Greentown
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Sycamore Friends Church
Sycamore Friends Church is on a mission to energize and equip Friends through the power of the Holy Spirit to gather people into fellowships where Jesus Christ is known, loved and obeyed as Teacher, Savior and Lord. We are a 21st Century church firmly rooted in the Quaker tradition. We stress equality, integrity, peace, community, missions and salvation from sin through faith in Jesus Christ.
A Brief History:
The community of Sycamore was surveyed in 1881 and named because of the Sycamore trees at the intersection of County Roads 100 North and 1100 East. It appears to be only a coincidence that the town of Sycamore is only ten miles due east of Kokomo on the extension of Kokomo’s Sycamore Street.
In the early years, Sycamore had a post office, four stores and a schoolhouse. However, no church building had been built although at least seven denominations had conducted worship services in town.
In the 1880’s many revival meetings were held in the area around Sycamore. Constantine Shugart, a young Quaker preacher from around Marion came to preach and established a sizeable congregation.
In early 1890, leaders from the young congregation met in the town’s sawmill office and, within five minutes, pledged sufficient funds for a Quaker meetinghouse to be raised. The total cost of the ground, building and furniture was $2,100. The amount was completely paid on the day of dedication, August 24, 1890. The congregation took the name Sycamore Friends Meeting.
The family names of early or charter members include Cranor, Cates, Stockdale, Avery, Pickett, Horton, Gentry, Saxton, Greenstreet, Chapman, Olinger, Jones, Davis, Whittaker, Windsor, Hollingsworth, Freeland, Moss, Scherer, Elliot, Turner, Wilkins, bond, Berry, Adison, West, Smith, Castner, Brunk, Miller, Hawkins, Morris, Mills, Tibbits, Maxwell, Harper, Lindley, Hurley, Owens, Allen, Henley, Harris, Silver, James, Spencer, Wolf, Green and Cook.
Improvements have been made over the years to the original post and frame building. Hitching posts were added in 1902. A parsonage was purchased in 1945. A basement was dug under the meetinghouse in 1947, and indoor restrooms were installed. The coal stove upstairs was replaced with a furnace downstairs that effectively enlarged the sanctuary. Stained glass windows were added in 1953. A major renovation was completed in 1964 that divided the basement into classrooms and a kitchen.
Ground was broken for the Fellowship Center in 1978, and a new meetinghouse was completed in 1989. Dedicated in 1990, the new meetinghouse is handicap accessible and includes a 200 seat sanctuary with overflow seating capacity of 400. The building also contains offices, a library, two nurseries and additional fellowship space.
The stained glass windows and the light fixtures from the original meetinghouse were incorporated in the new building design. The pews were donated to the First Baptist Church in Greentown, and the organ was to be sold at the Kokomo Zion United Methodist Church auction to raise funds for missions. The upstairs of the original meetinghouse was remodeled and used for youth classes for about fifteen years. Plans to relocate the original meetinghouse to Tipton County fell through in the fall of 2004, so steps were taken to demolish the building beginning in the spring of 2005.
Groundbreaking for the new Educational Wing took place in May of 2005. The ne building design includes Sunday School classrooms, space for children’s and youth ministry, a youth pastor’s office, an expanded kitchen for the Fellowship Center and additional handicap accessible restrooms.
A Brief History:
The community of Sycamore was surveyed in 1881 and named because of the Sycamore trees at the intersection of County Roads 100 North and 1100 East. It appears to be only a coincidence that the town of Sycamore is only ten miles due east of Kokomo on the extension of Kokomo’s Sycamore Street.
In the early years, Sycamore had a post office, four stores and a schoolhouse. However, no church building had been built although at least seven denominations had conducted worship services in town.
In the 1880’s many revival meetings were held in the area around Sycamore. Constantine Shugart, a young Quaker preacher from around Marion came to preach and established a sizeable congregation.
In early 1890, leaders from the young congregation met in the town’s sawmill office and, within five minutes, pledged sufficient funds for a Quaker meetinghouse to be raised. The total cost of the ground, building and furniture was $2,100. The amount was completely paid on the day of dedication, August 24, 1890. The congregation took the name Sycamore Friends Meeting.
The family names of early or charter members include Cranor, Cates, Stockdale, Avery, Pickett, Horton, Gentry, Saxton, Greenstreet, Chapman, Olinger, Jones, Davis, Whittaker, Windsor, Hollingsworth, Freeland, Moss, Scherer, Elliot, Turner, Wilkins, bond, Berry, Adison, West, Smith, Castner, Brunk, Miller, Hawkins, Morris, Mills, Tibbits, Maxwell, Harper, Lindley, Hurley, Owens, Allen, Henley, Harris, Silver, James, Spencer, Wolf, Green and Cook.
Improvements have been made over the years to the original post and frame building. Hitching posts were added in 1902. A parsonage was purchased in 1945. A basement was dug under the meetinghouse in 1947, and indoor restrooms were installed. The coal stove upstairs was replaced with a furnace downstairs that effectively enlarged the sanctuary. Stained glass windows were added in 1953. A major renovation was completed in 1964 that divided the basement into classrooms and a kitchen.
Ground was broken for the Fellowship Center in 1978, and a new meetinghouse was completed in 1989. Dedicated in 1990, the new meetinghouse is handicap accessible and includes a 200 seat sanctuary with overflow seating capacity of 400. The building also contains offices, a library, two nurseries and additional fellowship space.
The stained glass windows and the light fixtures from the original meetinghouse were incorporated in the new building design. The pews were donated to the First Baptist Church in Greentown, and the organ was to be sold at the Kokomo Zion United Methodist Church auction to raise funds for missions. The upstairs of the original meetinghouse was remodeled and used for youth classes for about fifteen years. Plans to relocate the original meetinghouse to Tipton County fell through in the fall of 2004, so steps were taken to demolish the building beginning in the spring of 2005.
Groundbreaking for the new Educational Wing took place in May of 2005. The ne building design includes Sunday School classrooms, space for children’s and youth ministry, a youth pastor’s office, an expanded kitchen for the Fellowship Center and additional handicap accessible restrooms.