Farmington christian church History
The Farmington Christian Church Timeline
1867
On October 6th, the Farmington Christian Church (The Church of Christ) was established through the efforts of Elder Pardee Butler, beginning with 23 charter members. Without a dedicated church building, the congregation initially met in the local district schoolhouse. Among the founding families were the Johnsons, Butlers, Mays, Campbells, McElvans, Allisons, and McBrides. J.B. McCleary served as the first evangelist, while Pardee Butler and David Johnson were appointed as the church's first elders.
1870
Z.S. Hastings was chosen as elder.
1889
Records indicate that the officers included Elders W. L. Johnson, Z. S. Hastings, and E. E. May, with W. H. Drollinger and James Jarrett serving as deacons. This leadership structure remained in place as the organization grew, eventually reaching a membership of 222.
1890
The church included families with the following surnames: Fetcher, Jarrett, Armour, Hooper, Jarrell, Higley, Hall, Henneigh, White, Ward, Willming, and Goodrich.
1892
The church ceased to function.
1897
Five years after the previous organization ceased operations, the present church was reorganized. In February, the Rev. W. C. German led a brief meeting in the local schoolhouse, with 15 charter members in attendance, including Wm. Higley, Butler, Hall, Henngigh, and Drollinger.
On March 14th, a Church and Building Committee was elected to oversee the construction of a new church. The committee members were: C.P. Butler, W.H. Caine, A.S. Hall, H.D. Hall, S.F. Wright.
On March 31st, the Farmington Christian Church Corporation was established.
The original trustees were:
- C. P. Butler
- A. S. Hall
- H. D. Hall
- W. G. Higley
- S. F. Wright
On May 2nd, the committee reported that Wm. Gillen had agreed to donate lots for the church site. A soliciting committee was appointed, and by June 6, they had raised $240 to fund the construction.
On July 14th, Brother C. P. Butler proposed inviting Rev. T. M. Meyers to dedicate the new church and conduct revival meetings. That same day, A. S. Hall announced that the railroad company would donate rock for the foundation.
August 4th, construction bids were reviewed, and on August 15, it was reported that a bond for deed had been secured from Wm. Gillen and his wife. The committee awarded the building contract to J. L. Jones for $1,000, excluding the foundation.
September 5th, the foundation was completed.
October 3rd, the first regular business meeting was held in the new, though unfinished, church building.
On October 20th, the Rev. T. M. Meyers of Kansas City conducted the dedicatory services, with Brother S. F. Wright serving as pastor during the event. By the close of the revival meetings, church membership had grown to 25.
1898-1900
Part-time preaching was provided by Brothers S. F. Wright and W. A. Nickell, while revival meetings were conducted by Rev. R. A. Thompson and Rev. W. H. Warren. As a result of these efforts, the membership grew to 52.
1901-1903
Rev. I. W. Cameron served faithfully as minister of the church, during which time several individuals, including our current prominent member W. D. Crick, joined the congregation.
Additionally, Elder H. E. Ballou conducted a series of highly successful meetings, resulting in the addition of 15 new members and bringing the total church membership to 74.
1904 -1906
During these years, regular Lord’s Day services were held, including Sunday School, communion, and social gatherings. Elder Doak served as the church’s part-time minister.
In 1906, he agreed to preach one Sunday each month for a year, with compensation set at $150.00—or as much as the congregation could raise.
Under his pastorate, five new members were added to the church.
1907-1909
Rev. Oldham served as the church’s part-time minister until the fall of 1909. Following his departure, Elder O. J. Bennett took over the ministry. During the winter, he conducted a highly successful revival meeting, resulting in the addition of 40 new members to the congregation.
1910
The Rev. R. H. Murphy preached for the church on a part-time schedule, though no new members were added during his tenure.
1911
Throughout the year, Brother F. B. Ward, a student minister from the University of Kansas, faithfully ministered to the church. In September, Brother S. W. Nay from Kansas City held a highly impactful meeting, resulting in the addition of 21 new members to the congregation.
1912-1916
In 1912, Brother Ward was invited to continue his ministry for another year, which he accepted, serving through the first half of the year. Brothers A.D. Finch and J. E. Stevens completed his term. In November and December of 1913, Brother R. H. Murphey held a revival meeting that resulted in the addition of 21 new members. The following year, 1914, Reverend Presley Gordon led a meeting, welcoming 11 new members. Reverend E. Seibental then conducted a successful meeting in 1915 and continued his ministry with the church until 1918.
