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One
of the major problems of the First Methodist Church in Sharon was that
of being a city church crowded into a downtown area with many of its
members moving to the suburbs. For over ten years there had been
discussion on the floor of Erie Annual Conference of the desirability
of establishing a Methodist Church in Hickory. It was first proposed
when Dr. Harold McCurdy
was Grove City District Superintendent. An item had
been included in the Annual Conference budget for this project but
nothing positive had been done in Hickory itself. Rev. M. E. Lindstrom of First
Methodist Church, acting in his capacity of the Grove City District
Missionary Secretary, recommended to the Conference Board of Missions
that a survey be held to determine whether a Methodist Church should be
established.
In
the Spring of 1953 laymen, with the aid of all the Methodist ministers
of the surrounding areas in the District, made a survey of Hickory
Township, Mercer County, that centers in Hermitage Corners. When the
results of the survey indicated that there were as many Methodists in
the area as the next two denominations— Presbyterians and United
Presbyterians combined—the Bishop’s Cabinet made the decision which was
to bring about the creation of the Hickory Methodist Church. At the
Annual Session of the
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Hickory
United Methodist Church, 240 North Hermitage Road, Hermitage.
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