Sycamore Tree Church is a United Methodist Congregation. 

Part of the Ohio Valley District and East Ohio Conference.

Worship with us every Sunday

 11:00 a.m.

Staffed Nursery and Children’s Church

Although Sycamore Tree Church is a new congregation (we became "official" in January 2006), you’ll see the people who have called themselves “Methodist” at 301 North Fourth Street have been known by many different names and enjoyed a long and rich history.

United Methodism in the Ohio Valley has its origins in 1794 when Samuel Hitt and John K. Reynolds, both Methodist preachers of the Ohio Circuit, visited settlements along the Ohio River and are said to have preached in Steubenville in the open air amid much opposition.  In  1803 Bishop Frances Asbury, one of the fathers of Methodism visited Steubenville and in 1810 the first “Methodist Society” or church was organized in Steubenville.

This early congregation that would one day become Sycamore Tree Church got its first building in 1811 when Bezaleel Wells, a Presbyterian by faith, donated a lot for a Methodist church to be erected.  This church was built on what is now the corner of South and Fourth Streets.  The structure was 50’ X 35’ and was called South Street Church.   In 1813 the famous Frances Asbury returned to Steubenville and three services a day were held in the sugar orchard just below the South Street Church.

Finally in 1815  the Steubenville Circuit was formed. F.B. Finley was assigned the area with J. Powell as the junior preacher.  There were 22 stations located in different parts of the county.  By 1821 the South Street Church had grown to the point that it was necessary to enlarge the building to meet the growing number of people.  It was referred to as “the old ship.”   The church continued to prosper and in 1825  more land was purchased from Bezaleel Wells for more room to grow. 

It wasn’t until 1826, more than 15 years after the first Methodist Society was formed, that Sabbath School was established at South Street Church.  It was about that time that Edwin M. Stanton was converted and became a member.

Every church encounters problems and disputes.  In 1830 South Street Church experienced their first division.  It seems there were grievances regarding church government.  82 full members and 11 probationary members left and built a new structure on the 100 block of Fifth Street calling themselves “Fifth Street Methodist Protestant Church.”  South Street Church was left with 96 members.  Within one year  South Street Methodist Episcopal Church bounced back from the split and was  at its original size.  At that time the pastor’s salary was $175.00 plus housing.

In 1845 several members from the South Street Church indicated a desire to have a place of worship in their end of town.  With the blessing and help of the South Street Church, a Sunday School was established in March with 125 members meeting at the school.  A lot was purchased on the corner of 4th and North Streets (home of the present Sycamore Tree Church) and a building was erected.  They met in the basement which seated 200.

By 1847 the church was completed with the sanctuary holding about 500.  This mission church from South Street Church took the name of “Hamline” and shared a pastor with its mother congregation.  God obviously blessed South Street Church for its mission to grow the Kingdom of God, because by 1851 South Street Church was back to 12 classes and 377 members.

In 1851 gas was put in both the South Street and Hamline churches, and  in 1852 Hamline left the security of South Street Church and became a full fledged church in their own right.

Meanwhile, the congregation that had moved to Fifth Street tore down the old building and erected a new brick structure that seated 500.   Since that time this building has housed a Jewish Synagogue and today is home to Emmanuel Church of God. 

In 1854 South Street Church tore down their building.   A new church was erected on the same spot and called Kramer Chapel because Allen Kramer from Pittsburg donated a large sum of money to help erect the structure.  Twenty years later the name was changed back to South Street Church. The cost for the new building was $10,000.00.  In that same year  the protestant churches of Steubenville came together and bought land to make the Union Cemetery.  At this time the graves from the South end of town were moved to the new cemetery.

In 1860 Kramer Chapel had the honor of housing that year’s Annual Conference

1868 saw another amicable split in Kramer Chapel when 63 members left to form  Thomas Chapel.  The new church met in the old nail factory for two years until they were able to build a neat frame structure about 55’ x 35’.   1868 also saw the beginning of Finley Church on Lincoln Avenue where they completed a sanctuary one year later that would seat some 400 people.  (Thomas Chapel is no longer in existence.  Thomas Chapel reached its peak in 1890 and was finally absorbed into the Finley Church). 

1871 – Kramer Chapel (called South Street Church by now and still located at South & 4th Streets) was enlarged and a bell tower was added to call it’s members to service.

1891 - Hamline Chapel razed the building at the corner of North & 4th Streets and rebuilt a bigger structure that still stands today.  About that same time South Street Church saw the need for a larger building.  They built once again at the corner of South and 4th and renamed their congregation First United Methodist Church.  This structure was completed in about 1914.

1902 - Fifth Street Methodist moves from its location near South Street to the corner of North and 5th Streets. 

1939 - The two denominations "Methodist Episcopal Church" and "Methodist Protestant Church" merge and drop the titles "Episcopal" and "Protestant" from their names, resulting in two Methodist Churches being just one block from each other on North Street.

1943 - First Methodist and Hamline Methodist merge.  They choose the building on North Street as their home and call the newly formed congregation "Calvary Methodist Church."  The building on South and 4th is sold to the Greek Orthodox church just two years later.

1969 - Another denominational merger (Methodist and United Brethren) change the names of all Methodist Churches in Steubenville to United Methodist.

1989 - The two United Methodist congregations remaining in downtown Steubenville have been experiencing declining congregations for some time now.  After sharing a minister for several years, the two congregations merge forming Calvary Fifth United Methodist Church and donate the Fifth Street building to Steubenville Urban Mission whose home is about to be demolished.

1997 - Although at the outset, the new Calvary Fifth congregation enjoyed 70-100 in worship each week, the numbers continued to decline until it was necessary to be yoked with Harmony UMC from Mingo Jct. to share a pastor in an effort to save money.

By 2002 it became evident to the members of Calvary Fifth Church that in order for them to remain vital in the Ohio Valley something had to change.  Membership had continued to dwindle in the years since yoking with Harmony United Methodist, and those left were growing older.  That year the leaders of the church took a great step of faith and requested that Calvary Fifth Church be given a full time pastor who could help the congregation become a church that would attract a new generation. In July 2003 their request was granted, and on September 7, Calvary Fifth Church stepped into the 21st Century with worship and ministry that will be relevant and meaningful to today's families.

2006 - The congregation has grown to the point that it is no longer the same!  The East Ohio Conference calls it an official "restart," the congregation is renamed "Sycamore Tree" and a new era begins on the corner of North and Fourth Streets. 

TODAY ~  Just like the history you learned in school, as long as a country, a person and even a church is growing, it’s history is ever changing.  Be sure to check out the rest of the pages to see where Sycamore Tree Church is today!

 

 

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Sycamore Tree Church was a 2006 “Restart” of the East Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church.   In 2003, the 19 members who met at the corner of North & Fourth Streets in Steubenville, Ohio took a brave step and asked the District Superintendent and the East Ohio Conference to give them one final chance to keep the doors open.  These members of the then Calvary Fifth congregation were willing to do whatever it took to become a vital church in downtown Steubenville again.  In July of that year they were given a new pastor with a new vision, and they radically changed the way they did church.  These pioneers in church growth completely abandoned worship as they knew it and began worshipping in such a way that would reach people living in the 21st century.  Surf through all the pages of this site to see where Sycamore Tree Church is today.