Rev. William Branfield was the second pastor to be appointed to this charge and served from 1907 through 1910. The church grew steadily under his leadership and services were always well attended. The last Love Feast held in this church took place during this period. Two of the early Communion Stewards were Mrs. Nancy Bates and Mrs. William Griffith.  

Rev. Joseph A. Parsons was appointed to succeed Rev. Branfield. During the second year of his pastorate he succumbed to a fatal illness and died February 28, 1913. A local preacher, Roy Welker, supplied the pulpit until the next session of the Annual Conference when Rev. R. A. Buzza came to Farrell.  The attendance at church services during the ministry of Mr. Buzza was probably the highest of any ministry since the church was dedicated. Mr. Buzza left at the end of the conference year 1914, to enter the Evangelistic field.  

In the next eleven years the ministers appointed to Farrell were A. B. Smith, H. D. Dodds, J. A. Cousins, J. E. lams, and Will H. Fenton in that order. Rev. A. B. Smith led the church to a high peak of spiritual experience and Rev. H. D. Dodds followed with three years of splendid, Paul Smith, and William Guffey.   

Plans were made to sell the church property on Spearman Avenue and build a new church on Indiana Avenue. These plans did not mature but the idea led into a program of major changes, renovations and repairs. On May 20, 1920, and church’s charter was revised and the name changed to The First Methodist Church.  

The pastorates of J. A. Cousins and J. E. lams (1920-1923) are recalled as a period of successful church life when the church’s indebtedness was greatly reduced.  

The church’s Twentieth Anniversary was observed December third to December sixth, 1925, under the pastorate of Rev. Hugh M. Stevenson. Many warm and affectionate messages received from friends and members who could not be present were read to the congregation.  

Under the leadership of Rev. C. C. Mohney the church indebtedness was cleared and a mortgage- burning service was held November 14, 1940.  

During the pastorate of Rev. C. L. Hayes the Nation became involved in the second World War. Fifty young men from the congregation responded to the call of their country for overseas service. Two of them Quinten Reddinger and Paul Johnston—did not return. Their names are on the Church’s honor roll.  

WOMEN’S ORGANIZATIONS  

The Ladies’ Aid Society was organized October 2, 1902, when a group of interested ladies met at the home of Mrs. Corey, Louisiana Street, and chose their first slate of officers. Elected were: President, Mrs. J. S. Frantz; Vice President, Mrs. W. M. Corey; Secretary, Miss Jennie Wherry; Treasurer, Mrs. E. H. Rogers. Eight members were enrolled.

The new organization began fund raising activities while the new church was under construction. The first project was a Thanksgiving Dinner in the Odd Fellow’s Hall on Broadway. One hundred and fifty dinners were served at 35 and 50 cents.  

Sewing was the next project with aprons and quilts the first items. The first quilt was finished the following January and it was purchased by Mrs. Hoar. Other activities included experience socials, lawn fetes, and ice cream socials every Saturday night.  

In 1903 the ladies held 13 business meetings, 36 sewing meetings, 6 socials, 1 experience social, and one concert. The books showed a balance of $253.50 and $100 worth of furniture.  In December of the same year the Ladies’ Aid Society mourned the death of their president, Mrs. J. S. Frantz. A devout and highly respected lady.    

The Thanksgiving Dinner of 1905 was the first dinner served in the newly dedicated church on Spearman Avenue. The net profit for this dinner was $62.72.  

Mrs. J. W. Miller was elected president of the Society in October, 1907, and served in that capacity until 1936 when ill health forced her to resign. Mrs. O. C. Luckey, Sr., then served as President for two years. She was followed by Mrs. Frank McConnon, who served the organization until 1941. Mrs. John Guffey faithfully served as treasurer from 1911 to 1941.  

