Little Brown Church 70th annual Marriage Reunion and Vow Renewal Ceremony set for Aug. 5-6

By Bob Fenske, editor@nhtrib.com

Early in his tenure as pastor of the Little Brown Church near Nashua, Drew McHolm came to a decision.

He said he appreciated the history of the famed little church “in the Vale” and knew that it has been home to literally thousands of weddings over the years, but on this day, he had performed seven wedding ceremonies.

“Seven, yes seven,” he said, “and even though I knew that wasn’t close to the record – it’s actually 27 – I knew if I was going to be the pastor of this church, that just wasn’t going to be the road I wanted to travel down. … I just wasn’t comfortable with a conveyor belt.”

So the Scotsman came up with a new plan, requiring at least two hours between weddings.

“I like to personalize things so if we’re doing a wedding at 11 and then another at 11:45, well, you know, that’s pretty hard to personalize,” he said. “I love the history of our little church, but it is a church, not a wedding chapel.”

So as the Little Brown Church pastor and his wife, Jesse Boatright, and the church members prepare for the 70th annual Marriage Reunion that will be held Aug. 5-6, they’re not denying one of the most important parts of the church’s history, but they are emphasizing the church as a whole.

“I think there are a lot of people who just thought of us as that little church where everyone gets married,” Boatright said. “But the reality is that this is a church with a strong membership that worships every week. Don’t get us wrong, we love the Marriage Reunion. It’s a wonderful weekend for us. But there’s more to us – a lot more – than weddings.”

Because this year’s reunion happens to be a milestone one – “anything that ends in zero or five is big,” McHolm said – the church is ratcheting up its game.

In addition to the worship service and vow renewal that will take place on Sunday, Aug. 6, the event will include an appearance by singer Dustin Weiss, a Nashua native who has performed on some of the top cruise lines in the world, and the introduction of the Little Brown Church Wedding Garden that is being dedicated in honor of the late Marlys Sinnwell, the longtime church secretary.

McHolm said they want to expand the event beyond just people who have been married at the church.

“It celebrates all marriages, and more than anything, Jesse and I – along with the church – want this to be a community event,” he said. “Just like our church, we’re open to everybody.”

When McHolm started as interim pastor at the Little Brown Church five years ago, he figured he’d be there several months while the church’s then-pastor was on sabbatical.

But the former pastor’s sabbatical turned into a resignation and the Little Brown Church asked McHolm to stay.

The church McHolm took over may be the most famous in Iowa.

Built between 1860 and 1864, the church endured tough times in the late 1800s.

The railroad passed by Bradford and, instead, went through Nashua. The town’s flour mill closed, and the town, originally the Chickasaw County seat, slowly disappeared. For a while the church was closed, although the congregation continued to hold Sunday School.

By the early 1900s, the Society for the Preservation of the Little Brown Church was formed. Services began anew at the church, and when the Weatherwax Quartet traveled throughout the U.S. and Canada, it in a sense put the church back on the map with its theme song, “The Church in the Wildwood.”

After World War I, highways were improved and cars brought many visitors to the “Church in the Wildwood,” where a new tradition had started.

When a school superintendent and a merchants’ daughter were married at the church, they rang the church bell.

To date, more than 76,000 couples have exchanged marriage vows at the church. And ringing the bell remains a time-honored tradition.

Much has changed in the past five years at the famous church. And for McHolm, too.

The church merged with the Nashua Community Church in the heart of the county’s second largest city. The old Community Church is now home to the Compass Outreach Center, the Little Brown Church’s youth program and the site of a midweek contemporary service.

The Little Brown Church also has a new associate pastor in Sam Rambo, and weekly attendance at the Little Brown Church has more than doubled in recent years.

“We have a wonderful membership,” McHolm said, “and this is not a Drew McHolm story. This is a Little Brown Church story. We’ve had so many people involved in doing the things we’re doing today.”

The church also has a new look. In addition to much-needed repairs to the outside of the building, the Little Brown Church’s sanctuary underwent renovations in an effort to restore the inside of the church as closely as possible to what it may have looked like in the 1860s.

McHolm has also expanded his ministry. He now also serves as the pastor at St. John’s-Pleasant Hill in rural Nashua and his “Morning Brew with Pastor Drew” – a devotional he began during the days of COVID 19 – not only has been well-received by local residents and church members, but is also watched by folks around the country.

He is also starting a new non-profit “Aim for the Highest” – a new program that will have its own app – for Christian businesspeople and Christian pastors, as well as other Christians.

“I want people to be able to use as much of my stuff as they care to,” he said, and then added with a smile, “and I tell people, steal as much of my stuff as you want, because I probably stole it from someone else first.”

Drew and Jesse are also accomplished singers and musicians who love to perform.

“We have a good life,” said Boatright, who is the head of business development for Foreo, an international health and beauty company based in Sweden.

For a couple, though, that has traveled the world, rural Nashua and the church they serve is now home.

“We have seen signs – visible signs – that God wanted us here,” McHolm said. “As Jesse’s mom always said, the real America is right here. The rural, blue-collar, honest work ethic is very real, and to be a part of this community, this church …”

He paused for a moment and smiled.

“I still may not like the cold and snow; in fact, I can tell you I don’t,” he said, “but God gave us a great gift when he brought us here.”

The Little Brown Church’s 70th annual Marriage Reunion and Vow Renewal Ceremony will begin Saturday, Aug. 5, with a pastor’s reception and continue with events on the following day.

At 9 a.m. Sunday, coffee and donuts will be served and be followed by the 10:15 a.m. Sing-A-Long that is held every Sunday at the church located just outside of Nashua.

The service, which will include the vow renewal, begins at 10:30 a.m., and the afternoon includes lunch on the grounds, musical entertainment by Nashua native Dustin Weiss, the presentation of awards and a host of activities for kids, including a petting zoo.

The church is asking those who plan on attending the Marriage Reunion to register in advance — in large part because the noon meal will be catered by Johnny’s Southern Seafood.

Register online by going to https://forms.gle/NaQbci318dNaYAVeA or going to the church’s Facebook page and following the link to the registration page.