Bishop Matthew Simpson

From the Church Archives:
Matthew Simpson, an eminent Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, was born on June 21, 1811, in a log house which then stood on the north corner of Market and Main Streets in Cadiz. Simpson spent most of his youth in Cadiz where he gained a thorough Classical education, learned the trade of reedmaker, taught school, and began the study of medicine. In 1828 Simpson attended a camp meeting held in a grove near the Dickerson Church, 3 -1/2 miles southeast of Cadiz, and was moved to become active in church work. Later he gave up his medical career and entered the ministry. Shortly thereafter he preached his first halting sermon in a small frame church on Buffalo Street in this village.

After leaving Cadiz, Matthew Simpson served as President of Indiana Asbury (De Pauw) University from 1839 to 1848. In 1852 he was elected a Bishop of the Methodist Church. In later years Simpson became a close friend of Abraham Lincoln. It was Simpson who urged the President to prepare and issue the Emancipation Proclamation. In 1865 the Bishop had the sad duty of giving the Oration at Lincoln's funeral in Springfield. Bishop Simpson died on June 18, 1884, and is buried in Philadelphia.

Source: Northeast Ohio Methodist Conference Historical Society
May 4, 1965

Our Pastor   ♦   Our Faith   ♦   Our History

Our Pastor

Rev. Matthew D. Stultz has been a pastor in the North Indiana Conference for 9 years and was ordained in June of 2005. He is a graduate of the University of Evansville, Methodist Theological School in Ohio, and is certified in CISM-1, Police Chaplaincy, and Grief Counseling. He is a contributing author in 365       Pastor Matthew Stultz
Meditations for Teens, Abingdon Press. If you would like to learn more about Pastor Matthew, please visit his site at www.matthewstultz.com.

Matthew is married to Heather and they have one child, Brianna.

Our Faith
At Simpson United Methodist Church, we celebrate our heritage in the Wesleyan tradition as handed down by John Wesley.

We believe in the delicate balance of:

• Scripture - Studying the Bible
• Reason - Using our own ability to think             John Wesley
• Tradition - Learning from the traditions
  of others to draw closer to God
• Experience - Using our own journey through life to help others

Simpson UMC is not a "doctrinal" church. We believe in the authority of the Bible to shape our lives. The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church is a covenant on how we will organize ourselves. Every four years, social issues and church administration policies are voted on during General Conference.

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Our History
Simpson Methodist Episcopal Church was organized about June 21, 1866 by the Rev. Andrew Wells, and was called Centenary Church until 1884, when it was then named for the famous friend of Abraham Lincoln and Methodist Bishop, Matthew Simpson. For two         Stone Church 1912 years, beginning April 1, 1867, the Rev. C.H. Wilkinson was Pastor.

The last Sunday services in the old Simpson Methodist Episcopal Church were held on November 26, 1911. Then, services were held in the basement of the new church until the day of dedication. Ground was broken for the new structure on June 21, 1910, being the anniversary of the birth of Bishop Matthew Simpson. The cornerstone was laid on September 6, 1910. The building was dedicated on February 11, 1912 by Dr. W.D. Parr. For years, the thought, because of necessity, lay in the minds of the officiary of the church: In the year 1907 during the pastorate of the Rev. L.M. Edwards, D.D., a lot at the corner of Harrison and Suttenfield streets was purchased. By the almost prophetic vision and untiring efforts of the pastor, the Rev. W.A. Griest, and Dr. Wm. Enslen, the congregation began the building of a fine stone church, and in due time it was completed. This is now the older structure which contains the Simpson Academy and Sunday School classrooms as well as the church offices.

The church again restructured in the mid 1960s with the construction of a new worship center, Adam's Lounge, and narthex. The current structure reflects the vision of these changes. Property was purchased that made Simpson United Methodist Church sole proprietor of a city block of space.

With this history of vision and creativity in our DNA, we look forward to the changes God will bring in the generations to come.

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