The history of Juanita and the Juanita Methodist Church goes back to the year 1909. In that year the town had two lumberyards and its first public building was Greenheck's General Store. Groceries and supplies were hauled by team from McHenry until the Great Northern Railroad came through Juanita in 1912.
The first Sunday school in Juanita was started by Mr. Amos B. Poling, who served as the first Sunday school superintendent. Classes were held in a granary on the Elmer Forquer place just south of Juanita.
Ministers who served Juanita in the early days are listed in the "Pastoral and Statistical Record".
Listed first is Harry Hines from September 1, 1909 to September 1910. The probably value of the church is listed as $75 and the amount spent for building and improving the church that year was $75. The Sunday school had five officers and teachers, 21 scholars and $9 in expenses.
Reverend Hines came from Kensal and helped select the site for the church, and helped get it started. At this time, competition was strong among some of the churches with Methodists, Presbyterians and Congregationalists all trying to get a head start in new communities. According to History of Methodist Churches in North Dakota, Reverend Hines was a good man. He left the ministry to get his brother out of debt, and then returned to go on preaching.
Joseph Chester was the next pastor, serving only a short period from June 1, 1911-September 1, 1911. He started the church building campaign. He was an Englishman, single and a wonderful violin player. He was a member of the largest group of Deacons and Elders ever to be ordained at a session of the annual Conference. Reverend Chester and Reverend Armstrong were both ordained as Deacons on October 22, 1911.
The value of the church was listed at $400, and expenses for building and improvements totaled $75 with a debt of $325. There were five Sunday school teachers and officers, 20 scholars and $8 for expenses. The minister's salary was $100. Five dollars was paid the District Superintendent.
Reverend Armstrong served as minister from 1911 to October 1914. Services were held in a temporary church. Reverend Armstrong drew the blueprint for the church; men with teams dug the basement- all voluntary labor. Mr. Sorvick built the church and Reverend Armstrong helped, as did Mr. Dahl, a deaf man who worked with Mr. Sorvick.
W.W. Hazlett ("Uncle Billy") served as church janitor- and did anything and every thing else that needed to be done.
During the first year that Reverend Armstrong preached after leaving school, he lived in Grace City where the morning services were held. He preached in the afternoon at Brantford, and then drove 13 miles to Tiffany for the evening services. He must have preached in Juanita on alternate Sundays. A team of horses knew the way home and delivered him safely on many a dark night with coyotes howling menacingly and snow obscuring the road.
During the time before the Juanita parsonage was built, Reverend Armstrong and his wife lived in a farmhouse two miles out of Grace City. When spring came, the farmhouse was needed by the farmer who operated the land. The Brantford people then converted a small barn into a parsonage. Their son, Richard, was born there on April 12th. Mrs. Armstrong, with her husband away days working on the Juanita and Grace City churches, had to carry the drinking water and wash water, pushing a baby buggy about three blocks and doing all the washing by hand. Sunday collections were the only cash they had; purchases had to be charged if collections did not bring enough to pay the bills. His salary, according to the records, was $100 the first year and $R00 for the next year.
A parsonage was built in Juanita by Mr. Sorvick in 1913. It seems that Juanita was trying to be first in providing a home for the minister. Reverend Armstrong and Mrs. Roy Spickler succeeded in borrowing money for the building from some fund.
Reverend T.J. Chappel served also as minister during these early days. He was not only a preacher, but also an inventor. Because he had to drive on muddy roads, he invented a tire chain that could be put on while the tire was down in the mud. He sold it to a tire company, but the chain did not sell for gravel and paved roads had begun to replace dirt roads.
The record of the official members includes these names:
The first Trustees were R.H. Spickler, appointed in 1910, James McDaniel, Frank Brown, W.D. Mullendore, appointed in 1915 and W.W. Hazlett.
Stewards included these: H.L. Free appointed in 1915, W.D. Mullendore, Ernest Cooper, Mrs. Roy Spickler and Mrs. W.W. Hazlett.
