OUR MISSION

To reach out to the community through personal witnessing and cooperation with other churches while nurturing and providing support to the congregation through the church service and sunday school, and doing so with commitment through personal witnessing, prayer, attendance, and daily living in order to follow Jesus’ command to go unto all the world to spread the good news.

OUR VISION

To be a lighthouse for the lost, a feeding place for growing Christians, and a teaching ministry geared for all ages.

• Dogwood was began in 1857, and Prairie in 1854.

• Original location of the first permanent building for Dogwood was across the road, just northwest of present church.

• Prairie was located close to present Prairie Cemetery, the church building was facing to the west. If not the first, it was one of the first churches built in Oblong Township.

• Dogwood congregation met in the log Dogwood School from 1857 until the first church was built on the above listed location. Many of the charter members had originally worshiped at the “Old Prairie Church”, which stood on the prairie almost two miles east of the Dogwood Prairie present site.

• Both Dogwood and Prairie churches were served by pastors of the Robinson Illinois Circuit, until they later became a part of the Oblong Circuit.

• The present Dogwood church was built in 1907-1908, remodeled in 1945-1946,  and the addition added in 1977-1978.  The Youth Building was built in 1950-1951, and the parsonage in 1958-1959.

• The Prairie church was built in 1880, with several additions and updating over the years. The basement and classrooms added in 1954. Prior to the first building, they met in the Prairie School for several years. The present structure was razed in 2002 following the merger, and the land deeded to the Prairie Cemetery.

• The Oblong Circuit was established in the late 1800’s or early 1900’s consisting of six churches: Dogwood, Prairie, Kirk Chapel, Stoy, Leeper Chapel, and Seed Chapel.

• In 1964, Dogwood and Prairie were united by conference action as The North Oblong Parish. Prior to that, Prairie had been served by pastors from Robinson First United Methodist Church for a short time.

• In 2002, due to decreasing attendance, and other similar circumstances, the Prairie congregation voted to merge with Dogwood, and Dogwood readily agreed. The two churches were merged by a duly called Charge conference conducted by District Superintendent Rev. William Frazier into the Dogwood Prairie United Methodist Church.

• Rev. David Ducommon was pastor when the merger took place, and Rev. Nicholas Gleason served from July 1st, 2009 to July 1st.2011, followed by Rev. Hiram Gonzalez effective July 1st. 2011.

• Seed Chapel, located south of Oblong, was assigned and became a part of the Dogwood Prairie/Seed Chapel Charge in July 2003. Which was exactly 50 years from the time that the Seed Chapel church became a pilot charge, and left the six member circuit know as the Oblong Circuit.

• This short history was complied by Rondel L Boyd along with his wife Sherry who are presently the oldest member in years of attending the Dogwood, now Dogwood Prairie Church. This information gleaned from records keep years earlier by W.L.Reed and Frank Cary, both earlier members of Dogwood church, and Barbara Dix of the Prairie community, transcribed information from the Crawford County IL. Gen. Web, and information found in Dogwood, and Prairie 150 year celebration booklets. Most information used is believed to be correct, however there are a few variations in dates from some printed material.