Cimarron Valley Church

 (1887-90)

The Gospel Messenger Jan. 3, 1888 page 6 Vol. 26 No. 1

From Cimarron Valley Church, No. Man’s Land

  Our organization and love-feast are among the things of the past.  Bro. Enoch Eby officiated at the feast, and did all he could to make us happy.  May all the brethren and sisters who attend and participate in the holy services, connected with those occasions, try to improve them, and derive all the good they can!  We have sixteen members.  Bro. Elihu Moore and Bro. Marshall Ennis are the ministers, and Bro. Fox is a deacon. Come, Brethren, and help us to build up a church here in this strip.  We are located twelve miles in this strip.  W e are located twelve miles south-west of Englewood, Clark Co., Kans.    Andrew J. Detrick.

The Gospel Messenger Jan. 3, 1888 page 6 Vol. 26 No. 1

From the Field.

  By request of the few members living in the Neutral Strip, south of the Kansas line, I left home Nov. 23, and arrived at Ashland, the county-seat of Clarke count, Kan., and present terminus of the railroad, on Thursday evening, the 24th.  There I was met by Bro. Elihu Moore, formerly of Greene, Butler Co., Iowa, who took me to his home, a distance of thirty-five miles.  It was day by the time we arrived, and the snow was falling.  We took supper, and then went to the floorless, sod schoolhouse, 16x224 feet in size, I think.  The house was filled, and better attention and order we never met with, - and right among the so-call ed cow-boys.  Some of then attended meeting frequently, and their conduct was worthy of imitation.

 Saturday, the 26th, was a very unpleasant day; it rained, snowed and blowed, and that might the Cimarron River was frozen over, the ice being strong enough to support a man.  Notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather, the members, numbering twelve, assembled at the home of the Bro. Marshall Ennis.  After devotional exercises suitable to the occasion, they preceded, with our assistance, to organize a church, known as the Cimarron Valley district of the Brotherhood. This was done by having their letters of membership read and accepted, with a promise from each member to faithfully carry out, both by precept and example, the reaching of the Brotherhood, as understood and decided upon at her General Conference. By reading the certificates of membership, it was ascertained that Bro. Elihu Moore was a minister in the second degree, and Bro. Fox was a degree and Bro. Marshall Ennis in the first degree.  It was also found that Bro. Fox was a deacon.  The church therefore decided not to elect any more officers at present, save a brother as Clerk and Treasurer, and one solicitor for home and general mission work, and tract work.  For the former office, Bro. Andrew Detrick was chosen, and for the latter, two sisters, Rosa Ennis and Emma Moore, received a tie vote, and were both chosen.  Two sisters, whose names were read off, could not be present because of bodily infirmities and the inclemency of the Weather.  There members drove about fifty-two miles to get to the meeting.  It stormed all the night before, and was by no means pleasant the day, and they had to care for three children at the same time.  Please make a note of this you, who have but three or four miles to go, and think it is too far if the weather is not pleasant. Perhaps you think it is to uncomfortable to kneel on the cold earth, just as your dear Savior did.  If all the dear brethren and sisters could have a practical taste of frontier missionary work, the solicitors for endowment funds would meet with wonderful success.  The missionary Board would have pleasant of funds to aid in building  meeting-house, and no one would be in the  least inconvenienced.  Could we, or would we, measure zeal with the Methodist church on this point, what a blessing it would be to the cause!

  In Sawyer, a small, new town in Pratt county, Kan., I met a young Methodist minister, Kan., I met a young Methodist minister.  He called my attention to what I supposed to be a dwelling-house in course of erection.  But he said they were building it for worship.  When they were able, they would sell it for a dwelling, and build a meeting-house.  They built it L fashion, without partitions.  I suppose it was built from their building fund, which never becomes any smaller. The Brethren, the Gospel Messenger and the tracts all say. “Come!” Jesus says, “Go ye!”  Meeting-house will then be needed.  The church demand funs ahead of finances in this new country.   Enoch Eby.

Hatchinson, Kan.