Herald-News Joliet, Illinois Saturday, September 24, 1988 Section 1, Page 4
141 years in Plainfield
Sharon Methodist plans celebration

PLAINFIELD—Members of Rose of Sharon United Methodist Church, 216 W. Lockport St., will celebrate the dedication of the 141-year-old church as a historical church in the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church on Oct. 9.
The event will be held in conjunction with Plainfield Homecoming activities, said Esther Modine, church historian.
Bishop Jesse DeWitt of the United Methodist Church, Kenneth Lemmel, district superintendent, along with the president of North Central College in Naperville will be among the honored guests.
Dr. James Stein, professor at Garret Evangelical Seminary in Evanston, will be guest speaker at the 9:15 a.m. worship service. The Rev. Christine Rogers will read the lessons in German.
"Our early charter members were of German descent," said Modine, "and Pastor Rogers’ ancestors came to this country on the Mayflower."
Following the worship service, there will be a reception in Jacob Albright Hall. A potluck dinner will be served at noon.

The historical dedication plaque will be presented to the congregation during a program at 2 p.m. Another reception will follow immediately in Fellowship Hall in the Educational Building.

The congregation also is seeking to have the church placed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, before that can be done, the building must be returned to its original appearance.

Local architect Michael A. Lambert, associated with Corsetti & Russ Ltd. of Joliet, has drawn plans for renovating the church.

Modine said the church’s history dates to 1846, when founder Daniel Shreffler, his wife Catherine and one child left Pennsylvania and headed west in a covered wagon, settling in the Plainfield area.

The Rev. George Mottinger and family from Ohio soon joined them. Other family names familiar in Plainfield history are Spangler, Fouser, Belig, Burhkart, Frey, Smith, Yaggy and Whitson.

By 1853, the congregation of 100 members felt a need to build a church. They raised $125 to purchase an "acre or so" at Dillman and Lockport streets from the Corbin family. (A copy of this deed is displayed in the church.)

They continued to raise $4000 to build the first three rooms: lecture room, basement living quarters and sanctuary upstairs.

The original 1855 altar, pulpit and bookcase are on display for the community in Jacob Albright Hall.