Hillsboro Free Methodist Church  |  HISTORY

In 1890, a group of four women known as the Pentecostal Band came to Hillsboro and held a series of meetings in the upstairs rooms of a store building on Main Street. The Free Methodist Church grew from these revival services and has met continuously as a congregation for more than 100 years.

The frame church built on the corner of Walnut and Dearborn street was the house of worship from 1890 to 1995. The church, which first faced north on Dearborn, was dedicated on December 21, 1890, and was rededicated on November 2, 1913, after the structure was moved a short distance east and was turned to face Walnut Street, which is now Birch Street.

The Reverend B. F. Grigg was pastor of the church when it was moved to face Birch Street. The fist regular pastor after the congregation was founded was the Reverend B. T. Bonham.

CyrusTiffin was elected the first secretary-treasurer and Mrs. Victoria Denton was treasurer from 1911 to 1923. Mrs. Bell Cress was Sunday School superintendent for many of the early years, being re-elected year after year.

In the summer of 1915, the church received a bequest from the Lester Maddox estate which helped pay for the original parsonage.

In 1961, Pastor Tom Ryan, together with a committee of Jim l. Billingsley, Dean Cunningham, Walter Robertson and James Billingsley added a covered porch and lighted cross to the front of the church. New gas furnaces were installed to replace an old coal heating system. The inside of the church was completely redecorated three times during the last 30 years, and new pews were purchased.

The congregation moved to the present facility July 16, 1995.

A Large number of men and women have been assigned as pastors of the church during its long history of service to the Hillsboro community. Many of the leaders served less than two years. The Reverend. Robert Rose Jr. was from 1979-1981, Followed by the Reverend Jonathon Dixon, 1981-1985, and the Reverend Harold "Hal" Goff, 1985-1986 and Reverend Jonathon Dixon returned for 1986-1987 and 1987 to the present is Reverend Randy Sands.