The story begins in 1827.  It was in that year that the first group of Friends met in the home of Eli Overman.  In 1828 the first meetinghouse in Marion was a log structure built on the northwest corner of what is now the Estates of Serenity (IOOF) Cemetery.  In 1832 the group was officially recognized as Mississinewa Monthly Meeting of Friends, having been set off by New Garden Quarterly Meeting near Richmond.  The meeting continued to grow with many of its members moving to the town of Marion.  This made it necessary to establish the Marion Monthly Meeting in 1870.

The first meetinghouse was a wood-frame building located just south of the existing facility at 1501 South Adams Street (although Adams Street did not exist).  In 1884 a new brick meetinghouse was constructed that faced north on South Adams Street between 15th and 16th Streets.  This structure was remodeled and enlarged in 1914.  A new brick parsonage was built in 1930 just south of the meetinghouse.  An educational annex was added in 1961, and the basement was enlarged to make the building the size and design that it is today.

Live broadcasting of 45 minutes of the Sunday morning worship service over radio station WBAT at 11:00 a.m. was begun in 1947 and still continues today.

In spite of a past century of which the meeting could be justifiably proud, First Friends Church found itself having to face some crucial decisions as it looked to the future.  As a result of an intensive Church Growth Study made in 1970, it was apparent that if First Friends Church was to continue to exist, and thus fulfill its purpose of serving its membership and the larger Marion community, the meeting would have to relocate.  A Task Force was appointed in September of 1976 to consider possible sites, building plans, cost for relocation, and to make recommendations to Monthly Meeting.

On December 15, 1977, Marion Monthly Meeting approved the purchase of a seven acre tract of land at 2211 North Wabash Avenue as the site for the future home of the church.  On May 10, 1978 the purchase was finalized, and the property was acquired.  After three years of research, preparation and planning, ground was broken on September 9, 1979 at the location of the present facility.

After less than a year, a Moving Day Service was held on Sunday, August 24, 1980 in which the Meeting for Worship was begun at 1501 South Adams Street.  The congregation then moved by procession of automobiles to the new facility for this historic service to be continued and completed.

A Dedication Service was held Sunday, September 21, 1980 with Dr. D. Elton Trueblood bringing the message.  A Week of Dedication Celebration was carried out with services each night just as was done with the dedication of the remodeled meetinghouse at 1501 South Adams Street in 1915.

It is with deep appreciation for our heritage that we all look forward to the future years of Marion First Friends.  Many dedicated and selfless servants of God make up the Marion First Friend heritage.  The present generation has been privileged to build a new meeting place wherein we can continue to worship God after the manner of Friends, and out of which can go forth ministries of love and compassion.  The church that gathers in the meetinghouse at 2211 North Wabash Avenue, Marion, Indiana, is built upon the foundation of devotion and duty as lived and expressed in the lives of that greater family of First Friends that reaches back into the past.

To our God and Father, our Saviour Jesus Christ, and our Divine Companion the Holy Spirit, be our thanksgiving and praise for having brought us thus far, for blessing us with a beautiful meetinghouse, and for beckoning us into an exciting new future.