Historical Notes
In the year 1867 the Methodist congregation was organized in Yalesville. In the preceding year the first attempt had been made at having any kind of religious society in the village. A little white frame church had been built, known as the Union Church, and had been the home of all religious denominations in town, Methodists and Baptists predominating. When the Methodists decided to become independent they purchased the share of the Baptists for the sum of $3, 428.61, with the aid of a generous donation from Charles Parker, a factory owner in Yalesville. And in July of 1867 the Methodists took possession of the building.
For several years the church was founded as a branch of the First Methodist Church of Meriden, under the supervision of the Rev. Freeman P. Tower. In 1899 the present church was erected. On Monday, April 24, 1899, at 3:30 p.m. the cornerstone laying took place. At the cornerstone laying exercises a platform was erected for the speakers and a large congregation gathered in the open air. Prayer, the 132nd Psalm and a reading from the New Testament were part of the program. The Rev. F. Winslow Adams conducted the ceremony of the laying of the cornerstone, at which time a copy of the Bible, Meriden Morning Record, Meriden Evening Journal, and a list of the officers of the church, a short sketch of the history of the church, a list of all the subscribers up to that date towards the cost of the edifice, a program of the cornerstone ceremony, a G.A.R. Badge and various United States coins were deposited in a box in the receptacle in the stone.
The Church School addition was built in 1957, during the pastorate of the Rev. Theodore W. Loder.
The church celebrated its 75th anniversary July 5 1942 with special services.
The new parsonage at 22 Wooding Road was erected in 1963.
In 1967 the Church celebrated 100 years of ministry in Yalesville.
In 2017, we celebrated 150 years of Methodism in Yalesville with a congregation continues to be a visible presence in town: many generations growing together, united in faith.
