The Methodist movement reached Janesville in 1837, when a traveling minister began preaching under a large oak at the corner of Main and Milwaukee, the current location of Johnson Bank. Later, another circuit rider preached in local tavern to about a dozen people.
By the mid-20th century, what had become Cargill Methodist Church was one of the largest Methodist congregations in Wisconsin, which remains true to this day.
Over the years, it is a congregation that has mirrored Janesville’s economy and growth, the national economy and family/societal changes.