Neither time nor space permits an account of the remarkable achievements of this group of Christian women. It is well, however, that honorable mention be made of several of these faithful workers:

Miss Jennie Wherry, Mrs. Fannie Kester, Mrs. F. I. McGill, Mrs. Haines, Mrs. R. H. Johnston, Mrs. Cora Long, Mrs. Pfeifer, Mrs. Shell, Mrs. Plannette, Mrs. J. S. Frantz, Mrs. John Guffey, Mrs. O. C. Luckey, Sr., Mrs. J. W. Miller, Mrs. Gully, and Mrs. J. E. Mytinger.  

The initial meeting to form the Farrell chapter of the Woman’s Society of Christian Service was held in the church in October 1941 with the pastor, C. C. Mohney, presiding. He explained the purpose and plan of the organization as adopted by the Uniting Conference of 1939. The women recognized the great possibilities of combining all of the women’s organizations of Methodism in the United States into one inclusive body and readily conformed to the idea. A luncheon was planned to which all the women of the church were invited. At this later meeting, the following officers were elected: President, Mrs. Herbert Welches; Vice President, Mrs. O. C. Luckey, Sr.; Secretary, Mrs. Frank McConnon; Treasurer, Mrs. W. I. Williams.  

The Tenth Anniversary of the W.S.C.S. was observed in 1951. Every Woman’s Society of Christian Service gave a birthday party and entertained another society and was entertained by another society. The Farrell W.S.C.S. entertained the society from the First Methodist Church of Sharon, and the Farrell Society were guests of the New Virginia Society.  

With the church’s Fiftieth Anniversary program in the minds of the people the Official Board, in 1952, established a permanent Memorial Committee. The original committee was comprised of three members:

F. N. Newton, Jr., E. W. Hoagland, and Harry Elberty. Other members added later were: Homer Elberty, Wilfred Gully, Harry Tennant, Joseph Ingram, John Warobiew, Robert Pullar, Robert Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Emil Pancy, Violet Nuggent, Mrs. Paul Carly, and Violet Wasser -- the Pastor being an ex officio member.  Homer Elberty was elected chairman.  

This committee was convinced that a new Hammond organ should grace the church on its Fiftieth Anniversary and so efficiently towards that end that they were able to purchase the organ and pay cash for it.        

A DEDICATION CEREMONY  

Sunday, September 28, 1958, was a red letter day for the congregation and friends of the First Methodist Church, Farrell, Pennsylvania. On this day the newly remodeled sanctuary was consecrated by Bishop Lloyd C. Wicke, assisted by Dr. Arthur Colley, District Superintendent, Grove City District, and the Pastor, Rev. Ernest V. Rupert.  

The remodeling cost $18,000 and included a change in the design and floor plan of the sanctuary; dividing the chancel; rebuilding the choir loft; recarpeting the entire sanctuary and chancel and the installation of new pews in the sanctuary.  

A number of memorials were dedicated at the service by Bishop Wicke. Among the memorials presented by Howard Horton, Chairman of the Memorial Committee, and W. I. Williams, chairman of the Board of Trustees were: a beautiful maple pulpit given in memory of John Hamilton by Mrs. Clara Hamilton; a matching altar given by the Blair children in memory of their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Hubert Blair; the lectern given by Mrs. Nedra Ingram in memory of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Ingram; two chancel pews given by the Hamilton children in memory of their father; an American and a Christian flag given by Mrs. Paul Carly’s Sunday School class; a missal stand and a baptismal font given by Miss Mildred Scowden of Erie, Pennsylvania, in memory of her mother, Mrs. Nan Scowden, who was a charter member of the church.  

While the physical church building was being remodeled the spiritual life of the church prospered. What was once a defeated, discouraged congregation has become a victorious growing congregation. In a five year period one hundred new working members were added to the church roll and the budget increased from $3,500 to $20,000. In June,1959, the First Methodist Church of Farrell once again became a station paying $5200 for pastoral guidance.  

Rev. Ernest Rupert, the present pastor [1959], came to Farrell in January, 1948, after serving five years as chaplain in the United States Army.  Under his leadership the church has moved forward rapidly.  

(Source: 150 Years of Methodism, The Story of the First Methodist Church, Sharon, PA, compiled by Roscoe C. Wilson, 1959)