First Presbyterian Church: Two churches in 140 years

Special to the Courier

The First Presbyterian Church of Winfield will celebrate its 140th birthday on Jan. 19, 2013.

During 2013, the church will mark the occasion with a variety of events. The congregation will also honor seven members with 40 or more years service as a ruling elder, five members with 40 or more years of service as a deacon, two people with over 70 years of membership, 14 people with over 60 years of membership and 23 people with over 50 years of membership.

Please join the Rev. Angela Madden and the church family in celebration of worship on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. following Sunday school classes at 9. Celebrations of fellowship precede Sunday school class time and follow Sunday worship services. Everyone is also invited to join the church?s Peter?s Promise community meal offered on Wednesday evening from 5 to 6.

History of the church

The church had its beginning in the late fall of 1872. In November of that year, the Rev. A.R. Naylor arrived in Winfield, having been sent here to the young settlement by the superintendent of Home Missions of the Presbyterian Church in Kansas. He arrived in Winfield on Saturday only to find that there was no suitable place for holding services.

There was only one building in the town big enough to hold religious services, and that was occupied by the saloon. He went to the saloon keeper and told him what he had come to town for. The saloon keeper at once offered him the use of the bar room for the Sunday services.

Later services were held in a wagon maker?s shop, a sod school house and the courthouse. Rev. Naylor conducted regular services and formally organized the church on Jan. 19, 1873, with 35 charter members. The next week a board of trustees was elected, and a building committee was appointed.

James Platter came to Winfield in June 1873 at the age of 26 to be pastor. He began the building of the church during the grasshopper year of 1874, and before completing it, he and his mother had furnished a very large part of the cost of the building, erected at the northeast corner of 10th and Millington. The lots and foundation cost $700 and the estimated cost of the building was $4,000. The church was to be 42 feet wide and 62 feet long. The Methodists and Presbyterians began work on their churches about the same time and raced to see which congregation could complete its structure first. A storm destroyed the cupola on the Methodist church, making it necessary to replaster the auditorium, and the Presbyterians won.

In 1898, a major remodeling project took place. Between 1907 and 1908, the church approved plans for a new building at 11th and Millington due to the growing congregation. Membership was 510 with 460 enrolled in Sunday school.

A cornerstone of the new building was laid on July 14, 1912, and included: A church building program; program of Winfield Chautauqua Assembly for 1912; a copy of the Winfield Daily Courier; a copy of the Daily Free Press; and a roll of church officers and church membership including members of the building committee.

The stained glass windows in the sanctuary are a beautiful addition.

On the Sunday they moved to the new church building, the Sunday school classes met in the old church and marched by classes to the new building.

The congregation has supported three missionaries from the congregation: Miss Mary E. Cogdel, teacher from 1890 to 1932 in Shanghai, China, and Everett and Lucy Murray, doctor and teacher from 1920 to 1957 in Weihsien, China, and in 1942 they worked in a hospital in Ambala, Punjab, North India. In 1920 the church also supported Janet Hodson to missions in India. The children of the primary Sunday school class also supported Hodson by collecting buffalo nickels each Sunday, enabling her to buy a water buffalo for her school. Today the church has a college scholarship fund named for Ms. Hodson.

In 1923, the 50th anniversary of the congregation was celebrated with a week of service, and the next year the mortgage papers of all indebtedness were burned.

Laying the cornerstone for the new Christian education building was part of the morning service on May 21, 1953.

An extensive remodeling of the front of the sanctuary took place in 1952, as a new Moller four-manual organ and chimes were given to the church. The sanctuary interior was again remodeled in 1972.

The church has accepted responsibility for taking under their care five adults who have entered the ministry.

In 1947, members of the Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church northwest of Winfield merged with First Presbyterian Church of Winfield. The Walnut Valley Presbyterian Church north of Winfield merged with first church April 14, 1971.

Choirs for all ages, orchestras, bells, camps, conferences, mission tours, mission work trips, meals for the community, helping with the Habitat homes and crop walks are just a few of the activates for young and old.

The congregation has been blessed with 25 ministers during these 140 years and welcomed with opened arms the Rev. Angela Dionne Madden who came in September of this past year.

For more information on the church events and services, please stop by the church office at 1101 Millington or call 221-4500.

The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of winfieldcourier.com.

We encourage your feedback and dialog, all comments will be reviewed by our Web staff before appearing on the Web site.

Source: http://www.winfieldcourier.com/articles/2013/01/17/people/people/doc50f776282635b585502226.txt

Russell Means Taylor Swift Red Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 2 celiac disease san francisco giants Medal of Honor Warfighter Richard Mourdock