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History is important in any church's formation. Below you will find our varied and interesting history
that has helped the United Church of Avoca become what we are today.
On July 24, 1870 at a meeting held in the school house the Presbyterian Church of Avoca was chartered into being.
The Reverend George Carroll of the Presbyterian Church in Atlantic was called to be the organizing pastor.
In July, 1872 there was a dedication of the building which had been purchased and remodeled for church use. This
Church was located at 314 N. Walnut St.
In 1910, because of a dwindling number of United Methodists, the officers of that congregation asked to join with the
Presbyterians. The Methodist church building which had been erected in 1874 at a cost of $2900.00, was larger than the
Presbyterian building and offered greater possibilities for later use, so it became the new center of Worship. A new
foundation and basement were built at this time so that church suppers and social events could be held. This building
continued to be used as the Presbyterian Church in Avoca for many years. It is now the site of The United Church of
Avoca.
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| The First Presbyterian Church at 314 N. Walnut St. |
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| The Methodist Episcopal Church at 304 Elm St. |
A new congregation formed when the Presbyterian and Congregationalists merged formally December 8, 1968. This congregation
was to be affiliated with the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. The first joint worship service was held on Palm
Sunday, April 3, 1966. A pulpit committee was formed with members being chosen from each congregation. On June
19, 1966, a call was extended to the Rev. LaVerne M. Kiel, a United Presbyterian pastor, who served until 1975. Since
that time, the following pastors have served our congregation. Dr. Robert Houser (1976-1992), William Bynagte (1994-2000),
and our present pastor, Nancy Ross-Hullinger came in 2002.
| The First Presbyterian Church at 304 N. Elm |
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| 1st Congregational Church at 302 N. Walnut St. |
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When the Presbyterian and Congregational congregations merged forming the United Church of Avoca, we used
both churches for some time. The Presbyterian Church was called the West Chapel and the Congregational Church was called
the East Chapel. It was the East Chapel that was used while the old Presbyterian Church was torn down and our new church
was built on that site. Today we are Presbyterian in government and a member of the Missouri River Valley Presbytery.
The United Church members are friendly, hard working and active in local and global missions.
A statement of how we try to live out our service to Jesus Christ is found below.
We, the United Church of Avoca, strive to be the voice, the hands, and feet of Christ in the world.
We are Christ's voice as we teach God's commandments and proclaim the Good News. We are Christ's hands and feet as we
give ourselves and our resources by ministering to the spiritual and physical needs of others. We surrender ourselves
to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to lead us through study, prayer, and worship as we prepare to fulfill our mission.
We invite you to become a part of this congregation today and a piece of its history tomorrow.
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