Maplewood Parish is made up of New Hope Presbyterian Church in Hannibal and First Presbyterian Church in Cornell. First Presbyterian Church in Cornell, Wisconsin began in 1913. New Hope Presbyterian began in 1961 when it became the home of three local Presbyterian churches. Jump River, Hannibal and Gilman all combined into one and New Hope Presbyterian in Hannibal, Wisconsin was born.  

Pastor Bev Thompson, Pastor of Maplewood Parish, moved to Wisconsin in 2001 from Heath, Massachusetts and became a Pastor in 2005. Previously she was the Minister of First Presbyterian Church in Winter, Wisconsin.  When asked what she loves about her congregations, Pastor Thompson says, “I enjoy the camaraderie of my congregation.” Pastor Thompson explains about the biggest challenge currently facing her congregation. “I would say attendance. I have an older Church and we don’t have younger people coming.” She cites covid as the reason for some of the attendance struggles as well. “We had some parishioners that went home and stayed home and have never come back to Church,” she replies. Pastor Thompson would love to see area Churches join together for events. “I would like to see more ecumenical activity because we all have things in common but for some reason, we focus on the things we don’t have in common,” she says. 

Presbyterian theology emphasizes the Sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures, and the necessity of Grace through Faith in Christ Jesus.  The Maplewood Parish practices the Apostle’s Creed, which states belief in the Holy Trinity, the Communion of Faith, the forgiveness of sin, the Resurrection of the body and Life Everlasting. 

New Hope Presbyterian hosts dinners at the Strawberry Festival in late June and the Harvest Dinner in Hannibal in October. The Church also loans out medical equipment for free to anyone who needs it, including walkers, wheelchairs and a knee scooter, which is always in demand. Annually on Easter Sunday, New Hope hosts a Sunrise Service at Miller Dam. “Once you’ve experienced it, it’s moving,” Pastor Thompson describes.  Weather permitting this year, New Hope Presbyterian Church is scheduled to host the Sunrise Easter Service at Miller Dam Pavilion at 6:15 am on Sunday, April 9th, 2023, with a potluck breakfast at the Church to follow. 

 New Hope Presbyterian Church has services on Sundays at 8:45 a.m. and uses a digital hymnal for the music during the service. First Presbyterian Church has services on Sundays at 10:30 am and has an organist who plays during the service. 

For more information on Maplewood Parish, you can call 715-550-5720 or email maplewoodparish@centurytel.net.