Brighton Church to celebrate 180 years

Courtesy of Anne Zickefoose

The Congregation at Brighton Community Church (formerly Brighton United Church) is celebrating their Church's 180th anniversary on Sunday, Nov. 22 at 9 a.m. during their regularly scheduled service. Their fellowship began meeting in 1839 and was formally organized in 1841. The Congregation has placed a paver in Brighton's Freedom Rock Park celebrating 180 years as a continuous, ongoing Christian Congregation, from 1840-2020.

In April of 1838, Seneca and Edna Beach arrived in the area and built their home west of what is now Brighton. In 1839 the Beach family invited a Methodist Episcopal Pastor, Reverend Crill, into their home to officiate the first Christian services in the area. From those home-meetings came the Brighton Methodist Episcopal Congregation which initially met from 1841-1856 in Brighton's first schoolhouse.

Denominational records show that by 1850 the Brighton Methodist Episcopal Church had grown to 275 members. They had four pastors and forty church members were in training to go into the ministry! When Rev William Armstrong came there to pastor in 1851, the Church had 321 members. The congregation moved into a building on the east side of town until building their first new chapel in 1893 on the corner of Main and Mechanic streets where they met for 68 years.

In 1961, 20 families pledged $30,000 toward a new building which was dedicated in 1962 as the Brighton United Methodist Church. In 1978 the Brighton Methodist and Brighton Presbyterian congregations yoked together and met in alternate buildings monthly. In 1983 those two congregations formed a 'Plan of Union” and reincorporated as the Brighton United Church. In 1984 the Presbyterian Church building was torn down and the two congregations met exclusively at the present location.

In 2012, Rick Zickefoose became the Church's Pastor and continues there today. In November 2018, the Brighton United Church reincorporated as the Brighton Community Church and continues on as an independent, locally-governed congregation with an emphasis on fulfilling the Great Commandment and Great Commission as given by Jesus Christ.

Recently, the congregation has opened a food pantry in their church basement in cooperation with HACAP Food Reservoir and with a winter clothing closet which are both available to the public by calling 319-694-2470 or by messaging BCC's Facebook page at BrightonCommunityChurchIA. BCC also serves as the location for weekly Celebrate Recovery meetings Thursdays from 6-8pm in cooperation with Germanville Hope Lutheran Church (which is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year).

Everyone is invited to celebrate in person with the Brighton Community Church at 101 S Mechanic Street, Sundays at 9 a.m., or join their meetings remotely on Facebook Livestream or on KCII Radio Sundays at 11:30 a.m. You are also welcome to join BCC's Adult Sunday school classes at 10 a.m. and their Wednesday Bible Studies at 6:30 p.m. either in person or via ZOOM online meetings by request.

Thank you, Brighton, for 180 years together and 'to God be the glory!”