THE HISTORY OF A BALDWIN CITY CHURCH: CLEARFIELD UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

 Student researchers were Jennifer Miller, Kyle Michalski, Jose Mota, and Luis Yanez (2005)

 

Editor: Dr. George Wiley, Baker University

Photographs

Introduction 

  1. What are the religious organizations of Baldwin City? See http://www.bakeru.edu/faculty/gwiley/baldwinchurcheslist.htm.

  2. Has work on this church's history already been done?  Is there a written history of the church?  If yes to either question, find out more so you don't duplicate someone else's efforts.

Yes, a written history exists. It has not been updated since 1975.

  1. What People In This Church Know About Its History?
         There are quite a few people in the church who know the history. They have grown up in this congregation and have studied its history. The written history was done by Jean Reynolds, Irene Brecheisen, and E.J. Selzer. We interviewed Pastor Priscilla Davies, Jean Reynolds, Deanna (Sturm) Merrifield, and Tom Swain and had casual interviews with church members after worship services.

 

  1. What Written Documents Or Artifacts Are Available?

We had access to the written history of the church and the United Methodist Women’s meeting minutes. Tom Swain has been working on updating the church history, and he supplied us with pictures and newspaper articles.

 

  1. How Did The Church Get Started?

In 1854, Kansas was organized as a territory. Among the early settlers were German-speaking families who had come from the eastern parts of the United States. They were members of an Evangelical Church. They wished to have their own church. Many appeals were made to the Church through the Christian Botschafter and Evangelical Messenger. The church was actually started in 1858, when Rev. G. Fleisher, a circuit rider, was sent to Kansas and began a small mission in Franklin. He left Franklin, came to Clearfield, and organized a class, which became a part of the Franklin Mission. The early church meetings took place in people’s homes, and the first camp meetings took place in the summer of 1861. They continued to use homes to meet for worship and eventually built a log cabin school house that was used for Sunday services. The original church building was built in 1880 and still exists today. (Clearfield Church History)

 

  1. Who were the founders?

Peter Brecheisen, William Brecheisen, George Meeder, Ben Kramer, George Hausman, and their wives were early settlers and charter members.

 

  1. Why did they decide to start a church?
    The German settlers in the community had a desire to have their own church. Their goal was to get a charter for the startup of an Evangelical Church.

 

  1. Has the church existed in other buildings than the present one? What were they?
    The early church meetings took place in people’s homes, and the first camp meetings took place in the summer of 1861. Participants continued to use homes for worship and eventually built a log cabin school house that the church used for Sunday services. The current church building dates from 1880. The building went through many improvements during the early 1900s. Some of those improvements consisted of building a balcony and replacing acetylene lights with gas lights. The entire sanctuary was remodeled in 1917 and was refinished again in 1945. The year 1956 saw the arrival of a furnace. In 1968 an addition was built onto the existing church and is used for Sunday school classes, meetings, and fellowship dinners. In 1972, the sanctuary was refinished again, new pews were added, and a center aisle was created. The latest improvement at the Clearfield Church is the replacement of all the windows. The members have dreams of building a fellowship hall just west of the church. (Clearfield Church History)

 

  1. How have major historical events affected the church? Examples: "Bleeding Kansas," the Civil War-World War I-World War II-Korean conflict-Vietnam War, economic crises (like the Great Depression), changes in agriculture, the civil rights movement.
    The settlers came in 1854, and the Civil War definitely had an effect on them. Many men of the church went off to fight and left many women home alone to raise their families. This situation affected the beginnings of the church. Also, William Quantrill’s raiders marauded in the area before and during the War, burning the nearby town of Lawrence. The attack on Lawrence affected the church because the members were commercially connected to the town. World War I had the biggest effect on the church, because its members spoke German. The war made people in the congregation want to stop speaking German, and they eventually adopted English. By the time World War II began, the people of the community wanted to forsake their German roots because of the conflict with Germany. However, they have continued to keep their German heritage by having a German festival every year. The last major historical event that has significantly affected the life of the church was the Great Depression. This event changed the community’s way of life. Everyone had depended on farming to make a living, and when the Great Depression hit, a lot of people moved away to find other means of survival. This event reduced the number of members in the church.

 

  1. What people have been influential in the life of the church over time? (other than the founders). These people might include a particularly beloved pastor (or a particularly unpopular one) or a lay leader.
    Johnny Selser, a lay person, instilled confidence in everyone. He was committed to the church and a steady influence during conflicts. Another member of the church who was influential was George Sturm. He continued to live the traditional life of his ancestors. He was a faithful member who believed in the religious values of the church and a lifetime member who attended the church for 100 years.

 

  1. What controversies has the church experienced?
    The biggest controversy the Clearfield United Methodist Church faced was changing from an Evangelical United Brethren (EUB) Church to a United Methodist Church in 1968. At that time, the Evangelical United Brethren denomination merged with the Methodist Church. The Clearfield church had been EUB for over 100 years, and members were concerned about what they perceived to be the liberal policies of the Methodists. It was a difficult transition for members, because they felt they lost their identity and part of their history.

 

  1. What gives the church its particular identity or flavor? What makes it different from other Baldwin City churches or from other churches in its denomination?
    The Clearfield United Methodist Church is different because it is a rural church. Also, it has an ethnic heritage, observed in the German Festival every Christmas. The church has families who have been part of the church since 1858. Members are very close and see each other during the week. They stay in touch with what goes on in each other’s lives.

 

  1. What Is The Mission / Purpose Of The Church?
     
  2. How Has The Church Ministered To The Baldwin City Community?

The church supports the Community Emergency Fund of Baldwin City churches. The church is involved in mission work locally and globally, because of the involvement of the church in United Methodist Women.

 

  1. How Has The Church Ministered Beyond the Baldwin City Community?
    The church ministers to the surrounding communities of Eudora, Wellsville, Baldwin City, and Vinland. The church belongs to the Trailside Parish, a consortium of United Methodist Churches in the Five Rivers District, and is involved in programs like Round Up for Hunger and Neighbors Helping Neighbors

 

  1. What contact or involvement has this church had with other churches in Baldwin City?
    The Clearfield United Methodist Church works with other churches of the Trailside Parish. Clearfield United Methodist and Ives Chapel United Methodist in Baldwin City share a pastor and do joint programs like Vacation Bible School.

 

  1. Is the church connected to a judicatory body? (annual conference, archdiocese, etc.) If so, what kind of relations has the church had with its judicatory body?
    Clearfield Church is connected to its district and to the General Conference and Kansas East Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. All ministers in the United Methodist Church are appointed by a Bishop and are to live by the Book of Discipline. The Clearfield United Methodist Church belongs to the Kansas East Annual Conference, the Five Rivers District, and the Trailside Parish. It sends representatives to Annual Conference every summer at Baker University. The judicatory body governs the church.

 

  1. What is the church's polity (how does it govern itself, how do decisions get made)? Are decisions up to the congregation only? Are others involved?
    The Clearfield United Methodist Church is governed by the Kansas East Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. The congregation makes decisions through its parish committees.

 

  1. What was the toughest thing the church ever went through?
    The toughest thing this church has ever gone through was the transition from being an Evangelical United Brethren Church to a United Methodist Church.

  2. What Are Some Of The Church's Successes?
     

Student Researchers’ Comments.