Faulk County, South Dakota - Chapter 28: Church Organization, 1909

Chapter 28: Church Organization

The Congregational church of F'aiilkton had its birth in the fall of 1883 in a rough board building sided up with sod when a few earnest dev^oted christian men and women met to organize themselves into church fellowship. This organization was perfected January 10th, 1884, with thirteen members by whom the following officers were elected, viz: Rev. Clinton Douglas, pastor; P. B. Durley and N. S. Whittlesey, deacons; George A. Morse, P. B. Durley and M. Summy, trustees; E. E. Pierce, treasurer; R. G. Newton, clerk. For more than two years the church occupied a rented building. These were the days of small things commencing before the organization of the county and keeping full abreast with its development and improvements. Four years after the organization found itself in a large well furnished church costing $4000.00 with a fine toned bell ringing out its calls to worship. The bell was a gift of Judge John Douglas of Eonaconing, Maryland.

To these thirteen members has been added more than 150 more and through all its years under eight different pastors, stood in the front rank of moral reform and earnest, devoted christian work.

After a two year pastorate. Rev. J. E. Fisher has just severed his relation with this church to accept a call to a sister church in Omaha, Nebra.ska. Doubtless before this writing is in the hands of our friends another worthv minis-

In February, 1909, the church extended a call to Rev. A. A. Wood of Fond du L,ac, Wis., who is now faithfully and acceptably discharging the duties of his important office.

Catholic Church

There were seven earnest and devoted members who responded to the call, viz: P. H. O'Neil, Patrick Duggan, J. Iv. Grater, Henry Nicholson, Bernard McGough, Nicholas Kennedy and Thomas O'Neil. Plans w^ere adopted and approved by Bishop O' Gorman and the work went forward .

In the summer of 1904, the church wath a seating capacity of two hundred, at a cost of $7,000.00 and free from debt, was ready for dedication, and on September 14th of that year, Bishop O'Gorman of Sioux Falls, assisted by Revs. Father Nolon of Sioux P'alls; MacConnachie of Redfield; Myers of Zell; Monohan of Gettysburg and Reilly of of Orient, dedicated and set apart the fine edifice to the ser\'ice of Almighty God.

This was a most important event in the history of the Catholic church in Faulkton and its immediate vicinity, giving new life and power to its influence in the community. Its worshipers have now increased to forty families and

Free Methodist Church

The Free Methodist church of Fault ton, South Dakota, was incorporated on the 15th day of January, A. D., 1900. Rev. Rufus Farl at that time purchased the building from the Presbyterian denomination. Rev. Earl was pastor of this church two years, afterwards moving to Port Arthur, Canada, where he has since died and gone to his eternal reward. Since Rev. Earl's pastorate of the Faulkton circuit there has been four different ministers serving this charge. Rev. W. N. Vennard, now of Wessington Springs; Rev. Gallaway, of Indiana, who has since passed to his reward; Rev. W. D. McMullen, now pastor of the Wessington Springs circuit and the present pastor Rev. Daniel B. Waller, who was born in the state of Ohio in the year 1866, and at the tender age of two years was left motherless, and some of you know what home is without a mother. He was let to do about as he pleased, so he grew up something like Topsy. At the age of fifteen he left his home and became a wanderer upon the face of the earth; became a victim to bad habits and waded into sin, but he will ever thank God that he had a praying mother, and he was told by his sisters after he grew older that the last words of that sainted mother was offered in prayer for her baby boy and often times in after years when he would have went into sin and probably crime, the thought of that deathbed scene and that prayer from those loving lips which were growing cold with the death damps, caused him to stop and look with horror upon that road that leads to hell and eternal night. Thirty years after that prayer was offered, thank God, in the year of 1889 he became a follower of the L,ord. He was called shortly after conversion to preach God's eternal truth which he has been endeavornig to do for the past six years and can say today: He is walking in the light, and his path is shining bright. And there is no more night, where he dwells. This old world he bids adieu, and its pleasures fade from view; All things now to him are new; all is well.

Methodist Episcopal Church

In 1885 Rev. Thomas Simmons was appointed by the Dakota Annual Conference, missionary for Faulk county, and located his family in Faulkton. And from that time there has been regular Methodist religious services held in this place.

