The Historic Church
The History of Cairo Church is interwoven in the history of the developing pioneer Ohio. Allen County was created in 1820 and organized in 1833. At that time, Ohio was basically a wilderness in the beginning stages of development and settlement. Under the Treaty of Greenville (1795), most of Northwest Ohio was reserved for Native Americans. The Native Americans were relocated to reservations with the treaty of Maumee Rapids about 1877, which left this area open to settlement by Europeans.
In 1833 Michael Martz, an elder in the Christian Church movement, brought together a group of people in the Cairo, Ohio area who began worshiping together. This early movement placed major emphasis on the individual’s relationship to God and declared the Bible as the rule and guide for faith and action. Originally Martz would visit school houses and homes where children were gathered informing them of the place and times of worship. Children carried the information to their parents and a simple house-church was born. The first church building was established in about 1855. In 1890 the church moved to the present site.
Since our founding in 1833, the church has come full circle. In over 150 years the church has changed names and denominational affiliations several times. In 2006 the church separated from all denominational affiliation and became independent. Returning to their faith heritage, they renamed themselves simply Cairo Christian Church.
The church remains somewhat traditional, yet informal. As a congregation, we seek to maintain a position with emphasis on individual, personal spiritual growth using the Bible as the ultimate authority for our lives.