Hopes were high that Lakin’s Methodist Church would be completed by Christmas of 1907, but that was one wish that Santa could not fulfill. Instead, the church was completed and dedicated on March 1st of 1908. The house of worship had been a long time in the making.
Just newly ordained, Rev. William V. Burns arrived in Lakin in time to preach the first Sunday of April 1886. The April 3rd Kearny County Advocate announced the new pastor as “a young man, sent specially by the conference to this work and we trust our people will give him a warm welcome.” The first quarterly conference of the M.E. Church for this circuit was organized at the residence of B.C. Parcells later that month, and Rev. Burn’s salary was fixed at $600. In addition to his duties at Lakin, Deerfield and Hartland, Burns also often preached at Sherlock (Holcomb).
At Lakin, the fresh-faced man of God delivered his sermons in the town hall. On June 12, 1886, the Pioneer Democrat announced that “considerable interest is being manifested in the church services held by Rev. W.V. Burns, and the city hall is nearly always crowded when he holds service there.” That week’s Advocate reported that Rev. Burns had organized a Methodist Episcopal Sunday school with W.P. Haywood as superintendent. The school was to meet at 10 a.m. every Sunday, “and our Methodist friends will no doubt work energetically to build up a flourishing and promising school.”
After the town hall was destroyed by a cyclone that July, Methodists began meeting in Holmes Hall which was on the second story of the building at Main and Waterman that would later become the county court house. Later, services were held in the brick schoolhouse that was completed in the fall of 1886, but discussions were already taking place about building a church. According to the September 4, 1886 Advocate, “The necessity of erecting a building for church purposes is pressing itself upon the minds of the membership, and after discussing the matter the question was thought to be both advisable and practicable, and steps were inaugurated looking to that end. We feel confident that our church going people will render aid to such a desirable undertaking.” Still, by the following summer, no church building was in the making. The Pioneer Democrat reported, “Rev. A.P. George P.E. Methodist church passed through Lakin Thursday evening. He says when this county seat question is settled he will attempt to build a church here, as he could not get the minds of the people in harmony until that time. We hope he will take hold of the matter and push things forward. We need a church and must have one.”
An August 1895 Lakin Index noted that a Metodist church was going to be erected that fall as several hundred dollars had already been promised; however, that did not come to fruition. By the turn of the century, Lakin’s Methodist congregation had reached the 100 mark, but there was still no church even though members had long been hoping to build one of their own. Then, in 1901, two lots were purchased at the corner of Kansas Street and Prairie Avenue. Construction did not begin until the summer of 1907 with the cornerstone being laid on September 29.
Dedication Day was a red-letter day for Methodists. At 11 a.m. on the first Sunday in March 1908, the new church was filled to capacity. Other churches dismissed their services and joined in the festive occasion of dedicating the church. Excellent music was rendered by a large choir made up of members of all the church choirs of the community. Methodist pastor, Rev. H.A. Schneider, along with Rev. Thomas of Lakin’s Presbyterian Church, Pastor A.W. Yale of the Baptist Church, and Rev. Dr. F.E. Mossman of Southwest College at Winfield, addressed those in attendance. Three services were held, and Rev. J.F. Irwin, the Presiding Elder of the district, administered communion at the afternoon service.
The building committee reported the cost of the building to be $3,600. According to a history of the church compiled by the late Hazel Stullken, the church was built with donations from many sources and from all denominations. The Ladies Aid Society adopted a novel method of helping raise money for the new building. “The idea was an exemplification of the old adage, ‘take care of the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.’” The object was to gather a mile of pennies and to do that, each member was provided with a narrow strip of paper one foot in length. Each foot held 16 pennies. When the mile of pennies was received, the sum of $844.48 would be added to the building fund. A very large contingent from Deerfield also helped in a very material way in raising the necessary funds. After footing up the pledges and contributions at the morning service on dedication day, the church was about $50 short of the necessary amount. “This was soon subscribed and the church was dedicated to the service of God.” There was no air conditioning and no plumbing, but Methodists believed it to be a splendid home for worship.
In 1927-28, the white frame building was raised and a full basement was put under it to provide kitchen and dining room space as well as additional Sunday school rooms. While this remodeling was being done, church and Sunday school were once again held in the building at Main and Waterman. By 1951, the Methodists had begun to think seriously of enlarging their facilities again. Times were good. Natural gas development in addition to greatly enlarged farming operations brought an unprecedented prosperity to the area. The last service in the old church was held on April 13, 1952. The building was sold, lifted off the basement and transported intact to north Buffalo Street where it was made into an apartment complex and where it still stands just across the street from the swimming pool.
SOURCES: “Lakin Methodist Church” by Nina Russell for History of Kearny County Vol. 1; “History of the M.E. Church Begins in ‘86” by Luella Stutzman; “Laity Sunday” by Hazel Stullken; Archives of Peabody Gazette-Herald, Garden City Telegram, Lakin Index, Pioneer Democrat, Kearny County Advocate, and Lakin Independent; and Museum archives.