Beginnings
The Community United Methodist Church had its beginning about 1910 when Mrs. 0. D. Cotton started a Sunday School in her home on Town Street, near north Irving and Springfield Streets, Dayton, Ohio. The Sunday School was nondenominational, although several teachers from Grace Methodist Church helped with the teaching. The name of the Sunday School at that time was Faith Hall. Because of the lack of space in the Cotton residence for the growing numbers attending Sunday School, the group was compelled to rent a building at Irving and Springfield Streets in 1912. The name of the mission was changed to People' Church. With the move to larger quarters, the ministry was increased to include preaching as well as Sunday School, and the new building served as a community center. Much of the preaching in the new location was provided by Dr. Harry E. Palmer, a well known physician and a member of Grace Methodist. and his wife, Joanna. Like Faith Hall, the People's Church was also nondenominational, although many of its leaders continued to come from Grace Methodist.
The People's Church building was formerly an old saloon, and, for a time, it was rented. In 1918 prominent Daytonians -- Mrs. Harrie G. Carnell, George B. Smith, John H. Patterson, and Dr. Frank Garland -- purchased the building, and later added a gymnasium. Sometime later, the Dayton Community Chest, supporting the community activity of the mission church, budgeted $1300 a year to pay for a resident member and a gymnasium leader. This support continued for a number of years until the group later moved to Sperling and Woodley Road. In addition to the gymnasium activities held in the People's Church, there were sewing and domestic science classes held for the people of the community.
In 1921, through the personal efforts of Pastor E. E. Harris of United Theological (Bonebrake) Seminary, and his wife, a church was officially established, although not connected with any denomination. At that time there was a membership of only eleven adults, since most of those attending Sunday School had been children. However, Pastor and Mrs. Harris, through intensive evangelistic work in the community, were able to add some fifty or sixty new members at the Easter Sunday services in 1922.
In 1928 Mrs. Harrie G. Carnell, a Dayton philanthropist, donated a lot on Sperling and Woodley Road for the location of a new church for the congregation. The name of the church was changed from the People's Church to Eastwood Community Church. The building was completed in September, 1928, and the dedication service was held on September 14,1928, with Pastor E. E. Harris presiding. The old building at Springfield and Irving was sold to the city of Dayton to be used as a community center. Dr. and Mrs. Harry G. Palmer continued to provide most of the preaching ministry during these early years, but they were assisted by students from United Theological Seminary and teachers from Grace Methodist who taught Sunday School class.
After the death of Dr. Palmer in 1934, the congregation hired United Theological Seminary students to serve as student pastors to Eastwood. first of these was Glenn Donaldson and he was followed by Merle Blinn. During Merle Blinn's service as pastor, the congregation in the official Board meeting of July 16, 1940 voted to consider affiliation with the Methodist Church, a decision reached largely because Mrs. Palmer was a Methodist and most of the volunteers in the Church School were from Grace. Concurrent with the affiliation on December 8,1940, the name of the organization was changed to Eastwood Methodist Church.