The Ohio Independent Baptist, March 1968

O.A.R.B.C. Church Seeks Full Claim Wheelersburg Baptist Church To Church Property The Wheelersburg Baptist Church faces an acute problem concerning rightful ownership of their present property. Pastor Donald Grollimund, in this article, reports as to the cur· rent situation . These folk covet your prayers! The Wheeler burg Bapti t hurch ci of Wheeler burg, Ohio ha, fi led . uit ) again t the Ohio Bapti. t onventio n \ for the annu lment o,f a forty-t hree · year o ld rever ionary clau e in the . title to the church property. The Wheeler burg church wa or– ganized in 1878. In that ame year the present church pr,operty wa purcha ed a nd a building begun. That building till a part of the pre ent church faci lity, was com- . pleted in 1879. In 1910 a trong holine element had infiltrated the church and was threatening 10 take over the property from the small group of remaining Bapti t people. To prevent this ,the Bapti t people , deeded the property for no financial con ideration to the Ohio Bapti t Convention. In 1924 the church re– que ted return of title from the Court to decide concern ing owne rshi p o f onvention that arrangeme nt might be completed for financing the build– ing of a par o nage. The Convention gave the chu 1 rch a quit c la im deed in which wa. in erted a clau e speci– fying th,at if the church ever cea ed cooperation with the Ohio Bapti t Convention the property would re– vert to the Conventio n. In December 1945 the Wheeler burg Church open– ly evered all tie with the Conven– tion and a ocia ted it elf with the General A oci a tion o f Regul a r Bap- Fostoria Church Completes New Unit • , The present Fo storia Bap t is t Chu rch bui lding showing the new educationa l uni t. he "'Osto r ia Baptist hurch held dedicat ior1 ser vices for their new edu– cational unit o n J ant1 ary 2 1st. 1ue~t J,eaker fo r the occa~1o n was D r. Jar11es ""f '. Jeremi ah , presid nt of '-""'darvi ll e liege. T l1e 1 c.w un it is a Lwo sto ry build- ing O' x >2' provid ing addit ioJ1 al pac for c lasses o f all <l pa~t111 11ts, THE OHIO INDEPENDENT BAPTIST a\ well a. , a new chu rch o ffi ce, li– bra ry and stucly f or the pi tor. Be~1d ~ erec ting th1 t111it, add it- i onal ~eating capacity t 1 ,lb t ll 150 h,ld l1een acldetl to the prt;Sent at1d i– t ri u111 . 1 J1e, e 1s a 1cw 11t1 "111cc and a love ly t y 1 wi th \pac f I a large c l ,tk ro 11. l he l)tt1lcl111g is ar pct 'U th rc>ttghottl . '"l'ht.= cost or tht! l1t t1ltl1ng is a J> pr i 111u t l y $ J 0(), 0()(). the Wheele rsburg Bapt ist Church property. ti t hurche . Upon noti ce of this acti on the Conventio n through it attorney, wrote to the church claim– ing title to the property and dema nd– ing th a t the church negotiate a lea e with the Convention for the u e of the property. Thi and ucceeding de– mand were igno red by the chuTch, and the local congregation continued 1:o hold and u e the prope rty contrary to the cl aim of the onvention. ince 1939 . everal atten1pts have been made by the church and it pa tor to per t1 ade the Ohio Bapti t o nvention to grant the church a wai ver of it alleged rever io nary intere t in the property. All of these met with an adamant refu al. In January, 1967, tihe church tru - tee placed the matter in the h and of the ir a ttorney, who again attempted through friendly corre pondence wi th Dr. hapman, Executive Mini ter of the Oh io Bapti t onventi on, to b– t a in for the church a c lear title to it proper ty. A fte r 1i n1onth of f ru itl corrc pondence, the Wh el- e r bu rg hu rch fi led uit agai n t the onve nti n to qt1it the tit le to it ~ property. A h ar ing of the case wa~ held n Dece n1ber 15, 1967 hef re the ].. t J udgc L w ll T h n1p\on f i to t l nt, on1n1 n Plea~ 011-vt in P r tsn1 tt th . T h nvc11ti n nt it a ttorn y t c ntc t the t1it ll \.\- ing the hcari11g ,1tt I ne}s 1 )I l>oth parties arc gi\cn ti111t= to t1l' I 'g,11 hrt , 1,. On the l),l\t\ ot the, hrict, an I t l1t.= r'C01<.i o1 tl1~ hearing, tl1' \ Ul~c \\Ol' to tl1c l~ltc Jttllg\! l "'h 111p– \Ot1 wtll gi\c a rt1l1ng i11 th' 111att 'r. I t is c,p ct 'ti tl1at l\\ l) t) 1hre~ 111ontl1s \\tll 'laf)S' l)'t<.)r a rL1ling i Jlldll t; MARCH, 1968 PAGE 7