Historic Wellington church votes to dissolve after pastor's COVID-19 death

WELLINGTON — Christ Community Church has voted to dissolve after 168 years, but its historic building may be used by a new congregation. The church suffered a loss Jan. 4 when the Rev. Gary West died of COVID-19 at age 64. "Dad's biggest thing is he never wanted to see the church doors close," said his daughter, Candice Regal. The small church had been struggling long before the pandemic started. Its members had numbered just 16 when West became minister 15 years ago, after serving as youth pastor at Sharon Center Freedom Baptist Church in Medina County in the 1990s and leading Crossroads Baptist Church in Elyria in 2004 and 2005. The Wellington church's congregation had dwindled to six at the end of 2020. Regal said online services were getting a few hundred views each week through the fall and winter, but there were only a few people in the pews. West's last time at the pulpit was Dec. 13. He was admitted to the hospital four days later. Finding a new pastor would have been hard because of the COVID-19 crisis, she said, and in January, shortly after burying West, the few remaining congregants decided to dissolve, bringing about the end of a long, storied history. Eleven charter members founded the Church of Christ Disciples on Oct. 5, 1853, under its first minister, W.A. Lillie, according to Wellington Enterprise records. They met for six years in the Tripp Carriage Works public hall, which was the only available space in town. Then, in 1860, the church at the corner of West Herrick Avenue and Union Street was dedicated by Hiram College President James Garfield, who went on to serve as the 20th president of the United States for a matter of months in 1881, before he was assassinated. A 1955 retrospective published by the Enterprise said the church was the only one in the nation to be dedicated by a man who would later become president. It notes that Garfield was converted to the faith by Lillie. The Rev. Samuel Willard, father of "The Spirit of '76" artist Archibald Willard, was an early minister of the church. His name still decorates one of the building's stained glass windows, which were all restored by West. "The windows represent the early movers and shakers of Wellington," said Scott Markel of The Spirit of '76 Museum. For example, another window pays tribute to the Bennett family, owners of the Bennett Brick Co., who also have a Wellington street named for them. Markel said the church's congregation wasn't always small — by its 100th anniversary in October 1953, the pews were packed, thanks to a string of popular preachers, including William Buzzell. A plaque outside the church says it is on the National Register of Historic Places. "It's a cornerstone landmark, as far as I'm concerned, and it's one of those things that gets overlooked," Markel said. Regal said Fellowship Church, which meets on state Route 18 just east of the village, has been looking for a new facility. She said she anticipates a full vote of the Fellowship Congregation this Sunday to determine whether it will use the former Christ Community Church building. Contact Jason Hawk at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com.