East Hodgdon Bible Church turns 100

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
  EAST HODGON, Maine — For generations, the East Hodgdon Bible Church has welcomed parishioners of all walks to its chapel on the White Settlement Road.
    Now the church is turning 100 years old and plans are under way to commemorate the event and celebrate this milestone with a church family reunion Saturday, June 30 and Sunday, July 1, according to Pastor Paul Juris, who has been the church’s pastor since 2007.
“We believe that God has allowed this little church to exist because we have been faithful to His word,” Juris said. “Our church is two-thirds perfect. We have a perfect head, Jesus Christ. We have a perfect authority, the Bible. The rest of us are in the process of being perfected.”
The East Hodgdon Bible Church has about 60 members. Juris said his church follows the word of the Bible as the only standard for faith and practice.
“When people, by God’s grace, live up to that standard it makes a huge difference in their lives,” he said.
Celebratory events include a potluck picnic, including a pig roast, games and fellowship on Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m. with the meal to follow at 5 p.m. The event is open to the public.
Sunday’s 10 a.m. church service will feature highlights of the church’s history with a picture slideshow, excerpts and testimonies from parishioners. At 11 a.m. former pastors will be invited to contribute to the Pastoral Perspective of the History by letters, e-mails, video recordings or in person. The 6 p.m. service will include special music, testimonies and a “singspiration.”
“We are turning 100 years old, just like Fenway Park, Oreo cookies, Girl Scouts, L.L. Bean and the Titanic,” said Ron Murray, a member of the church. “It was a really big year.”
According to the church’s archives, the congregation got its modest start in 1912 when Mrs. Phoebe Grant and Mrs. A. Varney decided to start the work in the community to form a new church. The two located a former church building, the Free Will Baptist Church, which had been closed for some time. An organizational meeting was held at the home of Mrs. John Grant and it was decided to change the name to East Hodgdon Union Church.
“The real foundation of our church is Phoebe Grant,” Juris said. “She prayed that God would send men so that a church could be established. The remarkable thing is, 100 years later, we still have men involved in the church.”
The word “union” was chosen since members came from a small settlement bordering Hodgdon and Union Corner in Canada. The charter members were Mr. and Mrs. John Grant, Herbert Crane, Susie Varney, William Moore and Edward Henderson.
Since the building was not in use, repairs were needed, but funds were limited. Chicken stew suppers, farmers’ suppers and basket socials were held and donations were collected to begin the repair work.
For many years, the church did not have a pastor, with Sunday School and a 2 p.m. service in the summer only, since roads were not plowed in the winter until the 1930s.
In the early 1950s, Melvin Moody was called to pastor the church, becoming the first official full-time minister. Moody served in this capacity from 1954-58. During this time, a full basement was built near the existing building and the church, as it exists today, was moved on top of it. A parsonage was also built for Moody and his family.
From 1959-63, Wayne Thompson served as the minister. In 1968, an annex to the building was added. From 1964-70, Linwood Putnam served as the minister and a building project began which added a large space for fellowships or service overflow, two bathrooms, kitchen and classroom/office space in the basement.
In 1981, a church steeple was donated by Richard Riley, in memory of Emery Lincoln, and erected on the building. The church was officially renamed the East Hodgdon Bible Church in 1994.
Others who have pastored at the church include Dan Courter (1972-80), Paul Noxon (1982-84), Kevin Grant (1984-92), Richard Brown (1993-94) and Scott Taylor (1995-2006).
“Our emphasis is the Bible,” Juris said. “We have really good associations with other churches too.”
Juris said his church meets regularly with Hodgdon, Cary and Linneus Baptist churches, holding combined services from time to time, as well as joint Bible and missionary conferences.
“I have been a pastor for over 30 years and this is the closest fellowship I have had with other churches,” he said. “It’s a wonderful thing to get together and enjoy each other’s fellowship, while still retaining our individuality. It’s the best of both worlds.”