Pastor at John Stewart Methodist Church
Pastor Bowen alternates between leading worship at Wharton Methodist Church, John Stewart and Wesley Chapel Methodist Church, and Marseilles Methodist Church. She is a volunteer caretaker and historian of the Wyandot Mission Church in Upper Sandusky.
Built in 1824 in Upper Sandusky, the Wyandot Mission Church was the first Methodist Mission in America to Native Americans. The church was used by the Wyandot Tribe until 1843 when the tribe was forced from Ohio by the federal government during Indian Removal. After falling into disrepair, the church was restored in 1889. Additional renovations were done in 1983. Members of the John Stewart UMC, about a mile away from the mission church, coordinate use of the site and open it to the public for visitation throughout the summer months. In 2019, the church was returned to the Wyandot Tribe. This session will look at the history of the history of the church, the historic return of the site to the tribe, and will reflect on the event and what it has meant to both parties. Approved for 1.00 AIA HSW credit.