A Short History of Monroe Street United Methodist Church
The circuit rider John Baughman was the first ordained Methodist minister to ride the circuit in Northwest Ohio. In 1825, he began to preach the Gospel in the log cabin of Eli Hubbard located on the banks of Ten Mile Creek. This was the beginning of Monroe Street United Methodist Church.
Later the home of Noah Whitney on Detroit Avenue was used for religious meetings, and next the congregation met for a time in a log schoolhouse on Auburn Avenue near Bancroft. In 1837, the group moved into the second floor of a building that also housed a school. A brick structure at Monroe Street and Auburn was the next home of the church beginning in 1859. A new structure was built at this location in 1891 when the old structure was destroyed by fire.
In the year 2000, Monroe Street Church celebrated 175 years of service to its members and the community, and is well into moving toward its third century of service. Still a dynamic part of the city and the neighborhood, Monroe Street Church is actively involved in transforming the lives of people and making disciples. The Monroe Street Neighborhood Center touches the lives of children and adults through programming, material and spiritual assistance. The congregation has remained in the forefront of mission support and development in the Toledo district and beyond.
A "Century of Service" was celebrated in July 1925, when one thousand marchers left from the old brick structure to walk to the brand new church building, Monroe Street's present location, now once again located on the banks of Ten Mile Creek. In 1955, the present Gothic sanctuary was completed and several years later the Education Building was renovated.