Reverend Armstrong, who had done so much for the Methodist Church in Juanita, and much for Methodist churches throughout the state, made this statement. "No history of Methodism in North Dakota could adequately tell the story of these pioneer women." He was referring to the Ladies Aid groups that were organized to serve as an aid to the pastor in carrying out the work of the church. Suppers and bazaars helped financially and socially. Juanita, too, had its Ladies Aid organization, and Mrs. Roy Spickler was its first president. Memories of the Aid activities linger in the minds of some of the older women of the community. One occasion, especially memorable, was of a chicken pie social in Greenheck's building to raise money for the church. This was most likely in the spring of 1912, and the Aid was organized shortly after this.
According to the records during Reverend Armstrong's service, the church was valued at $3000 and the parsonage at $1100 in 1913. Current expenses came to $105. The Sunday school had seven officers and teachers. Twenty were enrolled. The total expense was listed at $7.
It is interesting to note that this is the first time that money was sent for foreign missions and home mission- $27 for foreign and $23 for home missions. The pastor's salary was $300.
The record of members in full connection were these: Mrs. C.A. Armstrong, pastor's wife, April, 1913 Mr. and Mrs. George Burk, April, 1914
Mr., and Mrs. Walter Krei, April 1913
Mrs. Roy Spickler, October 1912
Mr. and Mrs. A. Thaine, October 1913
Lyman Wilcox, November 1912.
Early baptism:
Phyllis Mildred Burk was received into the church August 17, 1913, when baptized by Reverend Armstrong in the Methodist Church, Juanita.
Following this, there were several members of the Thane family baptized by Reverend Armstrong - George, Rose, Christine, James, Joseph, Ethel, Charles.
First marriage record:
On January 15, 1913, Clinton Blocker of Carrington and Maybelle Strouse of Juanita were married at the M.E. Parsonage by Reverend Armstrong.
On February 20, 1913, Raymond Culver of McHenry and Flora Letford of Minnesota were married at the parsonage.
Funerals listed during these early years of Juanita's Methodist Church are:
November 2, 1912- Baby Solberg, 9 months, McHenry
March 1, 1913- Arthur Edward Olson, 24, Juanita.
May 9, 1914- Baby Marcotte, Juanita
Other ministers who served in the Juanita Methodist Church
Job Moore served from October 1914 to October 1916.
Noble F. Browning, from October 1916 to October 1917. A note indicates that he went to the Congregationalists.
Also, there were 7 teachers and officers in the Sunday school, 60 scholars and an average attendance of 26.
His salary was $500. There was nothing for foreign missions. Records indicate there were many baptisms- many in the Parker School house. McDaniels and Stephensons were some of those mentioned. Reverend Browning owned a car.
J.W. Hilborn served from October 1917 to October 1919. There were 12 full members, two baptisms and two deaths recorded for this period.
Reverend C.B. Thomas served from October 1919 to February 1921.
Reverend Dale A. Crites is listed for 1921 - February 1921.
Reverend Thure Johnson served from April 1926 to October 1927. He went to South Dakota. His salary was $900. There were eight teachers and officers in the Sunday school and 65 scholars. He left a note saying that the Sunday school was "as good as can be found in the county".
Reverend Tittemore, Carrington, a Nazarene, served when the church was without a regular minister.
Other ministers who served in the Juanita Methodist Church are:
Reverend A.E. Place-1934
Reverend J.K. McNeil from 1938 to 1942. He helped beautify the church and the church grounds.
Reverend Harold Eastburn served from 1946 to 1947. Grace Huck, the first woman to become a member of the North Dakota Conference, and the second in the nation to be so honored, served in 1947 to 1948.
Reverend D.B. Kelley served from 1950 to 1951.
Reverend R.H. Marshall served during 1953.
Reverend Donald Gool served from 1954 to 1957.
Reverend Harry Williams served from 1959 to 1961.
Caine, Meier and Williams also served as ministers, and then there were some who helped fill in when there was no regular pastor. These included Harte and a college boy, Larson.
Darrell Otto was the last Sunday school superintendent.
Reverend Clarence E. Palmer served the church until it closed on May 30, 1976.
Source: A History of Foster County 1983 Page 286