TOPINABEE CHURCH MARKS IT'S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

(Thursday, July 14, 1988)

Celebrating its 70th anniversary this month,
Topinabee Community Church has scheduled a number
of activities to mark the occasion.
Highlighting the events will be a hymn sing, followed
by a pie and ice cream social on Sunday.
Both are open to the public.
On August 7, former pastors of the church, the
Reverends Guy Trower of St. Louis, Missouri, Edmond
Mantei of Cheboygan and Ronald Freel of Vanderbilt
will join with Mr. Todd Robertson of Black Lake for special services.
A dinner will follow the service that Sunday, with
the public invited to attend.
The "little white church on the hill," which was
originally built in 1917, was initially organized as a
Methodist church--the only church then located on the
west shore of Mullett Lake.
One of the earliest of the Methodist ministers to
I preach there was the Reverend James Lee, who
served at three different churches in the region.
Eventually, as Topinabee began losing some of its
early tourist population, fewer and fewer of the
church members could label themselves as true
Methodists. In fact, an informal poll suggested that of
those attending the church only four were dedicated
Methodists.
So in 1947 the church was reorganized as an in-
Independent, interdenominational organization of Christians.
. . Surprisingly, Methodist Church officials permitted
the selling of the church building.
"It was a case of the Methodist leadership recognizing
that given the fact that there were so few Methodists left in Topinabee

the best step to preserve a l Christian church here was to sell the property,"

stated the Reverend Richard Hooker, present pastor of the Church.
The independent church body purchased the building for $1,800.
Subsequently, additions were constructed; the sanctuary was expanded,

classrooms were added, a study provided.
Today, despite the structure's age, the interior and
exterior of the handsome old building is in superior ~
condition--the result of a caring congregation that
numbers fewer than 100 regular members.
Among the pastors who have filled the Topinabee
Community Church over the years, in addition to
those previously mentioned, the Reverends Orlie
Ansted, Bill Shawl, and Bill Donald.
Pastor Hooker and his wife, Arlene, came to Topinabee
from Duluth, Minnesota in 1985.
Most active of the organizations within the church
is the Ladies Guild, begun in 1948.