Gashland Presbyterian History

In 1820 Joseph Gash came west from Asheville, NC and settled in Clay County. After purchasing 160 acres along the Liberty-Barry Road (now Barry Road), he returned to North Carolina to retrieve his cattle. After finishing the trip, Joseph is quoted as saying the last leg of the journey was over the “horribly Liberty-Barry Road.

Joseph Gash and his wife Elizabeth stayed in this area with their children Pauline and Lee. Upon Joseph’s death Pauline inherited a portion of the family’s land. A train depot for the Quincy-Omaha-Kansas City railroad was built on the land, which, at the time, had no official name. Pauline, who had donated the land, insisted the Gash name be used: hence Gashland came to be. Pauline’s brother Lee was a successful businessman and farmer in the community. Many of the farmers in the area grew strawberries, raspberries, and cherries that were shipped off to customers in the north. This business was a major source of income for Gashland.

Lee and his wife faithfully attended BarryHTTP/1.1 100 Continue Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The Cumberland Church had been formed in the early 1800s in Kentucky after a split from the mainstream Presbyterian Church. On June 5, 1826 the “Lebanon Congregation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church” was organized by the Reverend Robert D. Morrow. The membership consisted of 27 persons and they met at Weeden’s Camp Ground near Vivion Road and North Brighton. By 1847 a log cabin had been constructed as a meetinghouse and church membership had reached 150. The annual camp meetings had all but ceased by that time.
Later in 1847 the congregation joined with the Methodists and Christians and purchased 10 acres in Second Creek in Platte County. They built a brick meeting house and held camp meetings there from 1848 to 1857.

In 1859 the Reverend G.L. Moad motivated the congregation to move to Barry. A new church was constructed using donated monies and, after spending $1885 on construction, the members had a meetinghouse and the church was debt-free. This church was dedicated on November 13, 1859. The meetinghouse met the needs of church members from 1859 through 1931. There are few records from the church during that time period.

By 1931 the building was getting older and it was obvious that a change was needed. Worship services had discontinued and the Barry Presbyterian Church building was condemned and razed. Many of the church’s artifacts were distributed, although most have remained within the families of members, or at least somewhere nearby. The old bronze bell that used to call members to worship now rests in the bell tower at Gashland Methodist Church. The old church clock remained in the home of members Larry and RoseAnn Laswell.

Although without a building, the Barry Presbyterian Church was not completely dissolved by the Presbytery. By 1945, ten families had expressed an interest in getting meetings started again. After researching the question, it was found that there was great enough interest in the community to try to reactivate the church. Still without a structural home, church services were held in the yard of Mr. and Mrs. William H. Wyly at 83rd St. and Flagler Road. By September of that year the congregation had rented the basement of the Gashland Grade School. The first congregational meeting was held there on October 14, 1945 and new officers were elected to the Session of the reactivated church. The congregation asked that 2.25 acres be purchased at what his now the corner of 81st St and North Oak and that it be used to house the physical Church. The land was purchased for $1750.00.

In May of 1948 the congregation requested that the Barry Presbyterian Church name be changed to Gashland Community Church and that it be permitted to incorporate. Both requests were granted and the church was incorporated on August 11, 1948. By the end of August, 87 members were listed on the rolls. Ground breaking proceeded later in the fall and in 1949 the corner stone for the new church was laid. Members of the church hauled the stone from a local quarry themselves and the first service was held in the new sanctuary on January 8, 1950.

In 1964 the growing congregation began to plan the Christian education Building and the Chapel. The cornerstone was laid in 1965. Growth continued over the years under the guidance of the Reverend Paul Votaw who stepped down in 1977 after leading the church for 23 years. In 1986 Andrew Cullen became senior pastor, followed by the appointment of Dave Schirmer as Director of Youth Ministries and Young Adult Ministries in 1987.

In 2001 Andrew Cullen resigned as Pastor and Jim Riach joined Gashland Presbyterian as interim pastor. After much prayer and study Ed Longabaugh was chosen to be Senior Pastor in 2003. Later, in 2004, Sean Martin joined staff as Associate Pastor.

Throughout the years the members of GPC have pioneered change and growth in the church. Generations have participated in hayrides, prayer meetings, Sunday School classes, retreats, and worship. While the days of storing roller skates in the church’s kitchen cabinets may be behind us, we all still enjoy the sounds of children laughing and playing, women sharing and praying, and men enjoying the fellowship and worship time together. In the course of the history of our church scores of people have found fellowship and prayer support, and through that many have found their way to Christ. It is important to remember the work that has come before the present generation and to honor and respect it. It is also important that, in remembering what has come before, we honor that pioneering spirit by anticipating joyfully what is yet to come.