Brainerd area Methodists began meeting together in 1870, during the time a pioneer missionary named James Gurley was traveling through the Northern Pacific route territory. Because of his widespread travels, which covered a large portion of the north-central part of Minnesota from Wisconsin to North Dakota, he was unable to establish firm organizations in each community. But because he saw that "The Crossing" would become a place of importance in the future to necessitate the establishment of a Methodist church he was prompted to gather $500 among Methodist friends in St. Paul and Minneapolis with which to build a chapel in Brainerd. However, before he could effect the organization of a congregation, he moved on to other fields leaving the $500 "building fund" behind.

It was several years later, Oct. 13, 1872, that a small group of Methodists met in an un-plastered hall at the corner of Sixth and Laurel in Brainerd to form a new congregation. The Rev. J. F. Chafee, presiding elder of the Northern district of the Methodist church in Minnesota, conducted the meeting and introduced the newly-appointed pastor of the congregation, the Rev. H. J. Crist.

The day of the meeting was cold and there was no stove in the building for heat. The hall had been used for a public dance the previous evening and had been left in somewhat of a messy state. Planks were placed across beer kegs to make benches. The record shows that nine persons who were present at that first meeting are listed among the charter members.

The new minister began immediately collecting funds for a chapel. There was no house for his family to live in, so they erected a wall tent on the church lot. When the chapel was started, a lean-to room was added for a parsonage until a regular one could be built. Life for the pastor and his family was made additionally miserable because of an early storm and frigid weather which delayed construction, but by late November the chapel was com-pleted.

The Sunday School, with 30 members, was organized Dec. 13, 1872. The following Feburary, the chapel was dedicated debt-free by Bishop Merrill, and at the same meeting the 70 member congregation voted to begin building a new parsonage. The parsonage was completed from plans of the Board of Mission at a cost of $716.82. By 1886, additional space was needed for the growing congregation, so a new and larger building was built on land purchased from the Superior and Puget Sound Land Co. for the sum of one dollar. The old chapel was sold to a church family for a private home and moved to a lot west of the church.

The congregation continued to grow and prosper, and later became the mother of two smaller congregations in Wadena and in Barrows.

The church built in 1886 served the congregation for 30 years before it was outgrown once again. In 1915, the existing church building was moved to the rear of the lot at Sixth and Juniper, and in 1916, an extensive remodeling project was undertaken. The building was raised and a basement dug and a large portion of Sunday School rooms on two floors was added to the east end. The cost of the total project amounted to $30,000.

The corner stone was laid Nov. 23, 1916, and the building completed and dedicated on June 10, 1917. H. F. Michael served as chairman of the Building committee and O. C. Skauge was secretary. By this time, the congregation had grown to 310 members from its original membership of nine.

After nearly 50 years of use, the old parsonage next to the Sixth Street church building began to show signs of deterioration, so the congregation voted to purchase a home on Seventh and Bluff, with the old parsonage to be wrecked for lumber. This home housed the parsonage until 1940, when a new parsonage was constructed on the lot south of the church.

In 1963, the congregation was once again faced with the problem of crowded and inadequate educational space. Plans were then formulated for the construction of a new Education center which would later be incorporated into a total new structure including a sanctuary. Two additional lots adjacent to the church property were purchased for this facility. The parsonage was moved to Bluff Avenue, and the Education center built at a cost of $170,000 for the entire project, including purchase of the land and moving of the parsonage. The Education center provides space for church offices, pastor's study, 12 classrooms, a central assembly and meeting room with small kitchenette.

Several years later, the serious problems of rot and water damage was discovered in the oldest part of the sanctuary building built in 1886. Upon professional investigation the building was found to be in dangerous condition, and resulted in the congregation voting to raze the building immediately and commence construction of a new sanctuary.

Dwight O. Churchill, Minneapolis architect, completed drawings for the new building in May 1969, but funds were no longer available for construction. The congregation has been waiting and accumulating funds with hopes to build the new church soon and plans are now to start construction of the basement phase of the building this spring with completion scheduled for the summer. It is hoped that funds will be available to start construction of the upper level by 1972 in order for completion by October, 1972, the 100th anniversary of the organization.

Present membership in Park United Methodist church totals 600 full members and 175 preparatory members. The present pastor, the Rev. Leslie E. Drake, came to Brainerd in July, 1966, and is the 37th pastor to serve the congregation.

Reproduced from the Centennial Edition of the Brainerd Daily Dispatch (1871-1971).