OUR HISTORY
Providential Beginnings
The story of Winchester Reformed Presbyterian church began in the 19th-century when “the West was still an uninhabited plain covered with Indians and buffalo.” At that time Rev. Josiah Dodds made his first visit to Winchester, Kansas. He arrived in order to minister to four members of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Mr. and Mrs. John Downie and their family.
The Downies had left their home in Pennsylvania and traveled to St. Louis by the Ohio River. They then traveled on the Missouri River but when their boat was boarded by “Border Ruffians,” Mr. Downie (a radical Anti-Slavery man) was forced to continue on land. They took a circuitous route through the state of Iowa, stopping in Clarinda for a short time, and then continued until they reached the Missouri River at Fort Leavenworth. They crossed into Kansas territory and settled near Winchester. For a time this Covenanter family was ministered to by Rev. W.W. McMillan who labored as a missionary in the West.
As a community, Winchester’s history began after the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. On June 19, 1854 W.M. Gardiner staked his prairie. After making his claims Mr. Gardiner went back East. In the spring of 1855 he returned with his family, built a cabin on Walnut Creek and began to farm. However, after a government land survey he sold his claim to Joseph Best who continued to build up Mr. Gardiner’s farming operation. Mr. Best soon built a cabin, and not long after another was built and they were joined together and occupied as a hotel for travelers on the “old military road” which ran from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Riley.
A settlement began to form as more people traveled westward. However, no attempt was made to establish a town until 1857. The original location for the town was going to be one and a half miles further west and it was to be named Savannah. But Alvin Best (the oldest in the settlement) chose the present site and named it after his former home, Winchester, Virginia. From there Winchester began to grow adding people, businesses, and even a physician. Rapid progress followed the construction of the Kansas Central Railroad in 1872. Winchester was one of the few stops along the railroad in Jefferson County, and long-remembered are the visits that the famous showman Buffalo Bill made as he passed through town.
A Reformation Vine
After visiting Winchester in 1866 Rev. Dodds returned to his home in Ohio. The following spring he went to Clay County, Kansas to inquire about prospects. Being unhappy with what was presented there he, his son R.J.C., his brother-in-law J.A. Torrence, and Mary and Elizabeth “Libbie” Carithers returned to Winchester on May 30, 1867. Ms. Libbie Carithers would become the longest surviving charter member of the congregation. Settling in Winchester, Rev. Dodds purchased sixty acres for $10 per acre, and his presence among the Reformed Presbyterians became an invitation to others who were moving westward. From that date began the growth of what would be the Winchester Reformed Presbyterian congregation – the third congregation in Winchester joining the already established Methodist Episcopal (1860) and Cambellite or Christian Church (1864).
In the summer of 1868, the Iowa Presbytery was asked to organize a congregation in Winchester. On September 8th, a commission was appointed by Presbytery to meet in Winchester to fulfill that request. The commission met and elected officers for the congregation – Robert Cathcart, James Thompson, and Moses Wiley as elders and J.R. Fulton and Henry Downie as deacons. A recess was made to examine the men and the meeting continued with their ordination and installation. This was followed by the election of Rev. Josiah Dodds to serve as part-time pastor, and he was installed on November 7th. On the day of the organization twenty-six names were included on the rolls and in a few days several new members were added as Reformed Presbyterians continued to arrive in the area. The congregation grew quickly and by 1869 it was the largest in Jefferson County, and by the turn of the century the membership totaled 210 with more than 650 names having, at one time or another, been placed on the rolls.
The Old Church
On July 23rd of 1869 by unanimous decision the congregation determined to have a building. Rev. Dodds donated part of his land which remains the current location of the building. There were many obstacles to be overcome as a large majority of the membership were people of limited means, in debt for the land which they had bought, and they were struggling to make their homes suitable for their families (many living in one or two bedroom houses). Additionally, it was not the practice of Covenanters to tithe. Nevertheless, the Lord provided charitable donations locally and beyond.
On May 2nd of 1870 a building of 1440 square feet was finished. Within a year further contributions allowed the building to be plastered, a furnace added, and seats were provided. The cumulative cost for that first building (affectionately called the “old church”) was $4,000. On November 14, 1887 an outside vestibule was built. Additionally, a number of long “L” shaped sheds were built for the horses so that they would be protected from summer’s heat and winter’s cold during “long Sunday services.” These were paid for by individual families though, as a rule, two members would build together. These later became known as “Covenanter sheds” and in addition to being a place where children enjoyed playing it is suspected that some locals would play poker in them. Upon completion of the building the Winchester Argus judged it a “first-class piece of work, it is elegant in appearance, its beauty, it is clear and tasty.” The building was first used for worship on May 8th 1870. Despite overcrowding that building was used for thirty-three years until April 16th, 1903.
Our Pastoral Heritage
On October 18th, 1876 Rev. Dodds asked to be released from his pastoral call in Winchester, and the Presbytery declared the pulpit vacant. Rev. Dodds would later be installed as pastor of Sylvania congregation in Dade County, Missouri. After retirement he moved to Topeka where he died on February 24th, 1896 and was laid to rest in the Winchester cemetery.
The Minutes of Synod reflect the character of this man: “Mr. Dodds was humble and upright in disposition and character. He was a devoted husband and an affectionate father; a diligent, laborious, and conscientious pastor; a lover of children and loved by them. As a preacher he was clear, biblical and edifying. As a presbyter he was prudent, careful and judicious, and wise in counsel. Mr. Dodds was faithful and steadfast in his attachment to the principles of the Covenanter Church, and a willing and loyal advocate of the great reform movements of his time.”
