THE HISTORY OF A BALDWIN CITY RELIGIOUS INSTITUTION: VINLAND CHURCH OF CHRIST

 

Student Researchers:

2003: Scott Alexander, Terrance Spencer, Karl Zubeck, and William Harris

2005: Mandi Riggs, Christy Taylor, Jessica Hermon, and Renee Rowland

 

Editor: Dr. George Wiley, Baker University

 

Photographs

 Introduction

  1. What are the churches of Baldwin City?

  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.

  3. What people in this church know about the history? Preacher Shawn Smith is evangelist of the church. Alice Randel has been a member of the church for over twenty years.  There are also people outside of the church who know its history, because in 1964 members of the Vinland Church of Christ founded the Baldwin City Church of Christ. Some members of the latter church used to belong to the Vinland congregation.

  4. What written documents or artifacts are available? Preacher Smith provided an informal essay on the history of the church from its founding in 1906 to 1966.  Mrs. Randel made available the book Piloting the Strait by Dave Miller, a spiritual guide for members of the Churches of Christ.  The book explains aspects of the Churches of Christ doctrine. 

  5. How did the church get started?
    The Vinland Church of Christ was founded in 1906.  At that time, an evangelist named Robert G. Edwards held a meeting with members of congregations in Roscoe and Hopewell. The meeting took place in the Vinland Grange Hall.  Those attending decided to merge their congregations and start a new church to meet their spiritual needs. They decided to locate it in Vinland, which was located between the two communities.  They named the new church the Vinland Church of Christ.  The membership increased as Vinland acquired a steady evangelist, Brother William J. Whaley of Ottawa, who offered his services as evangelist once a month.  He led the completion of the meeting house in 1909, and evangelist Robert G. Edwards held the first meeting in this new building.  The initial congregation of the Vinland Church of Christ comprised more than forty charter members.

 

  1. Who were the founders?

  2. Why did they decide to start a church?

Vinland Church of Christ came into existence because the members from Roscoe and Hopewell had similar spiritual needs.  The Church of Christ stands in opposition to denominationalism. Members believe that denominationalism discourages a unity of believers (Bailey 1), breaking up believers and denying that Christians are of one body, soul, and spirit.  The members who formed Vinland Church of Christ found in this value a reason to unite two separate congregations.

  1. Has the church existed in other buildings than the present one?
    The church has had several buildings. In 1906 the church held its meetings in Vinland Grange Hall, where the church began.  The first church building dates from 1909 and was a simple meetinghouse.  Over the years this building saw improvements including electricity in 1926, and the construction of a basement in 1948 to hold a furnace.  In 1953 the increased membership made additional classrooms were necessary.  Three rooms were added for Sunday school and Bible study purposes.  This meetinghouse was the only property of the church until 1956, when the church bought a home in Vinland as a parsonage.  The home was a gift for the church's first full-time minister, Don Cashatt, who had been serving the church since 1952. Unfortunately lightning struck the church on March 25, 1959.  The church burned completely to the ground.  On the following Sunday the men of the congregation held a meeting at the minister's home and voted to rebuild the church. Work began the very next day and took about five months. During construction the congregation met at the Vinland High School.  The new building measured 36' by 54' and featured a "full basement, nursery, two dressing rooms, office for the minister over the entrance, besides the large auditorium and the first baptistery in the history of the church" (Wade, Bobby.  Vinland Church of Christ 1906-1966. Vinland, KS: 1961, 2). The baptistery was especially important to the church, as in the past baptisms took place in various ponds, creeks, or stock tanks, and finally later in the Lawrence Church of Christ.  To celebrate the completion of the new building, the church held a Bible lecture series.         

 

  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.

  2. What people have been influential in the life of the church over time? (other than the founders). These people might include a particularly beloved preacher (or a particularly unpopular one) or a lay leader.

  3. What controversies has the church experienced?
    According to the music leader the church has not experienced any controversies.  Vinland is a small community, and a lot of the church members are related, so the church has a family feel. 

 

  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?

Because the Church of Christ does not claim to be a denomination, members consider Jesus to be the head of the church. “We…have no central headquarters or president” (http://church-of-christ.org/). Sacraments are not the focal point of faith. 

