Leavenworth County Churches
First Christian Church, Leavenworth
"History of Leavenworth County," 1921
The few members who stood for the restoration of the New Testament Church in creed, ordinance and life were organized into a church in the summer of 1855. Elder William S. Yohe
was the leader and the first minister of the congregation. He had been
a captain in the United States Army and received honorable discharge
at Fort Leavenworth in 1845. He was one of the early settlers and became one of the leading citizens of these early days. A Christian Church
at Little Stranger and at Nine Mile were also organized through his
ministry.
The first building was a small frame building on the south side of
Shawnee between Second and Third streets, erected in 1855. This was
destroyed in the big fire of Leavenworth in 1857. In 1859 the present
location was secured and the brick church erected at a cost of $7,300.
The first trustees were J. C. Stone, William S. Yohe, J. P. Marshall, B. S.
Richards and George Fisher.
The signers of the charter secured in 1858 were Elder J. B. McCleery,
Julia McCleery, Dr. E. W. Younkin, R. A. Lovitt, B. S. Richards, W. B.
Halyard, Sallie L. Halyard, Dr. J. P. Marshall, J. W. Renfrow, Clara Bell,
Eleanor T. Kelly, Elizabeth M. Wilson and Mary Renfrow.
The following ministers have served the church since Elder Yohe:
A. A. Bartholomew, John F. Rodgers, John O'Kane, Calvin Reasoner,
James J. Sloan, J. P. Bauserman, F. M. Rains, Sumner T. Martin, Elder
Underwood, Leslie Drake, Benton Bowen, W T illiam H. Embry, T. L. Myers,
James S. Myers, S. W. Nay, W. J. Dodge, E. L. Cunningham, H. L. Davenport, B. E. Parker, Ernest Seibenthal, Bert E. Stover.
The church building has been improved many times. The lots cornering on Sixth Street and Seneca were secured in recent years. A neat
parsonage has been erected. Th church building has also been improved
at an expenditure of $4,000 in the past two years.
The trustees of the church elected in 1920 were A. P. Flack, O. J.
Snyder, Carl Holman, W. A. Strean and G. F. W. Knuth. The Bible
School superintendent is W. A. Strean.
The present (1921) pastor, Elder Bert E. Stover, after a year in welfare
work with the American Expeditionary Forces in France, began his ministry here in October, 1919.
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