On May 11, 1877 Rev. D.H. Coulter (who excelled in “forceful proclamation of the gospel and pulpit oratory” and was one of the “ablest speakers in the state”) was elected as the second pastor. Rev. Coulter would be the longest serving pastor of Winchester’s history, serving the congregation for more than thirty years. He was followed by twelve other pastors: F.M. Wilson (1910-1912), D.H. Elliott (1912-1919), E.K. Patton (1920-1934), J.H. Henry (1934-1938), D. Howard Elliott (1940-1947), R.W. Caskey (1948-1966), David Patterson (1967-1968), James Melvin Vos (1970-1971), J. Renwick Wright (1975-1978), Robert A. Henning (1979-1993), Paul W. Finley (1993-2011), and Kyle M. Borg (2013- present).
Building for the Future
In the winter of 1902 and spring of 1903 the congregation began taking active measures to construct a new building. The pews had been crowded for some time and the building was in frequent need of repair. There was some discussion about whether to relocate the church to the downtown area, and whether or not to have a brick or framed building. The decision was made to tear down the old building and construct a framed building on the same foundation for an estimated cost of $8000. Funds were raised, a building committee appointed, and the old church was taken down in April of 1903.
That summer was especially wet and delayed the building for several weeks. However, when the weather cleared the building made much progress. It was intended to be modern in all respects. As it still stands it is seated with circular pews on an inclined floor. At the time the building was warmed with the best furnaces and lighted with acetylene gas (replaced with electric lighting in 1919) so that it was, according to the Winchester Star “equal to any city church.” The first Lord’s Day worship service was held on January 3rd, 1904 and an official building dedication took place on January 8th.
Worship, Education, Life, and Community
Even before the organization of the congregation the Covenanters that gathered in Winchester had put together a prayer meeting that met every other week. These meetings often overflowed the little houses they met in. When regular worship commenced, the Lord’s Day was a full day. Families would travel between two to seven miles in their farm or spring wagons which eventually gave way to road carts and automobiles. In those days Sabbath school began at 10 o’clock followed by a service. There was a fifteen minute lunch break where families, who had packed their own meals, would picnic with the food they brought. Apparently, it also provided the young people an opportunity to let the family dogs (who traveled to church in the wagons) fight over scraps of food in the church yard. After lunch the congregation gathered for a second service. Today, we continue to gather for morning and evening worship – an increasingly rare occurrence in many churches.
The Reformed Presbyterian church has always been distinguished by its commitment to worship God according to the Reformed understanding of the regulative principle of worship – worshiping him only in the way he commands. In Scottish Presbyterianism this was applied to the practice of singing only the Psalms unaccompanied by musical instruments.
Upon the church’s organization, the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was observed twice a year. During the Friday previous to the celebration the congregation kept a day of fasting and prayer. Throughout the week they held four days of services and the entire membership, putting aside worldly cares and matters, would be in daily attendance. The Winchester Star once reported on these communion seasons that such dedication was an example to all denominations. For many decades the congregation used a long, narrow, and curved table together with matching benches in the celebration of the Supper. Today we observe the Lord’s Supper quarterly.
Sabbath School began in 1869 when Rev. Dodds was still preaching in various school houses. For 150 years these classes have met regularly for further instruction in the Bible. Shortly after the organization, a Ladies Aid Society was established which helped to furnish the old church. On April 30, 1878 the Ladies Missionary Society was organized, meeting monthly for devotional services and for home and foreign mission work. In 1890 Rev. Coulter helped set up the Young People’s Society which was a Tuesday evening class committed to instruction in Christian doctrine. In 1900 this society was renamed the Covenanter Young People’s Union. In addition to instruction of this kind the CYPU enjoyed activities together including playing “progressive games” like croquet – a “leading feature of Winchester’s amusements.” In February of 1896 the junior society was gathered together through the efforts of Mrs. Smith Curry and Miss Lou Dill. Meetings of both the Covenanter Youth and Junior’s Program continue to this day every Sabbath.
In 1878 the Lady’s Missionary Society began with fifteen members including Mary Dill, Anna Keers, and Libbie Carithers (the longest surviving charter members). While the name of this society has changed several times it maintained active service in the congregation for more than 140 years. It would simply be impossible to estimate the blessing these and many other women have been to the fellowship, education, and life of our church. Eternity will show how much we owe to these mothers of the faith.
Between the years of 1997 and 2005, we had several families worshiping in our congregation from Atchison, KS. In 1998 they expressed a desire to begin a church plant in that community and sought the advice and counsel of the elders. While the work that began there was not a Reformed Presbyterian Church, in 2005 retired pastor and Winchester member Rev. John Tweed lent his gifts and time to help the fledgling church in its ministry for the gospel of Jesus Christ. This congregation is now Riverbend Bible Church and is a faithful Calvinistic Baptist witness in Atchison.
Onward!
Winchester Reformed Presbyterian Church cherishes its heritage but we also continue to press on in the good work given by Jesus Christ. After more than 150 years we remain committed to the Bible as the only infallible rule for faith and life, we hold steadfastly to the doctrine of the Reformation as found in the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, we value worship as God has prescribed it in his Word, and we seek to love one another as Christ’s disciples and seek to make his gospel known to those around us.
