Wesley United Methodist Church

[Home] [Who we are] [Outreach] [Events] [History] [Guest Book] [Weddings] [Map] [Rental] [Links] [Contact us]

No one knows for sure the name of the first church building.  Some accounts refer to it as the Methodist Episcopal Church of Minneapolis, but most just refer to it as The Little White Church, so called because it was painted white.  It was a frame building 40 feet by 60 feet.   The building and the lot were valued at $4,000.  The building was located on Oregon Street (the present day 3rd Avenue South) between 4th and 5th Streets.

It was dedicated on September 20, 1857, by the Rev. J. F. Chaffee, then pastor of St. Anthony, and who later played a conspicuous part in the Centenary Church history.

The Minnesota Democrat published on September 19, 1857:

The new Methodist Episcopal Church in Minneapolis will be dedicated to the worship of God on Sabbath, September 20th, 1857. Divine service at 10 ½ a.m. A cordial invitation is extended to all. J. D. Rich, Pastor

An excerpt from "Minneapolis Letters and a Diary of Harlow Gale" gave a different picture of the dedication:

September 20, 1857. This morning the new Methodist Church was dedicated. The sermon, collection and subscriptions kept us cooped up in the choir seats by the pulpit until long after dinner time.

Membership is Growing! The society of the Little White Church was well organized with a growing congregation. In 1860, the Minnesota District was organized and the Reverend James F. Chaffee was appointed as pastor.

In 1860 and 1861 with the onset of the Civil War, the Little White Church, saw many of its loyal and able bodied men go to war. These years were made difficult in all kinds of church work. Yet, while other churches of the area were barely holding their own, the Little White Church reported 159 members, and 30 probationers—doubling its membership during those two years.

The story is told that at one time, when money was scarce and the churches were having hard times, that Minneapolis business man, Levi Steward (who held the mortgage on the Methodist and Baptist churches) foreclosed and got the key to the Little White Church. He had stated "he couldn't get any of them to pay their mortgages." But one of the Brothers had said: "He did get the key, but Brother Joe Dean got in a window, and put another lock on the door, and we had service just the same the next Sunday."

One of the bright social events was the cleaning day. All the women of the congregation gathered with their scrubbing brushes, cloths, and pails, and cleaned every part of the church. Each family had their own pew, and each woman with the assistance of the daughters, cleaned her pew and the adjacent aisle.

Rev. Chaffee was called a church builder, because his congregations built new buildings under his leadership so often.  In the second year of his first pastorate, it was decided that a larger building should be built. Collections for the new church were carried on each month from 1861 to 1865. The members began looking for lots suitable for the new church. Two lots were selected at the corner of Seventh Street and First Avenue South, although many felt it was too far out from the city. Determined, the sisters of the church went about soliciting money to buy them. This wasn't an easy task during the war. The ladies, headed by Mrs. Goheen, took the monies collected and invested in gold, before the price went up at the end of the war. To their delight, they had doubled their money. The tenacity of the women paid off and the lots were eventually purchased for $700.

The history of the Little White Church would not be complete without some mention of those who helped in the support and the building of it.  Very much of the energy and growth of the city of Minneapolis, and Methodism here, will ever be associated with the names of Mr. and Mrs. Horatio F. Lillibridge and their daughter Mary, who joined the church in 1864. The fellowship hall of Wesley Church is duly named Lillibridge Hall in honor of  his financial generosity to the roots of the Wesley Church. The further role that he and his family played in our church history is found in the continuing story of our history.

[Next - Centenary Church]