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About Us

 

   The First Christian Church started in 1859. The exact month and day of the organization has been lost. It is known that John Freemont and Solomon G. Brown did some evangelistic work in the Iola area in the 1850’s. 
 
  
    In 1859 Hamilton Phillips, from Emporia, Kansas, came to Iola community and helped with organizing The First Christian Church. The early church must have met in home of members as no records could be found. 
 
  
    The Civil War disrupted the progress of the early church so the church was reorganized in 1881 and began holding regular meetings in the Allen County Courthouse. 
 

   The first church building was erected in 1883-84 at Sycamore and Broadway. It was a small one story framed building and served the congregation for 20 years. 

  Picture from Pictorial History of Allen County
   The church you see above was built and was dedicated     March 6, 1904 at a cost $8,700. The Sanctuary could seat       about 400. The church grew so fast that it was soon          apparent that they needed more space. A $5,000 annex          was added on the east. 

    The Church was destroyed by a fire December 26, 1943.          The Church was insured for $28,500 but the loss was $50,000. The Church service was held at Jefferson School Auditorium until a new building could be erected. The old l      ocation was sold and a new site purchased at the corner of Buckeye and East Street. About half the money was raised            to build the New Church Building prior to the dedication day        of November 14, 1948. On that day pledges were made of $18,600 and an additional $35,000 was borrowed from a National Agency of the Christian Church.

  The building, you see at the right, includes a brick sanctuary and a frame educational annex. The two units were valued in excess of $125,000. The last note on this building was burned September 20, 1954. 
 
 
 
 During the 149 years of the church’s history many Pastors have served this church and many members have come and gone, but the church is still here and will be building a new church in the new future. The church is the oldest Christian Church in Southeast Kansas and the third oldest in the state. It has a lot of history that will hopefully live on in years to come.

   This picture was in the Iola Register Oct. 31, 1975
  Our future Church

  We posted the sign at the site of our new 

  church property on August 8, 2007. 
 

Here is the design for our New Church.          

We hope to break ground soon!