Prince, Dana (Marjorie Rader’s daughter), established the Angel and Carol Children’s Choirs in the fall of 1952.  The children sat on either side of the balcony and sang regularly for more than 35 years.  Parents helped with transportation, refreshments, choir robes and sat with the choirs during worship.  A new M. P. Moller pipe organ, built in Hagerstown, Maryland, like the first one, was purchased for $22,500 and installed at the south end of the choir loft. It was dedicated in March 1955.