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Mill Creek Church

Milestones Vol 25. No. 4

The Mill Creek Presbyterian congregation built their first church in 1784. The church building, the first in the Ohio Valley, was a crude temple in the wilderness made of unhewn logs, without a door, windows or chimney. The entrance was a concealed tunnel and ladder; the walls were lined with firesteps and loopholes for rifles.

On April 20, 1785, a session member asked the Presbytery of Red Stone for supply pastors for the church. In 1799, the Rev. George Scott accepted a call and served the congregation for 46 years. He was a missionary to the Indians and educated men for the ministry. At least ten men received theological training from him. A monument in the Old Mill Creek Grave Yard is inscribed in his memory. In 1799, the Mill Creek Church built their second church building of logs. In 1832, they erected a third and larger church building made of brick and wood.

In 1854, some members of the Mill Creek Church built a new church in the borough of Hookstown to serve the growing population of the Hookstown area. This was one of possibly ten churches built by divisions of the Mill Creek congregation.

After forty years, the two congregations of Mill Creek and Hookstown again worked together and called the Rev.J. R. Hosick as their pastor. Many pastors served these two congregations after 1854 and several times plans were instigated to consolidate the churches. Finally, in 1964 the Mill Creek and Hookstown congregations merged and alternated services between the two church buildings until a new building, the Mill Creek United Presbyterian Church of Hookstown, was constructed in 1969-70.

The new church was located on Route 151 near the South Side School District. In 1978, the Rev. Jerry Andrews was called as pastor. In 1988, the Rev. David Joachim became pastor. The congregation continued to grow and in 1993 a campaign to build a new sanctuary, Sunday school rooms and fellowship hall was begun. This new building was dedicated in May 1995 and inJune 1995 the Rev. John Gordon was installed as pastor.