Reily Presbyterian Church

04/25/2026

It has been a beautiful day for our Pork Chop supper, we are blessed to have seen everyone today and have officially sold out of the 200 smoked pork chops that we cooked. It has been a very successful day.

04/21/2026

Only 5 more days until the Annual Reily Presbyterian Church Smoked Pork Chop Supper!!!! Come out to Reily this Saturday, April 25, 2026 from 4-7 p.m. and enjoy a home cooked meal.

Also buy a chance to win this year Quilt! 1 for $1 or 6 for $5.

If unable to attend but still want to buy a chance you can send payment to Venmo or PayPal to Amanda Egbert, see information in photos.

All monies raised go to our mission to support local charities.

11/18/2025

A little mention of Reily Presbyterian Church.

Part 2 of Grave by Grave: The Venice History Hunt — where we choose random stones and uncover the stories behind them.
Todays pick is:

THE SHADOW PASTOR OF VENICE:

The Reverend Who Built a Three-Church Empire… and Walked the Dangerous Path of the Underground Railroad.

Most people in Ross Township walk through Venice Cemetery without realizing a quiet giant rests there — a man whose footsteps shaped churches, communities, and one of the most dangerous movements in American history.

This is Rev. Adam Baird Gilliland (1794–1885) — the man who turned a handful of frontier congregations into a Presbyterian powerhouse, with Venice at the center of gravity.

Gilliland didn’t come up on soft land.
He came out of Hillsboro, hardened, trained, and already known as a preacher who could command a room. By the time he reached Butler County, he stepped straight into the pulpit at Bethel Presbyterian near Millville, becoming one of the strongest voices in the region.

And then something rare happened:

Three churches — Bethel, Venice, and Reily — became linked through his ministry.

He, alongside another minister, guided three congregations at once.
That wasn’t normal.
That wasn’t easy.
That wasn’t safe.

But Gilliland didn’t blink.

When Venice Presbyterian needed leadership after its early years, Gilliland moved in and became the stabilizing force, turning Venice into the central hub of his preaching circuit. People rode miles by wagon or horseback just to hear his sermons. He didn’t build Venice Presbyterian, but just a few years after the church’s first pastor, Rev. Thomas Thomas, passed away, it grew into something truly significant under his leadership.

It became alive.
It became known.
It became his.

And while the churches grew… so did another shadow network.

The Underground Railroad.

This was no side project.
No small-town rumor.
This was danger at a level where one wrong knock could end your life.

Gilliland’s congregations sat right in the region where abolitionist routes threaded through Butler County. His churches - including Venice Presbyterian — weren’t loud about it — they were quiet, coded, trusted. And ministers like Gilliland didn’t just preach conscience… they shaped it. They taught duty. They taught courage. They taught right from wrong even when the law disagreed.

Gilliland walked among people who opened barns, cellars, and wagon beds to freedom seekers—something woven into him since childhood, watching his father, Rev. James Gilliland, fight slavery from the pulpit and from his own doorstep. His father had sheltered fugitives, guided them, and preached boldly against bo***ge when it was dangerous to do so. And beside Rev. Adam Gilliland stood his wife, Sarah, whose own quiet involvement and trusted family ties made her a steady, unseen force in the same hidden chain of rescue.

And he inspired all.

This wasn’t just a preacher.

This was a movement-builder.
A community-shaper.
A man whose influence ran under the surface like a hidden river.

Now he lies in Venice Cemetery, no grand monument, no statue, just a name carved in stone — and a legacy that most of the town has completely forgotten.

Not anymore.

09/30/2025

We can’t wait to you all in 5 more days until the annual Soup and Sandwich supper!!!

This is the quilt for 2025 Soup and Sandwich supper raffle.

Please join us Saturday October 4th from 4-7 p.m. the winning raffle ticket will be drawn at 7p.m.

Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5. You can Venmo Amanda Egbert at -Egbert-5, phone ends in 1579
Or PayPal at

04/10/2025

Please join us on Saturday, April 26th, 2025, from 4 p.m. to 7p.m. for our Smoked Pork Chop Supper. See details below

03/28/2025

Please join the Reily Township Good Neighbors and the Reily Presbyterian Church on Saturday, April 12, 2025 at 1 p.m. for an Easter egg hunt. Please see the flyer below for further details.

12/13/2024

Please join us in sending prayers to the family Jean Eich. Jean has been a member for Reily Presbyterian for many years and will be deeply missed by all.

Share Memories & Support the Family.

10/01/2024

This is the quilt for 2024 Soup and Sandwich supper raffle.

Please join us Saturday October 5th from 4-7 p.m. the winning raffle ticket will be drawn at 7p.m.

Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5. You can Venmo Amanda Egbert at -Egbert-5, phone ends in 1579
Or PayPal at

09/24/2024

It's that time of the year again...Please join us on Saturday, October 5th from 4 to 7p.m. for our annual Soup and Sandwich Supper and Quilt Raffle.

Funds raised help further our mission by contributing to local charities.

08/31/2024

Stop in at the Hammond House tomorrow, Sunday September 1st from 1-3pm to purchase your Reily School Vintage T. Proceeds will go towards sustaining the Hammond House Museum. Payment can be cash (exact is appreciated) or check made out to Reily Township Historical Society.

08/15/2024

This Sunday. August 18th church services will be held at the Indian Creek Metropark shelter at 6500 Springfield Rd. Oxford, OH 45056. Services will be at 10a.m.

We will be having a fellowship meal following the Sunday services.

03/22/2024

Please come out to Reily on Saturday, April 13th from 4-7 for a delicious meal with a slice of homemade pie for dessert! Meals are $15 per person. Meal includes a smoked pork chop, choice of scalloped or baked potatoes, green beans, applesauce, coleslaw, dinner rolls, drink and a big slice of homemade pie for dessert.

Quilt raffle tickets $1 each or 6 for $5. Drawing at 7 p.m.

Funds raised help further our mission by contributing to local charities.

6370 Reily-Peoria Road
Oxford, OH. 45056