UNION CITY CHRISTIAN CHURCH

The best history found of the Union City Christian Church was found in the obituary of Hugh MacAuley published in the Creston News Advertiser June 30, 1934.

Hugh McAuley was born in County Antrim, Ireland. May 5, 1852 and departed this life June 26, 1934 at the age of 82 years, 1 month and 21 days.  Leaving his native land in 1868 he came to America, settling in Oakland County, Michigan, and the following year came to Monroe County, Iowa.  He also spent three years in Nevada.  On February 15, 1877 he was united in marriage to Mary Elmetta Parry and the following March they moved to the farm home in Platte township east of Kent. In the spring of 1907 the family moved to their present home in Kent, where he and his faithful wife spent the remainder of their days, she preceding him in death September 12, 1923.

During their residence on the Platte Township farm the Union City Christian Church was established of which he became a member, and under the leadership of the McAuleys and others this church became a prosperous organization, until 1900 when a new church was built in Kent.

Here for a long period of years, the Kent Christian church grew and prospered.  During these prosperous years many able ministers came to preach, always making the McAuley home their stopping place.  After the passing of the wife and mother of this home together with other stalwarts of the church, others moving away, the Christian organization here weakened, and the subject of this sketch remarked to the writer not long before he was stricken, that the bitterest thought of his declining years was to see his church fail function.  This church home, in which these last sad rites are being conducted today, with those of his faithful companion who preceded him, together with a long list of those who worked with them with their hands, their hearts, their prayers, to make it what it once was this church home held second place only in their lives.