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On
March 10, 1833, a little band of pioneers composed of Joseph
Foreman and wife, John Shoot and wife, J. C. Fox and J. R.
Abernathy, assisted by Rev. Thomas Mc Bride, who came over
from Boone County, organized the Paris Christian church. The
First pastor was Marcus P. Willis who was followed by the
ablest men who were connected with the early movement in
this state.
The
first church building was erected at the foot of Marion
Street and is now the home of Mrs. W. E. Flanders. The above
picture is that church when it was sold by the church for a
residence.
The
second was built on the present church site just west of
Main Street in 1848. It was a large one room brick building
and the bell that hangs in the present church hung in the
steeple of the church in 1848. This building was replaced in
1883, by a modern brick building, entirely financed by the
elders and deacons of the church. The cost of the building
was $12,000. H. R. Davis was pastor. The present edifice is
a Gothic structure, beautiful in design and splendidly
equipped with every modern church convenience. This building
was erected in 1910, with Frank W. Allen pastor. From the
humble beginning in 1833 this church has grown to be one of
the foremost church bodies in the state. From the beginning
and in the face of the intense opposition that greeted the
reform movement, the Paris Church thrived. Within a few
years it became on of the leading and most potential bodies
of Disciples in the state.
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