October 1954
David City Baptist Church Will Observe 75th Anniversary Sunday
Special Services Planned For Morning, Afternoon, And Evening.
The David City Baptist Church will observe its diamond or 75th anniversary Sunday with services in the morning, afternoon and evening. Rev. O. J. Grindheim is currently serving the church as pastor.
Morning worship services which begins at 11 o’clock will open with a prelude played by Mae Belle Haight, pianist. Following singing of the Doxology, a former pastor of the church, Rev. W. G. Hooper of Greeley, Colo., will pronounce the invocation.
The congregation will sing “The Church’s One Foundation,” following which announcements will be made and the offering taken. Mary Haight will play the piano during this time. The Rev. Grindheim will read the scripture.
A trombone and cornet duet will be played by Wallace and Elmer Haight. Rev. A. M. Clarke, Nebraska State Secretary of the Baptist Church, will deliver the sermon. A closing hymn and benediction will conclude the service.
Following dinner at the church at noon, the afternoon service will begin at 2:30 p.m. It will feature the junior department of the Sunday school; roll call, with former members and pastors responding; devotional by Rev. Arthur Guthrie of Perry, N. Y.; reading of church history; and special music, including a choir number written by the wife and daughter of Rev. J. J. Bell, a former pastor. A local men’s chorus will sing at the service along with Mrs. Albert Ebers of Seward, and Mrs. Clarence Canady of Octavia. Mae Belle and Isabelle Haight will presesnt a piano duet, “Poet and Peasant Overture.”
The church pastor, Rev. Grindheim, will preach at the evening service which will begin at 7:30 o’clock. Special music will be presented and a baptismal service will conclude the day’s activities.
Source: …likely history article from a Nebraska Baptist newsletter….
SEVENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY AT DAVID CITY.
A big homecoming and celebration was held at our Baptist Church at David City on October 17th in commemoration of the 75th anniversary.
In the early 70’s, the Rev. Jacob Earnhart, a Baptist farmer and minister living near Octavia, held services in various farm homes. The Baptist church in David City was officially organized October 13, 1879, in a sod house. A small unused church building was bought at Schuyler and moved to David City in 1880, partly wrecked and hauled in sections.
It is interesting that our great and honored missionary to Japan, Dr. William Axling, supplied the church from 1896 to 1898 while he was a student at the Nebraska State University.
The present building in 1899 was purchased from the Lutheran Synod and a new parsonage was built.
One of the prominent families in the church is the Haight family. E. W. Haight served as deacon for forty-eight years until his death in 1944 and was also church treasurer for thirty-five years. His father and his son have been deacons in the church and the entire family takes a vital interest in all the work.
During the celebration, the pastor, Rev. Oscar J. Grindheim, was in charge and preached at night. A number of former members returned for the services and former pastors gave greetings. Dr. Arthur Clarke gave the Sunday morning sermon. Women served delicious food to their guests.
--The above history news articles were found saved in my grandmother's old scrapbook. My grandparents were Rev. & Mrs. S. A. Jones, former pastor/wife of the David City, Nebraska Baptist Church. The news items were typed up and shared by the Butler County NEGenWeb Coordinator, Linda Ziemann.