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It’s no coincidence that four churches are celebrating 125th anniversaries in the same year that the city of Pratt marks its 125th year of incorporation. It’s also no coincidence that three of them are clustered in a two-block area around the junction of two major highways.
One of the first actions of the Pratt Town Company was to donate land for Baptist, Christian, Methodist and Presbyterian churches, as well as for schools, according to local historian Dorotha Giannangelo. The Baptists didn’t organize until 1887, however. Sacred Heart Catholic Church completes the quartet of churches established in 1884.
“That’s why the churches are centrally located, and it also indicates how important they (town organizers) thought churches and education were,” Giannangelo said.
“Churches have historically been a key to building a community,” said Angela Madden, pastor of Pratt Presbyterian Church, which will celebrate its anniversary this weekend. “The church provides a foundation for identity — religious, personal and physical — in terms of how they live out their lives.”
She imagines the physical challenges of living 125 years ago in a town just developing and being separated from extended families.
“They had a faith and a vision of something they could not see,” she said. “I like to imagine no one was saying ‘we’ve never done it this way before.’”
Churches were born out of a need for a place to worship and also as an expression of commitment to faith and to give people a place to gather, said Robin Colerick, pastor of First Christian (Disciples of Christ), quoting Jesus, “where two or more are gathered in my name, there am I also.”
Early churches were organized by, perhaps not two, but a handful of believers.
Fourteen members signed the charter for the Presbyterian Church, led by the Rev. Andrew Axline, great-grandfather of current member George Axline.
A group of 23 signed the book to begin the First Christian Church. Catholic settlers met in the homes of John Carr, Bernard McCann and the Peter and John Maas families and the first church, named St. James, was built in 1885 with 23 families in the parish. The Methodists began with a larger congregation, listing more than 100 members during the first 18 months, according to a history prepared in 1966.
More remarkable than the fact that four churches were chartered in the same year as the town is that they are still thriving 125 years later, Colerick said. At the Christian Church celebration on Oct. 18 the regional minister said the lifespan of a church is “80ish.”
“For churches to have thrived says a lot about the way they are willing to transform themselves and redefine and regroup to meet changing needs,” she said. “Life is different than in 1884. The challenge is, how do you teach the same message in ways that people of today can apply and find meaning? It is a question every church needs to address.”
Pioneer churches accepted Jesus’ charge to “feed my sheep,” not just spiritually, but physically as well. They’re still doing it today, but differently. Madden mentioned that an outreach of the Presbyterian Church is providing backpacks of necessary supplies to transients and residents who are struggling. The Christian Church has recently reopened its clothing closet, serving about 25 people a week. Other churches have individual projects and about a dozen local churches are active in the Ministerial Alliance that manages a fund to help people with urgent needs.
There is also in Pratt a conscious effort to build a social community across denominational lines for young people, Madden said. And while the church is not the strong social center of life that it was in 1884, fellowship is still a goal for most.
It’s no coincidence that four churches are celebrating 125th anniversaries in the same year that the city of Pratt marks its 125th year of incorporation. It’s also no coincidence that three of them are clustered in a two-block area around the junction of two major highways.
One of the first actions of the Pratt Town Company was to donate land for Baptist, Christian, Methodist and Presbyterian churches, as well as for schools, according to local historian Dorotha Giannangelo. The Baptists didn’t organize until 1887, however. Sacred Heart Catholic Church completes the quartet of churches established in 1884.
“That’s why the churches are centrally located, and it also indicates how important they (town organizers) thought churches and education were,” Giannangelo said.
“Churches have historically been a key to building a community,” said Angela Madden, pastor of Pratt Presbyterian Church, which will celebrate its anniversary this weekend. “The church provides a foundation for identity — religious, personal and physical — in terms of how they live out their lives.”
She imagines the physical challenges of living 125 years ago in a town just developing and being separated from extended families.
“They had a faith and a vision of something they could not see,” she said. “I like to imagine no one was saying ‘we’ve never done it this way before.’”
Churches were born out of a need for a place to worship and also as an expression of commitment to faith and to give people a place to gather, said Robin Colerick, pastor of First Christian (Disciples of Christ), quoting Jesus, “where two or more are gathered in my name, there am I also.”
Early churches were organized by, perhaps not two, but a handful of believers.
Fourteen members signed the charter for the Presbyterian Church, led by the Rev. Andrew Axline, great-grandfather of current member George Axline.
A group of 23 signed the book to begin the First Christian Church. Catholic settlers met in the homes of John Carr, Bernard McCann and the Peter and John Maas families and the first church, named St. James, was built in 1885 with 23 families in the parish. The Methodists began with a larger congregation, listing more than 100 members during the first 18 months, according to a history prepared in 1966.
More remarkable than the fact that four churches were chartered in the same year as the town is that they are still thriving 125 years later, Colerick said. At the Christian Church celebration on Oct. 18 the regional minister said the lifespan of a church is “80ish.”
“For churches to have thrived says a lot about the way they are willing to transform themselves and redefine and regroup to meet changing needs,” she said. “Life is different than in 1884. The challenge is, how do you teach the same message in ways that people of today can apply and find meaning? It is a question every church needs to address.”
Pioneer churches accepted Jesus’ charge to “feed my sheep,” not just spiritually, but physically as well. They’re still doing it today, but differently. Madden mentioned that an outreach of the Presbyterian Church is providing backpacks of necessary supplies to transients and residents who are struggling. The Christian Church has recently reopened its clothing closet, serving about 25 people a week. Other churches have individual projects and about a dozen local churches are active in the Ministerial Alliance that manages a fund to help people with urgent needs.
There is also in Pratt a conscious effort to build a social community across denominational lines for young people, Madden said. And while the church is not the strong social center of life that it was in 1884, fellowship is still a goal for most.
