Bathrooms were added to the church in 1952 along with a church office and an expanded nursery area. To make room for this addition the Mothers' room was torn down. The stairway on the left side of the church, leading to the basement was added at this time.
Throughout the 1950's and atleast until 1966 there was a group called The Friendly Circle which supported foster childrem, the Heifer project, and sent cards and fruit to the sick in the church. They met weekly for worship, fund raising and fun. Mary Lou Courtney was the treasurer in 1963.
In 1960 the area under the sanctuary was excavated and a steel beam was installed for support. That same year a new furnace was installed and the brick veneer was added to the outside. Rev. Clarence Machin was the pastor. The building committee consisted of Noble Hamilton, Worley Tibbs, Clarence Waltman, Robert White and Merril Scarborough. Mr. Hamilton's company dug out the basement and Mr. Tom Gentry's company built the block walls and poured the floor. Doug Sherman provided some of the labor for this endeavor.
"$25.00 To Dr. E. Pearce Hayes
10.00 To the March of Dimes
5.00 To the Cancer fund
10.00 To the Heart fund
11.00 To the American Field Service
25.00 To the Leprosy Mission
40.00 Instead of flowers for funerals
5.00 To fire victims
35.00 For sunshine boxes for the ill
10.00 Gifts to new babies
7.50 Fruit baskets
5.00 For Care Packages
In addition to these ministry activities this class and the Helping Hand Class have redocorated the Sunday School Room and basement assuming a debt of $1200.00 which is nearly all liquidated. The average attendance on Sunday mornings was 15 women."
In the May 1961 report to the Quarterly Conference, Mrs. Howard C. Coale, Chairman of the Commission of Christian Social Concerns, noted, "We have promoted interest in various organized groups in our church, to assist in opening schools for retarded adults in our county and in Cecil County. We also have had letters written to our delegate to voice protests against serving alcoholic beverages in restaurants. I contacted the headquarter & recieved material to distribute before election." That same year the W. S. C. S. reported, "We have our annual Labor Day Supper, which nets us about $650.00 yearly, we have two Rummage sales yearly, also have a "happiness committee," which remembers sick mambers with cards and gifts. We have pledged "$400.00 yearly for five years to the building fund."
At a meeting of the Official Board dated October 1964, Rev. Nagel explained that the new Communion service from the new Methodist Hymnal would be used for Communion Sundays. Copies of the ritual would be purchased. They would be distributed and collected each Communion Sunday. At the December Official Board meeting that same year a suggestion was made that a letter be drafted by the Finance Committee asking for contributions and pledge renewal to the building fund.
On June 23, 1968, The Methodist Church merged with the Evangelical United Bretheren Church forming The United Methodist Church. Smith's Chapel derived its current name as a result of the merger. |
