Chana Methodist Church will celebrates its 150th year Sept. 7.

A 10:30 a.m. service will be dedicated to children and their grandparents. There will be a luncheon at noon, including historic displays, reminiscing and a slideshow. At 1:30 p.m., the church will have a service including special music, past ministers and more history about the church. Everyone is welcome.

Chana Methodist Church was built in 1875. At that time, the fellowship was already 19 years old. Methodist class meetings were started in 1856 under the leadership of Edwin A. Canfield.

The spiritual needs of early settlers also were met by the Methodist circuit riders. One of the circuit rider points was the Canfield School, located west of Chana. The White Oaks schoolhouse, built about 1 mile southeast of Chana, also was a point on the circuit.

Eventually, the White Oak congregation became large enough to support its own pastor, and it was during the pastorate of the Rev. Z.D. Paddock that the church was built in Chana. The cost was $1,800.

At the time the church was built, it was the last building on Main Street of Chana. It was approached by a wooden sidewalk, and the wooden steps led to two entrance doors. The interior of the church was quite elaborate, with red carpeting, black horse-hair and walnut pulpit furniture, a pump organ, and a marble-topped table used for communion.

The church was formally dedicated Sept. 8, 1875, by the Rev. Luke Hitchcock of Chicago.

For many years the Chana Methodist Church was part of a three-point circuit that included the churches of Paynes Point, Lighthouse and Chana. Service was held in Lighthouse in the morning, Chana in the afternoon and Paynes Point in the evenings. Later, Lighthouse and Chana became a two-point charge.

In the 1890s, the church was remodeled, and a single entry was built. With some later modifications and additions, this is the church in use today.

The members of the congregation still receive communion at the rail. which was part of the original structure.

Chana United Methodist Church continues to play an active part in the community, and its influence is broadened by people who left the area but were formerly a part of the generations who built the church.