Sunday, June 22, 2025
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SIP ON THE SQUARE
Friday’s Sip on the Square event, organized by Mainstreet Shelbyville, attracted a large crowd downtown on a beautiful evening. | photos by JACK BOYCE
First UMC Celebrates 200 Years, Part II
Editor’s Note: The following information and stories are culled from a book compiled by church members. Jim Bradburn, Bobbi Clark, Brenda Cox, Stacey Hall and Jewell Steele typed the information. Celestia Bradburn, Janet Compton and Cox contributed research and writing. Mr. and Mrs. Bradburn, Becky Bishopp, Merrie Jo Cherry, Clark, Dr. Mike Jester, Brenda Morin, Judy Pettit and Karen Stubbs contributed to the memories published.
If buildings were memorable from the first century of First United Methodist Church, the second century was about people.
Children’s choirs and youth programs - like “God’s Nightcrawler,” a bus with bunk beds and speakers - created lifelong memories. Sunday School and Vacation Bible School were energetic and often hilarious. One member recalled Halloween parties in the attic, while others remembered youth mission trips and a reenactment of the Last Supper so moving that the congregation sat in silence for 15 minutes afterward.
Rev. Tom and Jan True, who served in the early 2000s, were especially beloved. To support the CROP Walk fundraiser, Tom pushed Jan in a wheelbarrow down the sanctuary aisle. The next year, they camped in a tent on the church lawn when members surpassed the donation goal. The church paid down debt while upgrading everything from the chiller and organ to audio-visual systems, thanks to the congregation’s generosity and innovation.
Other beloved figures included Herb Maulden, the janitor who served “cowboy coffee” and theological wisdom; longtime Sunday School teachers like Tom and Marcia Kuhn; and early choir and handbell leaders.
George Breedlove added special touches to the church’s Easter and Christmas decorations each year. One year, the Christmas decorations included lit candles in wooden sconces along the wall behind the choir loft to the organ pit. During one service, choir members smelled smoke and realized Bob Hayes’ choir stole was smoldering. That was the last time Breedlove incorporated candles into the decorations.
The 1990s brought “Worship Unplugged” - a contemporary praise service led by youth minister Steve Gross and a band called New Spirit. The 8:30 a.m. service drew younger families and golfers anxious to get on the green. Over time, Worship Unplugged averaged 75 attendees and became a key part of the Sunday rhythm until its sunset in 2009.
Annual Turkey Suppers started in the 1960s as fundraisers and attracted hundreds. Whole turkeys were distributed on the Sunday before the dinner to be defrosted, cooked and returned. In 2007, Janet Compton and Brenda Morin assumed leadership for the annual dinner and opted to purchase turkey roasts purchased from a local restaurant, which had the oven space to handle preparation duties. The first year worked well. The next year, Morin received a call notifying her that the restaurant had been surrounded by police cars. Office Floyd Hastings, a church member, was contacted, and he reported the restaurant had been involved in a receivership court order and all assets, including the turkeys, were locked down. Although church volunteers prepared a Plan B, Hastings, in uniform, was able to free the birds and gave the 20 turkey roasts a police escort to the church. Morin and Compton decided that, moving forward, they would retain baking control.
One member recalled how 911 had to be called one time to assist an ailing B.C. Williams. As one of the EMTs loaded her onto a transport stretcher, he instructed her to put her “butt” on the stretcher. She replied, “That is my ‘posterior,’ young man!”
In 2016, sanctuary lights were upgraded to LED, thanks to Warren Beglin and helpers Jim Bradburn, Steve Pettit, and Gregg Steele. The church’s stained-glass windows tell the story of the Lord’s Prayer, while the pew carvings illustrate the Old and New Testaments, from Noah and David to Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection.
Across the decades, weddings, baptisms, funerals, and food have continued to bring people together. Members fondly recall the turkey suppers, rummage sales, choir trips, mission journeys, and even the bats that occasionally soared through the sanctuary. Newcomers like the Clarks (1985) and the Beglins (1987) found a sense of belonging quickly.
Today, under the leadership of Pastor Leah Kim, the congregation prepares to celebrate its 200th anniversary. The day will include a special service, handbell music, singing by Jim Bradburn, a commemorative plaque from the Indiana Conference and a fellowship meal catered by Melvin’s.
Reflecting on the past and looking to the future, longtime member Celestia Bradburn put it best: “It wouldn’t work if we all hadn’t worked together. We’ve had fun, and we’ve had a lot of love.”
That spirit—rooted in community, grounded in faith - is what will carry First United Methodist Church of Shelbyville into its third century.
If You Go: First United Methodist Church is celebrating its bicentennial, today, Sunday, June 22. A worship service is 9:30 a.m., followed by a luncheon and fellowship.
