This 60-page writing by Rev. W.R. Kiefer, Pastor from 1884-1887, tells the story of the most controversial time in FUMC's history - the splitting of the congregation, and the forming of the Stony Point Methodist Episcopal Tabernacle, later known as Trinity United Methodist Church.
The divide of the congregation was over the building of a new parsonage for the Pastor, and where it should be located - at/near its present site, or more towards the center of town.
While the rift caused a divide between the congregations for years, the final decades of Trinity UMC, closed in 2023, once again brought harmony, cooperation, a shared mission and shared pastors between it and the First Methodist Church.
Of additional interest to Stony Point historians, the end of the book contains a series of advertisements for local businesses operating during the 1880s.
Note: Pastor Keifer left St. George's M. E. Church (First UMC) to pastor the new Tabernacle (Trinity UMC). This book is written from his point of you, and candidly, paints the remaining congregation in a less-than-positive light.
Downloads