“The heavens cannot contain you, how much less this temple I have built!”

1 Kings 8:27

Early Years
1843 - 1884

  • In 1843 there was deep division with the Methodist Episcopal Church in America. The primary concern was slavery, which the Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church overlooked in an attempt to retain unity between northern and southern congregations. This created a movement that would be remembered as the abolitionist movement. It was spearheaded by a group of pastors in 1843, who voted to secede from the Methodist Episcopal Church, and form the Wesleyan Methodist Connection—where the freedom offered by Christ’s salvation was available to all.

  • One of these pastors was the Rev. Luther Lee, who was called to lead this new conference of churches, and to pastor one of them himself in the City of Syracuse. In 1843 he was invited to help form new Wesleyan churches all over Central and Western New York, and the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Hume (now Fillmore Wesleyan Church), was one of the first.

  • That same year, 1843, a group of faithful Christians seceded from the Short Tract Methodist Episcopal Church over the issue of slavery, and organized to form the First Wesleyan Methodist Church of Hume. This effort was led by Rev. John Watson, and assisted by the organizational efforts of Rev. Luther Lee.

  • Meetings were initially held in a log school house on the east side of the Genesee River. Two years later that school house was abandoned, and the congregation worshiped in another log school house near the site of the present church.

  • James Wadsworth donated the lot for the simple 30 by 40 foot rectangular structure which was erected in 1850 at a cost of $795.50 on the site of today’s parsonage. Then Connectional Editor, the Rev. Luther Lee returned to preach the dedicatory sermon in 1851. His text was 1 Kings 8:27, when after dedicating the temple, King Solomon declares, “The heavens cannot contain you, how much less this temple I have built!”

    The church was the first of its kind in Fillmore. It had 50 members and an average Sunday School attendance of 60.

  • The church was closed during the winter of 1880-81. Then Willard J. Houghton and D.W. Ball organized a Sunday School which met every two weeks. A year later Fillmore and Houghton united for services for a few years.

“My church was neither numerous nor wealthy, but a truer company of men and women never breathed. I had frequent calls to visit other places to preach and lecture, and in the course of the year I organized a number of Wesleyan Churches.”

Luther Lee, 1843

Getting Established
1884 - 1966

  • In 1884 meetings in Fillmore resumed, and the church building was moved to its present site. It was lengthened 10 feet, the interior was remodeled and a spire and vestibule were added.

  • A parsonage was built in 1917. Leading up to the Western New York District Centennial, the church plant was improved and expanded to serve a growing Sunday School.

  • At our own centennial, our nation was in the midst of World War II. In one hundred years a small group of faithful folks meetings in a log school house had become an established church with, complete with a parsonage and healthy rotation of pastors. Together they had endured the American Civil War, Reconstruction, World War I, the 1918 pandemic, and The Great Depression.

  • To provide needed classroom space, in 1966 a two-story Christian Education building was built adjacent to the church for $25,000; members from the congregation providing much of the labor.

An Enduring Endeavor
1966 - Present

  • In 1981 the church building and the Christian Education building were attached and the sanctuary was gutted and remodeled. Included was a removal of the balcony, replacement of the pews, and a reversal of the sanctuary’s direction. This work was completed by the local congregation—nearly 2,500 hours of labor.

  • In 1993 the congregation celebrated its 150th anniversary—a testimony to God’s faithfulness. This milestone was marked by special services held on May 30th. Several former pastors of the church attended, the earliest being Dr. George Failing (1935-1941), who later had served as editor of the denominational periodical.

  • Further building expansion in 2002 included a new kitchen, bathrooms, expanded fellowship hall, a new garage, and first floor offices. Construction costs totaled $100,000. The project was finished through generous gifts of the congregation and the assistance of the Wesleyan Investment Foundation. That mortgage was paid off in 2010.

  • In the early 2000’s the congregation continued to grow steadily. Eventually, even after the renovations, the congregation grew too large to fit into one service. After leading two services for a time, Rev. Bill Lawson moved the meeting location up to the Fillmore Central School—a return to our early schoolhouse roots in a way.

  • After a few years of meeting in the auditorium of the Fillmore Central School, the congregation returned to the church building at 20 East Main Street in 2017.

  • Just like the 1918 pandemic under the leadership of Rev. David H. Scott, we again saw the Lord be faithful as we navigated the stresses and and pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the leadership of Rev. Rob Engler, we endeavored toward a unity in the Spirit, in a time of incredible polarization.

  • Throughout our history many pastors and congregants have gone on to be missionaries, and to plant and pastor churches. We are a generational church and a sending church. We have deep roots and a far reach. For nearly two centuries God has been faithful to his followers in this little corner of Allegany County, and we are excited about what lies ahead.