Saline County’s oldest Methodist congregation will mark its bicentennial this weekend with an ice cream social.

Smith Chapel United Methodist Church outside Napton was established in 1824, predating most municipalities in Saline County. Betty Thomas has attended the church from youth and says Smith Chapel reaching 200 years is a testament to the community’s faith.

The church was originally known as the Jonesboro Methodist Congregation and included as its earliest preachers Jesse Green and Justinian Williams, cabinet makers who mentored a teen-aged apprentice named George Caleb Bingham. A permanent chapel was built in 1857 with funds and land donated by Crawford Smith, with the current structure built in 1895 after a fire destroyed the first building.

Thomas says everyone is welcome to attend Sunday’s celebration.

Smith Chapel United Methodist Church is located four miles east of U.S. Route 65 on Route H.