Religious services in Iola began informally when J.J. Hatch, who arrived with his wife and six children on December 4, 1856, delivered a sermon to a small gathering, probably on the site of the present Iola Methodist Church, where the community’s original schoolhouse then stood. The congregation was formally organized in 1858. Church records identify Mr. Alcott as the first resident pastor of the parish, though Henry Orcutt appears first on the formal pastors list, perhaps because of a sloppy signature. After using the old schoolhouse for about 20 years and sharing it with a Baptist congregation, the central portion of the present building was constructed in 1879. Originally a single-floor structure with a small narthex and sanctuary facing what is now W. Iola Street, it was raised and moved several feet north in 1925, and the space beneath was excavated for a fellowship hall, kitchen, and furnace-utility room. The original 1879 structure had an open bell tower rather than a steeple, but parishioners enclosed the bell in 1907 after children throwing stones to ring it threatened the stained-glass windows, and a steeple with a lighted cross was later added atop the cupola. Two notable developments accompanied the 1953 addition: First Lady Mamie Eisenhower sent $1.00 to pay for a nail used in the construction, and carpenter and parishioner Chet Krause carried out the $24,000 building project, donating his labor while paying his hired help. The heirs of J.J. Hatch remained connected to the church for more than a century, and numerous supporters were honored for helping provide 26 pews installed in 1948.