For two years the society was without any fixed place of worship, but in 1887 the present commodious church building was erected under the direction of Rev. Thomas Simmons.

For three years Rev. Simmons continued in charge of his missionary work in the county. After the dedication of the P'aulkton church, Faulkton and Orient became an independent charge.

At that time, with the failure of crops and hard times that necessarily followed, it was a Herculanean effort to accomplish such a work, for which Rev. Simmons and the members, and the friends of the church, are deserving of great credit.

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tained Methodist preaching. At the present time under the pastorate of Rev. Ernest Holgate, who has entered upon the fourth year of his labors with this church, there is a very prosperous condition of affairs, a church membership of one hundred, a Sunday school of one hundred and fifty, an Epworth League of sixty and a Ladies Aid of fifty active, working members.

In 1903 the present parsonage property was purchased. This makes the Methodist Episcopal church property in Faulkton worth eight thousand dollars without a dollar of indebtedness against it.

[By Rev. Thomas Simmons.] By the counsel of his physician in the spring of '84 Rev. Thomas Simmons was induced to try Dakota ozone for his broken down health. The experiment was so successful that in the fall of '85 he entered the Dakota Conference to help build the empire of the Dakotas. He was given the choice between a charge at $800 and parsonage or to organize Methodism in Faulk county. He chose the latter and became the first M. E. pastor of Faulk county and January 15, 1886, began revival work at Eatondale schoolhouse, closing a two week's meeting by organizing a class of twenty-four members, then went to Hope Center schoolhouse and in about a fortnight organized another class of thirty-eight members. Next at LaFoon a class of twenty-six, then to DeVoe where a class of thirty-three was organized, closing the season with a nine day's meeting at Roanoke (now Cresbard) organizing with fortytwo members. The work of the year embraced one hundred and twenty conversions, two hundred accessions to the church, nine Sunday schools with preaching appointments. Rev. Chas. Chapman, a local preacher from Iowa, rendered good assistance in supplying these appointments with preaching. There was no possible place to hold services in Faulkton until the fall of 1886 when the new schoolhouse was secured and the first M. E. church of Faulkton was organized comprising the following names: J. A. Pickler, Alice M. A. Pickler, Lula Pickler, Mrs. Clark, Ollie Ireland, Mrs. Dr. Goslee and Anna R. Simmons. A Sunday school was organized with Mts. Simmons as superintendent and J. A. Pickler, bible class teacher, which office he has held with delight till his present sickness, except during his absence in congress.

From the schoolhouse we went to a new store building, thence to the town hall and then into an abandoned saloon, after some scrubbing and disinfecting, we called it Salvation hall and had one hundred conversions in our first revival .

By this time the M. E. swarm had multiplied so we began to provide for a new hive. Having bought the sheeting and dimension lumber for a new church, we built with it a temporary building to accomodate the congregation of two hundred, and w^hen ready put it into the new churchy meantime using a tent for church services. A happy people responded to P. E. Fielder's call for $1100 to meet full arrears and enjoy Dr. Stafford's dedication sermon on the last Sabbath of September '88 and the first Methodist church of Faulkton was committed to the sacred trust of the Board of Trustees, J. A. Pickler, Alice M. A. Pickler,, C. E.Warner, Nora Warner, C. H. Seeley, Mrs. M. M. John.SQn.

The three year time limit permitted the pastor but one Sabbath in his new pulpit. But he went rejoicing over such results - from almost nothing had sprung into existence - three full charges, seven Sunda\' schools, three new churches built and dedicated, besides two preaching appointments given to the Athol charge. Truly God wrought marvelously in these three short years.

Myron Congregational Church

In the early spring of 1883 a few christian neighbors gathered at the home of Mrs. K. Wirts, on section 3-119-69 and organized a Sunday school which, with many changes, is still in existence.

The following spring, 1884, Rev. Clinton Douglas of Faulkton, learning of this Sunday school and the interestedness of the people in it, called on some of the prominent workers, offering his services for an occasional sermon on Sunday afternoon.

The interest increased, and in April, 1895, an organization was perfected, called the Congregational church of Myron with the following members and officers: