A Family Rooted in Christ, Growing in Grace, and Living in Love
The first recorded minutes of what would eventually be Eden Church were dated August 2, 1868. They were written by a small German-speaking congregation that originally met at a Baptist Church built in 1833, on the site of the present City Hall. The first minutes instructed a committee to purchase land and make plans for a new church building. A site was purchased on the corner of Second and Fourth Streets for $750, and a new church was built at a cost of $4,945 in 1869.
During the 1920s, the growing congregation felt the need for larger quarters, and after Easter in 1926, the old church was torn down and on March 27, 1927, the new Eden Church was dedicated. Eden was one of the largest churches in Edwardsville.
On December 14, 1941, one week after the attack on Pearl Harbor, fire did extensive damage to the church. On the next Sunday, however, the congregation was back in the church for services. During the rebuilding, the choir loft was lowered, the organ chambers redesigned, and the rose window was installed, replacing two smaller windows in the choir loft.
Since those early years, Eden has grown in membership and in its scope of ministries. Our educational ministries grew tremendously with the addition of the Educational building, and again with the new administration and classroom expansion of 2003.
Eden has always been a church that is focused on community outreach. Over the years, we have provided space for the Main Street Community Center, gave birth to a new church in Glen Carbon, established Eden Village, and opened Eden Child Care.
This is our legacy, God has more yet in store for us.