McCook Christian Church began as an effort to retain the Biblical structure and doctrine that had been a part of the Christian Church history. The purpose was to establish a true New Testament Church in McCook, Nebraska, that would be governed only by the Bible and be patterned after the Church described in the New Testament.
In the early 1960's several members of the First Christian Church of McCook became aware of subtle changes taking place in the Disciples of Christ Denomination. The church was to become a denomination, with the decisions made at the "top" and passed down to the local congregation. After asking questions and collecting information, this group decided to form a congregation that would retain the freedom and doctrine they had previously enjoyed.
The congregation was established the first part of October 1963. The organizers were: the Jay Hauxwell's, Coy Lndseys', Fred Hardies', Mitchell Longneckers', Charles Phillips', and Mrs E.A. (Elsie) Lytle. They met in the home of Jay Hauxwell. Arrangements were made to rent space in the city auditorium for $5 a week and we began meeting there on October 20, 1963. The Indianola Church of Christ approved sharing their minister, Phillip Olsen and his wife Lois with the new congregation. Phil started preaching for us on October 27th.
Within a few months Paul & Ruby Leonard and the families of Bob Crocker, Arvene Myers, Roy Mustion, Harold Shields, and George Tophane all had joined to help establish the Church. The congregation began meeting in the Jay Hauxwell home in January of '64 due to the inconvenience of the city auditorium. Later the group met in the Carpenter Funeral chapel, a vacant home owned by Jay & Mildred Hauxwell and the home of Roy and Mildred Mustion.
On November 1, 1964, a special congregational meeting was held that gave the Trustees the authorization necessary to sign a mortgage for a Church Building. Those signing were: Fred A. Hardie, Mitchell W. Longnecker, Jay C. Hauxwell, L. Arvene Myers, Charles A. Phillips, Coy C. Lindsey, George E. Tophane, Robert L. Crocker, and Roy C. Mustion. April 18, 1965, Easter Sunday, was the first Sunday in the new building. Seventy-four people were present.
Dale Heimer was hired October 17, 1965 as our minister. Dale and Janet Hauxwell were married in 1969 and they continued to pastor with us until 1975. Chuck Bridges and his wife Marilyn were hired November 2, 1975 and served as our ministers until January of 1980. Mary Propp was hired as janitor of the church the last of October 1977. Student minister Terry Walker and wife Glenda traveled from Norfolk on weekends from the spring of 1980 to the spring of 1981. A new fellowship hall and six classrooms were added on in 1981. Pastor Jerry Myers and wife Roberta came to McCook Christian in June of 1981 and stayed until August of 1984.
Jerry Beckenhauer and wife Cheri ministered with us from September of 1984 until August of 1985. Clark Bates and wife Dawna came to McCook to lead and minister to our congregation on October 13, 1985. More room was once again needed. The church decided to have two Worship services.
In 1986 the parking lot was paved. We hired Jane Dittmer on May 1, 1987 to be our Youth Minister. In 1988, McCook Christian celebrated her 25th anniversary and a history was written for the first 25 years.
In 1989 one of the most important happenings of the year was the church leaders retreat. At the retreat a mission statement was drafted to guide the church to continued growth. The mission statement was as follows: "McCook Christian Church is a caring community of believers which seeks to minister to the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of others, in order to bring them to salvation and maturity in Christ." We also bade farewell to our Youth Minister Jane Dittmer Wentz in 1989. Jane is especially remembered for her creative and original dramas presented each year at the Christmas program.
A very special Vacation Bible School in 1990 resulted in ten young people being baptized into Christ! Church leaders began planning ahead concerning the limited building space we have. A building fund was established as a part of the budget.
In 1991, Margie Hauxwell was added to the church staff as a part-time secretary. Mark and Barbara Stringer, missionaries to Colombia, South America spent a weekend at McCook Christian; what a blessing to see and hear from these servants which we support with monthly gifts! The church building was reshingled and new facia and soffit were installed. The high school youth painted the exterior of the building. And we had the largest Vacation Bible School attendance ever, 156!
The growth in worship attendance in 1992 was one of the most encouraging happenings. After being in the mid 150's for several years the attendance moved up to the mid 160's. Inside improvements were made in the building including new paint and carpet. Some members "adopted" classrooms and fixed them up. Over $10,000 was given to missions. A special missions weekend in October gave us the opportunity to get acquainted with the Fletcher's (Philippines), the Juve's (Japan), and the Weber's (South Africa/Nebraska Christian College).
In 1993 attendance has continued to climb with worship averaging 180. Rocky Woolery served as our summer intern minister. Four "Day Camps" were held for our youth during the summer. Ron Jones of McElwee & Associates came to consult with us on the better use of our facility and the prospects for relocation.
The past years have been productive ones. Our attendance is growing and more importantly, people are being won to Christ. The church leaders are looking ahead, anticipating further growth. Pray for them as they lead us into the future. Let us also never forget to praise God for His faithfulness!
This is a very brief history of McCook Christian. There are copies of a detailed history in the fellowship hall if you would like to have one.