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NOTEBOOK:
HOOSIER NEWS: It’s possible Duke Energy’s Cayuga coal plant might not shut down after all. The utility reached an agreement with a coal trade association on Tuesday. It said Duke Energy will study the idea of selling the coal plant — if it gets the right approvals from the state. Duke Energy’s original plan was to close the aging Vermillion County coal plant and build a new, $3 billion natural gas plant to serve its growing customers. Both President Donald Trump and Gov. Mike Braun have released executive orders that support extending the life of Indiana’s coal plants — which could decrease the cost of operating Cayuga. In the settlement with Reliable Energy Inc., Duke said it will hire an engineering firm to study the feasibility of building the new gas plant while keeping Cayuga running. But that’s only if the state approves the gas plant and the settlement. (Indiana Public Media)
NATIONAL NEWS: A new trend in the hotel business is to build a hotel and then operate different parts of the structure as two different hotels. This trend is a confusing, if lucrative, strategy to cut down on costs while offering the same amenities to different groups of hotel seekers. Pools, gyms and elevators are some of the more expensive things to build out in hotels. So instead of building two hotels and installing two pools, two gyms and two banks of elevators, developers are just building one. They sell half the building as a Home2 Suites to people looking for extended stays and the other half of the building as a Tru By Hilton to people looking for small, efficient rooms. There are 1,167 such hotels in the U.S., with another 183 under construction. (Skift/Numlock)
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SHS Courier Archive Highlights
April 11, 1951, Part I
A convocation at school had featured Nilkanth Chavre, a native of India who was a well-known lecturer, author and educator.
“Who needs an intercom system? Have you ever stayed after school and heard the gentle voice of Goldie waft upstairs to reach ‘Boots’, who is working in the lab with the doors closed? Well, perhaps the new-fangled machines are less confusing, but the old fashioned ‘heave ho’ is quite as effective.”
Five junior high students went to Washington D.C. as a reward for being winners of a subscription campaign sponsored by Indianapolis newspapers. The winners were Larry Baker, Stanley Bogue, Joseph Keaton, John Wetnight Jr. and Charles Demaree.
Former JHS student Jack Conway wrote a letter to classmates describing his trip across the Mediterranean Sea aboard the USS William C. Lowe. He described the view of Gibraltar from the sea as “lit up like a Christmas tree.” He said the lights from the town and from the ships in the harbor made the place as bright at New York. “It sure was a beautiful sight.” They had passed Stromboli, an active volcano. He had been told flames shot 50 feet in the air. “I had the four to six watch, and thought I would see it shoot flames, but I didn’t.” Jack had enlisted in the Navy two years prior.
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This Day in Shelby County History
News around Shelbyville and the surrounding area as reported on or about this date in history. Selections are curated by The Addison Times from Shelby County Public Library Genealogy Department materials.
2005: It was standing room only on the second floor of the Courthouse Annex when the County Council approved a 1 percent food and beverage tax. Shelby County was the fourth out of eight counties needed to pass the tax, which would help pay for a new football stadium for the Colts and help expand the convention center in Indianapolis.
1995: Shelbyville’s American/Great States plant on Webster Ave. celebrated making reel lawn mowers for 100 years. “It could have actually been a little before that, but the earliest records we could find were 1895,” plant manager Dick Beckman told The Shelbyville News’ Jim McKinney.
Wolohan Lumber Co. announced it would open a 30,000-square-foot store in Belaire in the former J.C. Penney building.
1985: Groundbreaking was held for Walmart, which would anchor a new shopping center to be built on the city’s east side.
1975: Two potentially-tragic incidents involving children washed over the Little Blue River ford at Kennedy Park wound up with happy endings on the same weekend. A W. Franklin St. boy who has been washed over the park ford was rescued by Danny Oeffinger and Tim Munger, lifeguards at Porter Pool, who jumped in the water to save him. The two lifeguards had been assigned to the park ford area since the city swimming pool was closed for repairs and more kids were using Blue River at both Kennedy and Sunset Parks to swim. Later, a woman and her four children wading across the park ford were knocked off their feet due to a strong undertow. They were also rescued by park personnel.
1965: Public Service Indiana replaced its traditional green neon sign with a bright inner-lighted plastic sign that was 8-feet-long.
1955: With 13 ex-presidents present, the local Kiwanis Club observed Past Presidents’ Night at the Alcazar. George Young was program chairman. Past presidents in attendance were Clyde Yater, W.F. Loper, J.B. Carney, George Young, John Wetnight, E.H. Bass, John Armington, J.M. McKeand, Fred Cramer, T.B. Kroggel, L.B. Etchison, Robert Martin and Robert Eck.
1945: City Council approved installing automatic flasher signals at New York Central Lines crossings. The signals would be placed at all streets crossed by the railroad except Hendricks. Washington and Franklin would have flashers in addition to watchmen stationed there.
1935: Fire destroyed a barn on the Orville Taylor farm two miles north of Norristown on State Road 9. The barn had been struck by fire.
1925: A United Brethren tent meeting on the old school grounds in Morristown was attracting large crowds. Rev. Charles Carmony was the pastor. “Old time religion is holding sway,” The Republican said.
1915: The Comstock & Thompson Agency, 120 E. Washington St., held a sale on buggies and carriages. They also had the new 1916 Buicks - six cylinder, 115-inch wheel base, floating axle - in stock.
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OBITUARIES
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