Tracing Our Roots - A Time Line of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Wisconsin
1826 Col. Sam Ryan leads class leader in Green Bay
1828 Aaron Hawley, local preacher active in Wiota
1828 Electa Quinney teaches in mission school, Statesburgh
1829 John Drew itinerants in Southwestern Wisconsin
1832 First permanent Methodist congregations formed, Platteville, Greenbay,
Mineral Point
1832 John Clark itinerants in Green Bay
1832 First Methodist Church between Lake Michigan and the Pacific Coast
was erected at the Oneida Mission (Smithfield settlement)
1835 John Clark itinerants in Milwaukee
1835 Mark Robinson, appointed to Milwaukee
1835 Alfred Brunson begins work in Prairie du Chien
1836 Wisconsin Territory formed
1837 Alfred Brunson establishes Mission to the Indians of the Upper Mississippi
1837 Milwaukee District formed (Illinois Conference). First to resided
entirely in present-day Wisconsin.
1840 Rock River Conference Formed
1848 May 1, Wisconsin Conference was authorized by General Conference.
1848 July12, First Wisconsin Annual Conference, Southport (Kenosha)
1848 Lawrence University charter adopted by first Conference
1848 First camp meetings held on site that would become Camp Byron
1850 - 1900
1850 Sunday School Depository established at Milwaukee
1851 Wisconsin Conference appoints Committee on Slavery
1852 Northwest Christian Advocate begins publishing
1854 Total abolition of slavery called for by resolution at Conference
1856 West Wisconsin Conference was authorized by the General Conference.
1856 August 20, First West Wisconsin Conference, Madison.
1857 Conference declares war as "one of the greatest evils that
has ever scourged our race".
1864 Freeman Aid Societies formed
1869 Referendum on proposal for lay delegates from each Annual Conferences
at General Conference overwhelmingly passes
1869 Women's Foreign Missionary Society formed
1871 First lay delegates were elected to General Conference (1872) Lay
electoral Conference started meeting at the same place and time as ministerial
body but didn't participate in decision making
1872 First time conference urged communion stewards to provide only unfermented
grape wine
1881 Support for state prohibition amendment (1881)
1880 Woman's Home missionary society formed
1883 First Deaconess home established in Milwaukee
1888 Maxium length of appointment at one charge increased from three
to five years
1888 Camp Byron Association formed
1890 Epworth Leagues formed
1891 First vote on the question of women lay delegates to General Conference
held. Wisconsin and West Wisconsin supported but lost church-wide
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1900 - 1950
1900 Sunday School Union formed, forerunner of boards of education
1903 First time apportionments were used to endow a ministerial pension
fund.
1907 Wesley Foundation begun at the UW-Madison
1908 The name Presiding Elders changed to District Superintendents
1908 First "Social Creed" approved by General Conference
1909 First Daily Vacation Bible School organized in New Richmond
1909 First "Methodist Hospital" started by deaconess in Green
Bay. Later Conference supported hospitals in Madison, Rice Lake, Richland
Center, Monroe and LaCrosse.
1910 Annual Conference promotes use of weekly offering envelopes and
an annual budget
1912 Bishops given residential supervision (mostly for more then one
conference). First to supervise Wisconsin, William A. Quayle.
1914 Wisconsin Annual Conference supports Women's suffrage.
1914-1926 The decline of protracted meetings and the rise of visitation
evangelism
1914 Daily Bible Schools during Summer become popular
1916 Home for the Aging built in Sparta.
1917 First Black Congregation organized in Beloit
1918 Centenary Campaign begun, would eventually become the World Service
program.
1920 Unit of Goodwill Industries (Milwaukee) sponsored
1923 Increased observance of Lent and Easter (borrowed from Lutherans
and Roman Catholics)
1924 Women given limited clergy rights in M.E. Church
1925 Home for the Aging built in Milwaukee
1927 Home for single girls built in Milwaukee, Grant Hall
1930 Reserve Pension Plan instituted, involves in the current pension
system.
1932 Lay representation at annual conferences approved
1932 New Hymnal published that contained orders of worship. Ritualism
on the rise.
1933 Ties with Lawrence College loosened
1933 St. Paul Area seminars held at Hamline University. Marks start of
modern pastoral counseling
1935 Conference adopted a system by which reports of boards, commissions
and committees are presented to a Committee of Consideration
1936 A manual for confirmation classes prepared by Conference
1939 Lay leader office instituted at the congregation, district and conference
level
1939 Uniting Conference combines ME-North, ME-South and Methodist Protestant
Church (The Methodist Church is formed)
1939 Board of Mission given power to raise and spend money on projects
within conference
1940 Upper Room becomes available
1940 Ladies Aid Society, WFMS and WHMS combined into Woman's Society
of Christian Service
1944 First of quadrennial campaigns begun. (Crusade for Christ)
1944 First Methodist Bishop for Wisconsin installed (Schuyler E. Garth)
1947 Conference Coordinating Committee formed (Conference Council)
1948 Quadrennial campaign given name Advance for Christ and his Church
1949 Youth leadership officers elected by youth
1949 Pine Lake Camp opened
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1950 -
1951 Wisconsin Annual Conference calls on General Conference to abolish
the Black Central
Jurisdiction
1953 Whispering Pines and Asbury Acres added
1953 Advance Specials
1955 First "senior" camps organized
1958 General Conference loosened rules to allow black churches to transfer
from the Lexington District to Wisconsin Conference
1959 Methodist Manor constructed in West Allis
1961 Northcott Neighborhood House started
1961 Schmidt Methodist Home built in Richland Center
1964 Methodist and EUB churches in Marion merged to form first UM congregation
1964 Chomingwen Pond granted full clergy rights in Methodist Church.
1966 First youth convocation arranged for all conferences
1968 April Uniting Conference in Dallas creates UMC
1968 Oct. Women's Societies unite
1969 UMC Conference Center established in Sun Prairie (Emerald Terrence)
1969 Wisconsin Annual Conference, UMC, formed from East Wisconsin, West
Wisconsin and Wisconsin (EUB) Conferences.
1980 Marjorie Matthews is elected Bishop. Her first appointment is Wisconsin
1983 Conference Center moves to Winsdor St., Sun Prairie.
1992 Appointment of Bishop Shareon Rader
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