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BAZETTA -- An outdoor worship service took place Sunday to mark the 175th anniversary of Bazetta Christian Church, whose original building was moved to the Trumbull County Fairgrounds in 1974.
Sunday also marked the last day of the 177th annual Trumbull County Fair.
Pastor Tim McCollum reminded those in attendance and those listening via Zoom or on the radio from the church parking lot that everyone is welcome in the house of God. He related how the dog in the Disney Pixar film "Up" could easily be distracted by a "squirrel" to the Gospel passage from Matthew Chapter 13 about the sower and the seed. He had everyone close their eyes and listen to all the sounds around them such as birds, people talking and vehicles moving around the fair.
"In this passage, the sower and the seed is a metaphor for God's word. It is important to pay attention to the voice of God and to listen. God plants the seed, but what we do with it is wherever you are in your faith journey," McCollum said.
This kickoff event to their months-long celebration took place at the pavilion in the shadow of the original Bazetta Christian Church, which is now part of the Historical Village at the fairgrounds.
The church was founded in November 1848, only 45 years after Ohio became a state. Calvin Smith, a Bazetta Township native and noted evangelist of the Restoration Movement, brought the Bazetta Christian Church to fruition. He had talked to numerous residents in the area who wished a church could be built there.
The location of the first Bazetta Christian Church was at the southeast corner of West Bazetta Corners, known later as Klondike Corners. The church had two door openings. One door is where women and children sat on the lectern side of the church. The other door was used by men and boys 12 years and older who sat on the pulpit side.
The oldest members of the church, 91-year-olds Don and Grace Murphy, were married on Dec. 2, 1950, in the original Church. Don Murphy has been an elder for 50 years and Grace was a Sunday School teacher for 40 years.
After 124 years of worshipping in the wooden church, during a snowy day in April 1972, a groundbreaking took place on the new church building. Eight months later, in December 1972, the first service took place at the new location.
Parish elder and member for 52 years, Jeannette Callahan, said she and her husband, Mitch, were one of the last couples to get married in what is now fellowship hall before the new church opened.
"We thought we were going to be the first couple to get married at the new church, but instead we were the last to get married on Nov. 4, 1972," Callahan said.
The first service at the new church was in December, a month after they got married.
The original church was not torn down but instead was donated to the Trumbull County Historical Society. In 1974, it was moved to the Trumbull County Fairgrounds Historical Village. That is where one of the oldest churches in the county still is located today.
Parishioner Chuck Frantz said he thinks it was important to preserve the historic building.
"There was no fairgrounds back then. The church was the center of the community for worship and socializing," Frantz said.
Jan and Chuck Frantz's son Robert grew up attending Bazetta Christian Church and moved to Texas, where he became an ordained minister.
"Last year, Robert officiated the worship service at the fairgrounds since Pastor Tim could not be here," Frantz said. Their son came full circle in his faith as a parishioner and as an adult ministering to the church.
The culmination of the momentous anniversary of the church will be in November when all past pastors will attend and a worship service.
Membership and participation in the church has deep roots in the Bazetta community.
"I started singing in front of people in the choir at 5 years old," said Kelly Maffitt Swiger, a trained soprano from Youngstown State University's Dana School of Music.
She sang in the choir on Sunday as well.
Based on the enthusiasm of the people attending the service and the good works being planned for the future, such as fundraising to help children pay off their school lunch debt, a 200th birthday celebration in 25 years is a safe bet.