Location: Morning Sun, Iowa

Presbytery: Midwest

Organization: 1846

Membership: 74 communicant; 24 baptized

Pastor: Bryan Schneider

Website: www.sharonrpc.org

In 1840, the Robert McElhinney family, along with daughter Catherine and her husband, John Baird, crossed the Mississippi River into Iowa Territory. They settled in an area near what is now Morning Sun, Iowa. Other families, originally from Ireland and of the same “peculiar religious faith” (according to one local history book) soon followed. This group of settlers organized Bible studies and prayer meetings, but greatly desired to hear the word of God preached.

Just six years later, the Illinois Presbytery organized this growing group of settlers into Iowa’s first Reformed Presbyterian congregation, known as Linn (or Lind) Grove and Cedar.

This rural congregation continues under the name Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church. It is approximately 20 miles from the Mississippi Bridge in nearby Burlington. Surprising to many visitors, the place of worship requires driving over at least three miles of unpaved, gravel roads. Many out-of-state visitors are unaccustomed to such a surface.

Regardless of the gravel road, this congregation is growing and thriving under the capable leadership of Pastor Bryan Schneider. We have many lifelong members, including our oldest, Ralph McDonald. Surnames from the early history of our church may still be found on the roster, such as McElhinney, McDonald, Baird, and Robb. We also have a number of young families that have moved from other states such as Indiana, Pennsylvania, and California.

Several members drive great distances, up to 135 miles, to take part in our Reformed services. Our congregants hail from Morning Sun, Mediapolis, Wapello, Yarmouth, Oakville, New London, Burlington, Mt. Pleasant, Fort Madison, Iowa City, Dubuque, and the Quad Cities.

The weekly worship service is followed by Sabbath school, a light lunch, and an early afternoon chalk-and-talk session. This session expands on the morning sermon. Details that can enhance our understanding of the times, such as geography, political entities, cultural customs, economy, and language translation are explained.

There are frequent opportunities for fellowship, such as basket lunches and a monthly fun night. There are also opportunities for growing in our faith together. Bible studies include a twice-monthly women’s study, a monthly men’s study, and another bimonthly study in nearby Burlington. The spring, summer, and fall months include a monthly psalm sing with the nearby Washington RPC.

Outreach includes an evening worship service at Gratia Church in Burlington. This service is offered two to three times each month. There is an annual vacation Bible School that has a long tradition within the community. Although not formally a ministry of our congregation, there’s also a monthly homeschool group that meets in our church building.

We were greatly blessed by Pastor Schneider’s technological savvy when COVID-19 caused our elders to close the building for a few months. Pastor Schneider, along with help from congregant Devon Weyrick, had already been posting weekly sermons online and were fully prepared for live, online weekly sermons. These pandemic sermons were viewed by countless local people not associated with our church. They were also viewed throughout the United States and elsewhere. Pastor Schneider also added daily Coffee and Devotions during this time. These devotions continue to this day.