Chuck Offenburger, retired journalist from Cooper and a member of the Greene County Iowa Historical Society board of directors, has been researching the “country churches” of the past and present in the county, and will be sharing his findings in a program on Friday, Sept. 3, at historic St. Patrick’s Catholic Church-Cedar, located about five miles west of Churdan.
Historical records indicate there were 20 or more rural churches in Greene County, with the high point being in the early 1900s, and there were at least nine different denominations represented.
Besides Offenburger’s report on what he’s learned, he’ll lead a discussion with representatives of four notable churches in the county’s history.
Those four are Trinity Lutheran Church of Willow Township in the southwest corner of the county, the last active rural congregation in Greene County, and one that is in fact still very active; the recently-closed Greenbrier United Methodist Church, which was located five miles west of Cooper and where the grounds have been turned into a peaceful township resting area; historic Pleasant Hill Methodist, near Squirrel Hollow county park in the southeast part of the county, which is well-maintained and serves as a gathering place; and the program’s host church St. Patrick Catholic Church in Cedar Township, which is officially an “oratory” in the Diocese of Sioux City that is no longer active as a fulltime congregation but is a popular venue for many events.
There will be a lunch at St. Pat’s at 12 noon preceding the Friday program, $8 for members of the historical society and $10 for others.
Historical Society members should RSVP to our community contacts by Tuesday, Aug. 31. Those are: Dawn Rudolph, Scranton, 515-370-5605; Janice Gilley, Grand Junction, 515-738-2642; Marilynn Hoskinson, Jefferson, 515-386-3490; Virginia Carlson, Paton, 515-386-2401; Nancy Wessling, Churdan, 515-389-3325; Stephen & Bette Molle, Cooper, 515-386-3822; and Mary Weaver, Rippey, 515-360-8046.
Others from the public are welcome for lunch, too, and they should reserve their places by calling program chairperson Margaret Hamilton in Jefferson at 515-386-4408.
The actual program, beginning about 12:45 pm, is free and open to all.
