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CHESTERFIELD MONTHLY MEETING On State Rte. 555 East from Rte. 377 CheJterhill, Ohio 43728 Meeting on First Day at 10:00 |
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| In 1834,
Chesterfield Monthly Meeting was established in by Friends from Belmont County;
we worship in the meeting house completed in 1839. Lying on the old indian
Trail to the Ohio River and near Virginia, Chesterfield Friends were conductors
on the Underground Railroad. An ongoing decline in membership led to the laying
down of Pennsville Quarter in 1926 with Chesterfield joining Stillwater
Quarter. Chesterfield Meeting had only two active members near the end of the 1980s. For more than two years God led two couples from Stillwater and Middleton Meetings (not without some personal sacrifice to themselves in terms of time and effort) in their work of nurture, encouragement, and guidance for attenders into the life of Quakerism. We were blessed as membership began to grow. Once it was evident renewal was underway, physical improvements to the building were completed. At present on First Day we have from ten to sixteen members and attenders at worship, most traveling distances from fifteen to a hundred miles. Following Meeting for Worship, we enjoy hymn singing and a meal. From the beginning of renewal, we have been led to study Scriptures and spiritually-based writings together, believing those activities in which we share build the vitality of the meeting and that our study makes members more knowledgeable about matters of faith and practice of the Society of Friends, hopefully leading us in turn to become more active Christians. Individually we do what we can to advance the Kingdom and do cooperate with other churches in the area: for several years we have supported the local thrift shop financially. Since its inception in 1999, the Multicultural Genealogical Group has met in the meeting house its primary interest researching the origins of its members whose ancestry includes Afro-American, Native American, and Caucasian. This dynamic group was instrumental in securing the erection of an Ohio Historical Society marker in recognition of the contribution of nineteenth century Chesterfield Quakers to the work of the Underground Railroad . We depart from worship each First Day, attempting to express the testimonies in our daily lives, "to let our lives speak," as we come into contact with others the wider world. |