  1. What is the mission / purpose of the church?
    The Vinland Church of Christ Internet site speaks of caring about three things: worshiping in spirit and in truth, your soul, and people in need.  Other sources say that the church is a fundamentalist institution, holding the Bible as the sole and inerrant source of truth.  The church adheres strictly to New Testament teachings, which is why it is called the Church of Christ in the first place.  It offers active teaching of God’s Word through classes.  There are Bible classes for all ages and during the summer there is a Vacation Bible School.  The Churches of Christ see themselves as being the only church called for by the Bible.  Ed Werner explains this best in layman's terms, "We of the Church of Christ are, with God's help, conscientiously working at building the church you read about in your Bible." The church's interpretation of the Bible includes the belief that there were no female church leaders in the New Testament, resulting in the policy that only men may be church leaders.  This interpretation also explains the requirement that elders and deacons be married men with children.
    Because they care about people's souls, Vinland Church of Christ members are committed to     sharing Jesus through evangelism. Members are in the business of saving souls.  A church pamphlet describes what one must do to be saved.  One must have faith, repent and confess his sins, be baptized, and then live faithfully (Williams).  Vehicles for evangelism include weekly Bible classes open to all and vacation Bible schools.  The church also sponsors a missionary to the Ukraine in cooperation with a Church of Christ from Missouri.  One member evangelizes through her own publishing company, Hanna Publications. 
    The church also helps those in need.  This practice comes from Christ's examples in the New Testament.  The church sponsors the Maude Carpenter Children's Home in Wichita.  It began as an orphanage and currently houses children from underprivileged and broken homes. 

  2. How has the church ministered to the Baldwin City community?
    The Vinland Church of Christ ministers to the Baldwin Community indirectly through its former members who belong to the Baldwin City Church of Christ. According to Preacher Smith, because of doctrinal issues the Baldwin City Church of Christ is the only church in Baldwin that Vinland Church members are involved with.  The Baldwin City congregation uses the Vinland church building for their weekly Bible studies.  Also, Baldwin City is not the only community that the church ministers to.  Throughout the years the church has been open to the use of media and has used media to spread Christ's word to many local communities.  Beginning in 1959, the Vinland Church of Christ co-sponsored a daily radio program on Lawrence (Kansas) station KLWN with Church of Christ congregations in Lawrence and Eudora. Currently the Vinland Church of Christ sponsors a television program called "The Search Program with Mac Lyon." 

  3. What contact or involvement has this church had with other churches in Baldwin City?

  4. 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?
    Members of the Churches of Christ do not see themselves as a denomination because there is only one church in the Bible, and the creation of denominations simply separates people from that church.  Churches of Christ have similar teachings and enter joint projects with other Churches of Christ congregations, but they are autonomous and govern their churches on their own.  The polity calls for governance by elders and deacons, but at the Vinland church there are presently no men who meet the requirements for those titles.  Accordingly, all the men of the church vote on church matters.

10.   What is the church's polity (how does it govern itself, how do decisions get made)?
The church has used different styles.  When appropriate there have been elders and deacons as leaders of the congregation.  Only men are allowed to hold these positions. The governing body is the group of elders.  Elders are the shepherds who oversee the members of the congregation (http://church-of-christ.org/).  Jesus is the head of the church, the absolute authority and infallible.  In the Bible women are not in positions of power; therefore, the Church of Christ does not allow women to be in positions of power such as ordained ministry.

  1. What was the toughest thing the church ever went through?

  2. What are some of the church's successes?

 

Student Researcher's Comments.
2003: The Vinland Church of Christ is a fundamentalist Protestant church with an average attendance of about thirty.  The members were very helpful to us in obtaining information about its history and welcomed our questions.  We visited the Church twice, for a Wednesday night Bible study and a Sunday service.  There we held interviews with members and especially preacher Shawn Smith, who was exceedingly helpful (through e-mail as well).  Overall we think this group project, researching the Vinland Church of Christ, was a great success.

2005: Darrick Shepherd is the relatively new preacher (as of 2005). During the service all of the focus is on God and Jesus.  The building is very plain, not like the Orthodox churches where icons are prevalent.  On a small stage there is a pulpit where the evangelist preaches.  In a typical Sunday night service, the congregation would sing a lot and the sermon might take up half the service. Because the church is small, members know each other. Pamphlets are available on subjects like being saved, the Church of Christ, and denominationalism. The Word of God is the focus of the church and members consult their Bibles during the service.

Works Cited

Bailey, George W. What About Denominationalism? Texas: Christian Tracts.

Church of Christ http://church-of-christ.org/.

Coos Bay Church of Christ.  What is the church of Christ?  20 Mar. 2003.  http://www.harborside.com/~edwerner/indexa.html>

Hanna, Barbara.  Hanna Publications.  04 Mar. 2003.  Hanna Publications.  22 Mar. 2003.  <http://www.hannapublications.com>

Holy Bible:  New King James Version.  Nashville:  Thomas Nelson Publishing, 1996.

Miller, Dave.  Piloting The Strait.  Pulaski: Sain Publications, 1996.

Music coordinator, Vinland Church of Christ. Personal interview. 24 April 2005.

Vinland Church of Christ.  Vinland Church of Christ:  We Care.  12 Mar. 2003. <http://members.aol.com/VinlandCoc/wecare.html>

Wade, Bobby.  Vinland Church of Christ 1906-1966. Vinland 1961.

Williams, Jack H. “What Must I Do To Be Saved.”  Independence, Missouri. 1993.