Progress on a new fellowship hall will be in the spotlight for a soup and sandwich lunch with a silent auction and bake sale planned from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20, at the United Methodist Fellowship Hall in Carpenter. A freewill donation will be accepted for the meal.

Due to construction the church will not hold its normal fall bazaar, but they want people to come and see the new fellowship hall and the progress they have made.

The first family to settle in the area just south of Carpenter was the Henry Hulbert family who arrived in the fall of 1882.

Other families soon followed. The early settlers were busy carving out homes and barns and fields to plant and not too much thought was given to school or church. In time, a school was the first community project as most of the families were young people with young children. The Wheeler School southwest of Carpenter was the first school to be built in that area.

When a young child in the neighborhood became ill and died, Mrs. Hulbert began to push for religious training or a Sunday School for the area children. A neighborhood meeting pointed out the problem that most of the families were of different faiths.

The answer came when it was reported that a man who came to Huron every so often would go out to various country school houses and organize nondenominational Sunday schools.

Sunday school classes began in the Wheeler school house in 1885. When circuit-riding ministers funded by eastern Methodist churches found their way to the area, church services were added. One of the Methodist circuit riders, Rev. P.S. Lent, conducted a series of revival meetings in 1893 and the numbers attending the services at the tiny school swelled to 83.

The church was incorporated on Aug. 19, 1895 under the name Zion Methodist Episcopal Church. The church was built in 1903 at a site two miles west and ½ mile south of Carpenter, which was central for all the families attending at the time. By 1916 Carpenter had become a thriving prairie town of nearly 150 people and boasted nearly 20 businesses — but no church. At a meeting of the church trustees it was decided to move the country church into Carpenter. The church was moved Oct. 28, 1916.

Over the past 120 plus years, the church has been renovated and remodeled several times, but still, it is showing its age. A survey was sent to church families to get a consensus of what direction should be taken. It was strongly agreed that they wanted to continue worship services in the current church sanctuary for as long as the building would allow. But it was also agreed that it was time to consider a new fellowship hall to eliminate the problems of the basement.

In July 2023 the dirt work began for the new fellowship hall that would house a new kitchen, bathrooms, two classrooms and a fellowship area. The plan is to complete the project in phases as funds are available. The first phase was dirt work, foundation, and to have the building enclosed by winter of 2023. That goal was met. The second phase was to have the basic mechanical work (electrical, plumbing and HVAC) installed and also to do the insulation and sheetrock. The next phase that is currently being worked on is to have the sheetrock taped, texturized and painted and to get the kitchen and bathrooms completed.

An annual fall fund-raising event has been a tradition of the church women for generations. The church history records “Chicken pie suppers” as early as 1911.

This year, due to the construction project and accessibility issues with the basement, the decision was made not to have the traditional fall bazaar and supper, but to have a soup/sandwich/dessert lunch instead. The event will be held in the new fellowship hall so attendees can see the progress that has been made. They are excited to share the work the Lord has done in their little church.