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A Short History of Spring Life Church
As far back as 1908, a congregation met for worship in the Howe Schoolhouse
and was a branch of the Methodist Conference. Rev. Colby of Parma
was the resident pastor who served this congregation.
In 1908, college students from Albion were assigned here. They walked
four miles to the little schoolhouse and then on to Devereaux for an evening
service and back to Albion. Among those attending were: Ernest
Aiken, Levi P. Goodwin, John Slater and Clarence Eley.
In October of 1912, the church united with the Wesleyan Methodist church
and was connected with the Rives Circuit made up of Rives, Robinson and
Howe schools, and was pastored by Rev. Benjamin Thompson of Rives.
In February of 1913, a church building was purchased at Spring Arbor on
the corner of M-60 and King Road. It was torn down, moved and rebuilt
on land donated by Mr. and Mrs. Jared W. Richardson. This building
was dedicated in the spring of 1914 by Rev. H.A. Day, with a membership
of fourteen. The members were: Mr. and Mrs. Ed Moffitt, Mr.
and Mrs. Will Titus, Mr. and Mrs. Harry King, Mrs Elijah Benn, Frank Benn,
Golden Benn, Jane Benn, Annie King, Emily King, Wilma Grooms and Mamie
Drew.
In 1920, the church became a separate charge. In 1945, a partial basement was dug under the church to make room for more Sunday School rooms. In 1948, the membership had increased to
28.
In 1955, the need for a new building was realized and a building fund began.
In July of 1967, plans were drawn up for a new church building. More
land behind the present land was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Russell Southwell
(Mrs. Southwell being the granddaughter of the original donor.)
Most of the labor was donated to complete the church, as was the labor
for the first building. Stained-glass windows from the old church
were given to the descendants of the original donors and the church bell
from the old building was placed on the foundation at the site of the old
church so that it could be rung for services again.
The first services to be held in the new church was on February 3, 1968,
and the building was officially dedicated by the district superintendent
of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, Dr. George Huff, in May of 1968.
Due to the merger of the Wesleyan Methodist Church and the Pilgrim Holiness
Church in June of 1968, the name of the church was officially changed to
Howe Wesleyan Church.
Since the current church building was completed in February 1968, a gymnasium
and a discipleship wing housing additional classroom space have been added to fulfill
the needs of a growing congregation.
On April 22, 2007, the Local Church Conference voted to change the name of Howe Wesleyan Church to Spring Life Church to re-emphasize the mission of our church which is to "Cultivate, Plant, and Grow".
Today, Spring Life Church is continuing to grow and flourish under the direction
of the Holy Spirit, and we are anticipating great things for our future.
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