OUR HISTORY

In the fall of 1907, a group of 12 people met in the Odd Fellows Hall of Clinton with the idea of establishing a church patterned after that in the New Testament. In the fall of 1907, the church moved to the Nance-Curry building, and then to a small school building on Frisco Avenue. They worshiped there until April of 1909, when they moved to a building at 6th and Avant. The church was dedicated in September of that year by L.L. Carpenter of Indiana.

In 1921, the church building was remodeled to add a basement for a growing Sunday School ministry. Within a few years the congregation began to see that larger facilities would be needed and began planning for a new church. By serving dinners to the local Rotarians at their weekly meetings and serving chicken pot pie dinners to the public, the women of the church helped raise enough money to purchase lots at the corner of 9th and Avant.

Under the leadership of W.A. Lemon, the building committee met in November 1929 to plan for a new church facility. One member of the committee, expressed concern about the depression being experienced in the east, and suggested that the church take a "wait and see" attitude toward the new building. The great depression did come and the congregation's dream of a new church home was not realized for 10 more years.

Working with horses, picks and shovels, the men of the church dug the basement and helped in other ways to build the church. On July 20, 1941 dedication services were held with Dr. I.N. Cash, President of Phillips University, delivering the sermon. E.F Gasaway was the minister at that the time. Just three years later, on July 16, 1944, it was Mortgage Burning Day.

Twenty-three years later, realizing a shortage of space, a $100,000 educational building was planned. The building committee, through its planning, broke ground on this new facility on Easter Sunday, March 29, 1964 and dedication of the building was held on October 25, 1964.

In 1982, a fund was established for the current facility on 28th street. Ground breaking services were held on April 28, 1991. The new church building and Family Life Center were formally dedicated on May 31, 1992 with 504 people in attendance.