1916
In December, Brother F. H. Schmitt and his wife, from Wichita, conducted one of the most successful meetings, resulting in the addition of 40 new members.
1917
In August Brother F. H. Schmitt returned and held a meeting with less success.
1918
Rev. A.J. Carruck of Clyde, Kansas, served as the summer preacher for the church. Brother F.J. Payne became the first to reside in the newly completed parsonage, which was officially dedicated on July 7th.
1919
F.J. Payne’s pastorate continued until May of this year. During the summer, F.O. Resinenger, a student from Drake, served as a guest preacher for part of the season. In October, Brother O.F. Barnard arrived from Osbourn, Kansas, and served as pastor until October of 1922.
1921
O.F. Barnard invited Brother E.T. McFarland of Lawrence, Kansas, to lead a revival meeting in November and December. As a result of the meeting, 23 new members were added to the church, bringing the total membership to 198.
1922
In October, F.J. Carr began preaching and added two new members to the church.
1924-1925
Julian Stewart served as the minister during this period. Under his leadership, the church made significant improvements, including the purchase of new pews, chairs, and individual communion cups. Prior to this, a single glass was passed around to the entire congregation during communion.
1926-1928
During this period, Rev. Pliney Elliot served as the minister. The church had a membership of 124 individuals.
A significant development was the installation of the light, plant, which improved facilities and marked a step forward in modernization.
Many longtime members fondly recall the revival meetings held in the latter part of the 1920’s. These events were led by various evangelists and brought the congregation together for spiritual renewal and fellowship.
A Particularly cherished memory from these revivals involves the musical Jones family, who formed an orchestra that performed during the two-week meetings. The family stayed in the basement of the schoolhouse during their visit, and their music and presence left a lasting impression on the congregation.
1930
Sam Jones, a passionate speaker from Kentucky, conducted numerous revival meetings during this period. His wife, a gifted song leader, knew every hymn by heart and never relied on a hymnal. While in the area, they stayed at the home of John Keas. Around the same time, Presley Gordon of Rushville, Missouri, also led a meeting, during which a significant number of young people joined the church.
1933-1937
Clayton Hildebrand served as minister until 1935. He was succeeded by Brother Aten, who served from 1935 to 1936, followed by Fred Siegmund, who held the position from 1936 to 1937.
1940
Warren Dittemore served as the minister during this time. In October, electricity was installed in both the church and the parsonage by the Light Company of Atchison.
1941-1942
B.B. Nicholas served as the minister.
1943
Walter Meyers served as the minister.
1945 -1949
H.F. Kern served as the minister during this period. In 1947, the church celebrated a Jubilee Year and Homecoming. The event featured guest speaker O.F. Barnard and special music provided by a talented choir, directed by Mrs. Virginia Thorne. In 1949, a basement was constructed for the church, with much of the labor carried out by young men from the congregation, including the Thorne boys, Dan Teare, Bud Pike, the Hall boys, the Butler boys, Glen McCue, and the Higley boys. The new basement was officially dedicated on November 27th.
1950 -1956
Orville Evans served as minister from 1950 to 1953, followed by Robert (Bob) Wagner, who held the position from 1953 to 1956.
1957
Warren Jackson served as minister during this time. A second reunion was held, featuring a sextet of young girls who performed special music. The group included Sally Thorne, Sandra Botkin, Billie Zeek, Ann Dockweiler, Nancy Linscott, and Joyce Toney, with Virginia Thorne serving as their leader.
1960-1967
Bill Baker served as minister from 1960 to 1961, followed by Leslie Collins, who ministered in 1961. Richard Brooks held the position from 1962 to 1964, and Mike Williams served as minister from 1965 to 1967.
1968-1976
Tim McFarland served as minister from 1968 to 1973, followed by Rusty Marts, who ministered during the transitional period of 1972 to 1973. Ora Martindale then took over as minister from 1973 to 1976. On October 3, 1976, a Homecoming celebration was held in honor of the church's community.
1980-1996
Chris Cassel and E. Evans served jointly as ministers from 1980 to 1982. Charles Brown then served as minister from 1986 to 1989, followed by Don G. Jewett, who took on the role in 1989.
1996
Don G. Jewett served as minister from 1989 to 1996. On October 6, 1996, a Founder’s Day Celebration was held to commemorate the church’s history.
June 2012
Due to lack of members the Farmington Christian Church was closed.
