[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 22, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1119]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    TRIBUTE TO WHITE CHURCH CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF KANSAS CITY, KANSAS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DENNIS MOORE

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 22, 2007

  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
the White Church Christian Church of Kansas City, Kansas, which will 
celebrate the 175th anniversary of its founding on June 2, 2007.
  White Church Christian Church is the oldest continuously operating 
church in the State of Kansas; the church and the Delaware Indian 
Cemetery west of the church are listed on the Register of Historic 
Kansas Places. The inside walls of the original log building were 
whitewashed, so the native Indians referred to it as the ``white 
church.'' As a result, the surrounding area became known as White 
Church, Kansas.
  In 1830, the Missouri Conference of the Methodist Church met in St. 
Louis to establish the mission society that would soon begin its work 
among the Kansas Indians. The Rev. Thomas Johnson was appointed to 
serve as superintendent of what was then known as the Kansas Indiana 
Missionary District. Two years later, Rev. Thomas Johnson, his brother 
Rev. William Johnson, and Rev. Thomas Markham established a mission 
school and church at the site of today's church. In the 1834 annual 
report of the Missionary Society, it was reported: ``The church has 
forty members, some serving as exhorters, and they were regular in 
attendance at preaching and other means of grace. There are twenty-four 
native children in the mission school who are learning well.'' In 1844, 
the original church was destroyed by fire and a new church was built. 
Beginning in 1850, the land in the reservation was deeded by the 
government to Indians individually. Some sold their ground and soon the 
area began to be settled by white people.
  In 1870, a school district was established and a school located near 
the church adopted the same name, White Church School. Disaster struck 
the church for a second time on May 11, 1886, when the walnut-framed 
White Church and the original White Church School building were 
destroyed by a tornado. In the following year, a two-story school 
building was erected on the present site of the White Church Elementary 
School. On May 4, 1904, the cornerstone of the present native stone 
church structure was laid. The Gothic building included 21 memorial 
stained glass windows.

  The adjoining Delaware Indian Cemetery is the oldest area cemetery in 
which burials are still conducted, with the earliest recorded burial 
having taken place in 1881. For approximately 100 years, White Church, 
under the direction of the Methodist Church, served both Native 
Americans and White Americans. In 1931, the White Church withdrew its 
affiliation from the Methodist Church and organized a Community Church 
at White Church. Later, in 1956, the congregation voted to become 
affiliated with the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ and was 
renamed White Church Community Christian Church. In 1968, the word 
``Community'' was removed from the church name. In 1965, an educational 
unit was built on top of the stone foundation at the south end of 
Fellowship Hall, and in 1966, the church board established a pre-school 
and child care center to serve the community. Expansion of the 
congregation and improvements to the property have continued to the 
present day, as we approach the 175th anniversary of this anchor of the 
Kansas City community. As a history of the church, published in 1996, 
notes, ``It is the prayer of the present generation of God's servants, 
that there always be a Church at this place, and that the generations 
which follow will continue to serve the Lord to the End of Time.''
  Madam Speaker, I know that you and all members of the House of 
Representatives join with me in commending the White Church Christian 
Church on its upcoming 175th anniversary celebration and I thank you 
for the opportunity to place this statement of commendation in the 
Congressional Record.




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