Correspondent photo / Belinda Weiss This display was part of a recent program on the history of Braceville churches hosted by the Braceville Historical Society. It was the latest in the society’s monthly series to commemorate the 250th anniversary of America.

BRACEVILLE — One does not have to look very far to find an event celebrating America’s 250th birthday, but some communities are going above and beyond.

Such is the case with Braceville Township, which is considered a suburb of Newton Falls. In fact, Braceville has hosted nine events so far commemorating America250, the latest of which focused on the historical significance of the township churches.

The Braceville Historical Society and the Braceville Community Foundation joined forces to present a brief history of the churches in the area. The event took place at Braceville Town Hall.

Once inside, guests were greeted by Gwen and Terry Shavers, and everyone was encouraged to look at the collection of scrapbooks, photos and other historical mementos associated with the churches while waiting for the presentations to begin.

Patty Brobst, designated historian for the Braceville United Methodist Church, was the first speaker. She shared a brief history of the early meeting places before the official church was built in 1837. She then discussed how the church has continued to be a pillar in the community through its various projects and events, such as organizing blood drives, hosting a rummage sale, publishing cook books and supporting youth programs.

Rick Nelson was the next presenter, and he discussed the history of the Braceville Christian Church, which was founded in 1869. He stated that the church is heavily involved in missionary work in Brazil and Africa. In fact, 13% of the weekly offerings support mission work.

Another interesting talking point was an early pastor, Jasper Stansbury Ross, who served as a sergeant in Company A of the 42nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War.

Terry Shavers presented the history of the First Baptist Church. The church was founded in July of 1923. Shavers covered the early history and then shared stories of how integral the church was to him growing up. He recalled a typical Sunday, which consisted of attending both morning and afternoon services and being surrounded by family and friends.

After each of the presentations, guests were encouraged to ask questions and share their stories.

Someone even brought an intact newspaper dated 1914 and shared church related articles.

One thing that stood out was the deep connection each church had within the community and how the congregations were not strictly contained to one particular church. It is not uncommon for residents of Braceville Township to attend and support a neighboring church.

Janice Powell Kistler, who was one of the representatives of the Braceville Historical Society, explained how they chose the topic for the April event.

“Churches have always been central to the community and we wanted people to reminisce and continue to support each other,” Kistler said.

Gwen Shavers, who is also on the America250 Committee said, “We wanted to focus on what was important. Church has always been integral. It is the hub of our community existence.”

To further illustrate how important the churches are to Braceville Township, each institution was encouraged to contribute to a time capsule that will be buried following the America250 Grand Finale event on July 26.

Gwen Shavers specified that the purpose of the time capsule is to capture “how the people live, how they love, and how they continue to benefit each other.”