The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-09-20
Tells of Growth of the Chris
tian Church.
GIVES HISTORICAL FACTS
First Christian Church in Okla
homa Was at Guthrie.

Morgan of FL Reno the growth of the
Christian church in Oklahoma was re
lated. The address in part was as fol
lows:
Everything In this world has had lis
| beginning.
The Christian church In Oklahoma
had. it's beginning. Time? Sunday, tbs
9Th day of May, 1889. Place? The city OF
Guthrie. Locality? Near the banks OF
the Cottonwood, about 200 feet northwest
| OF the Santa Fe station. Event? The
organization of the first Christian church
in Oklahoma. The credit of directing this
| organization must be awarded to oul
present efficient and faithful correspond
| ing secretary, j. NJ Monroe. Some fir
teen persons were present. That was an
| important event. The occasion was his
! torical. The participants realized it not
| There were no formalities. no show OF
ostentation, no pomp. display or cere-
mony. The service was characterized by
humility, simplicity and devotion. The
meeting was held in small frame shack.
constructed OF rougt lumber, and was
without paint, plastering or paper. The
sunbeams poured through the unbatton-
ed cracks. and through the many crevices
gently whistled the Oklahoma zephyrs.
There were no pews, no chairs, no car
pet, no curtain, no furniture-no embel-
lishment of any kind. Plain boards on
boxes answered for pews. The only plat
form the speaker had was his platform
of principles. The building was covered
with rough boards and all who entered
therein that day were for once in on
the ground floor.
Contrast that small. plain, inexpensive
insignificant structure with the mag
nif1cent church edifice in which We are
convened tonight-a building constructed
and furnished at a cost of SIS, 0O0 freely
and voluntarily given by the Christian
people Of this city-a building that re-
fleets great credit upon the people of this
entire territory and stands as a monu-
ment to Christianity. Compare that
meeting, on the banks of the Cottonwood,
with this brilliant assemblage of 500 peo-
pie coming from all parts OF the terri
tory to further advance the work in
augurated under such different circum-
stances fourteen years ago.
These two pictures, thrown on the
canvis side by side, wildly illustrate the
different stages of our development and
the remarkable growth of our people.
We have in the territory today over 800
organized churches. In Woods county
alone we have thirty-f1ve organized
churches. We have erected over 100
church buildings. We have invested in
church property over a quarter of a mil
r. 1IrA r.. Co.
county in the territory we have eleven
organizations and 600 members. We have
In the territory a total membership of
over 1900.
81 speak not in a boasting spirit. My
object is to give encouragement for fu-
ture work and enable us to obtain a
brodder conception Of our duties, obi
cations, responsibilities and opportuni-
ties.
Our growth has not been the result of
luck, chance or accident 1t has come
naturally from existing conditions and
intelligent forces at work. In construct
ing house you must be supplied with
building material. In organizing churches
you must also have material-Christian
men and women, ready to enter and sup
port the organization. In this we have
been greatly favored. Oklahoma has
been populated largely by enigra ton
from states where the Christian church
is numerically strong. Every rush
brought thousands Of our people to Ok
lahoms. Members of the Christian
church are numerous among the first set
tiers Of every section of our territory.
This gave us an abundance of material
with which to organize churches. Out
cities have been growing with wonderful
rapidity. Year by year new material has
been delivered TO US. In this way, our
churches have been recruited and
strengthened. Other things have had to
do with our growth. A field OF corn.
ready for harvest. suggests seed soil.
sunshine and showers. 1t also suggests
an intelligent being who planned, planted
and cultivated the crop. God produces
the seed: He made the soil; He gives the
sunshine. and He sends the showers. Men
must plan. plant and cultivate. So hui
man agencies, Gods chosen instruments.
have contributed TO our present strength.
The Home Missionary society has been
a potent agency in establishing churches
in Oklahoma Through the appropria-
tons OF this society We have kept one
man in the field organizing new churches,
securing church lots. raising money. hold
ing protracted meetings, locating pastors.
directing evangelists. dedicating churches
and acting as general superintendent OF
the territorial work. Since 1920 the Home
society has contributed about $500 TO
the Oklahoma work. During these same
years the churches OF Oklahoma have
contributed to this society only sI.3si52.
The Church Extension society has
been another powerful factor in building
our churches. Since 1880 the Church Ex-
tension board has loaned TO Oklahoma
churches ss7.ls4zs making forty-four
loans 10 forty-one different churches: OF
this sum sS.fs.eo has been repaid. leaving
sls.7fSD due the society from Oklahoma
churches, During ali these years the Ok
lahoma churches have contributed 20 this
society only ss7s A. With one or two ex-
eeptions. the Church Extension society
has never refused call for help from an
Oklahoma church. without the aid Of
the Church Extension society our church
buildings would have been fewer in num-
Der and much inferior IN quality The
Church Extension board has enabled Us
70 build more churches and better
churches
mo comparison should be made be-
tween the work o, the Home Board and
the work Of the Church Extension soci-
ETY.. One Is the complement Of the ether.
The Home Board is the forersa2er II
prepares the way for the WORK o. TIE