Canton's Christ Presbyterian, Bolivar's St. John UCC celebrate bicentennials

The Canton church that served as a backdrop for the courtship of a future president and his wife is celebrating its 200th anniversary this weekend.

Christ Presbyterian Church, 530 Tuscarawas St. W, will host a series of special events including a sold-out dinner today at 4 p.m., followed by a free celebration program from 6 to 8:30 tonight.

On Sunday, a discussion program "Honoring Our Past/Celebrating Our Future," will be held at 9:15 a.m. followed by a worship service at 10:30 a.m.

On Friday, the church hosted a "Jazz Concert in the Courtyard" featuring the Gateway Band.

Christian Presbyterian's actual bicentennial was in 2021, however the celebration was postponed because of the pandemic.

More: Canton’s Christ Presbyterian Church prepares for its 200th

The church, which stands on its original footprint on land donated by city founder Bezaleel Wells, has served as a the spiritual home for some of the city's most prominent and influential citizens, including Canton Repository founding publisher John Saxton and his spirited daughter, Ida.

John Saxton and his son, James, served as church elders.

As the story goes, Ida Saxton met William McKinley, a young attorney, while each was walking to their respective churches. The courtship was sparked when McKinley, a member of the current Crossroads United Methodist Church, suggested they walk together to the same church.

The present Christ Presbyterian Church building was under construction when the young couple married on Jan. 25,1871. The church still has a pulpit that may have been used at the wedding.

More: Canton church to reenact William & Ida McKinleys' 1871 wedding

The Rev. William McLean oversaw construction of the original church building, which was completed in 1833. The main stone structure of the current building was begun in 1868 and dedicated on April 23, 1871.

Subsequent projects include a choir loft added in 1912, a restoration program in 1945, the installation of stained glass windows imported from England, and a pipe organ donated in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Gibbs by their children.

In 2020, the church completed a major renovation through its "Spirit & Space" project under its current senior pastor, the Rev. David deVries, who has served for 20 years.

deVries is one of three pastors who have served Christ Presbyterian for nearly half of its existence. The Rev. George Parkinson had the longest tenure of 36 years, from 1942 to 1978, followed by the Rev. Ebeneezer Buckingham, who married the McKinleys and served 28 years.

Today, the church is committed to ministry in the city's center. It includes a Sunday broadcast on WHBC AM, weekly food and clothing giveaways, live music series, housing the Tiqvah Hands of Helping after school-program and supporting Camp Wakonda in Carroll County.

To lean more visit www.cpccanton.org or on Facebook.

St. John UCC

On May 15, St. John United Church of Christ at 409 Park Ave. in Bolivar celebrated its 200th anniversary.

The church's roots go back to the Zutaverns, settlers who established the “Society of German and English Lutherans” by 1822.

The group met in private homes until 1833 when they built a log cabin on present-day County Road 422 just south of Bolivar to serve as a church.

In 1853, a group of members from Bolivar left the Zutavern church and formed their own congregation, the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. John, which was incorporated in 1856.

The current church was built in 1871.

When St. John joined the German Evangelical Synod of North America, it changed its name to St. John Evangelical Church, a name that remains visible over the entrance to the present building.

With the merger of the Evangelical Synod and the Reformed Church in 1934, St. John became St. John Evangelical and Reformed Church. After a second merger with the Congregational Christian Churches in 1957, St. John became the St. John United Church of Christ.

Improvements to the church include Sunday school rooms and a new entrance. In 1925, a basement was hand-dug under the church. In 1951, wings were added to the sanctuary and the basement was remodeled.

An education wing, offices, additional bathrooms and a vestibule were added in 1971. Extensive remodeling of the sanctuary, the basement fellowship hall and kitchen were completed in 1986.

Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com

On Twitter: @cgoshayREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton's Christ Presbyterian, Bolivar's St. John UCC hit bicentennials