Our History
In August of 1907, Brother G.W. Davis, Brother W.T. Seaton, his wife and other friends drove from Brandsville, MO in wagons. With the help of friends, they erected a brush arbor 2.5 miles east of Doniphan on the old Oxly road and held a meeting. This meeting won many friends and also some enemies.
In October of the same year, these same ministers brought a tent to the community and held another meeting and many honest hearts decided to take their stand for the Church of God as it was shown to them by these ministers. Among those were Sidney Garrison, wife and daughter Myrtle (Mrs. R.A. Owens); Mrs. Huson; parents of Jennie Sipes and Thula Salmon; Mr. and Mrs. W.M. Garrison; Martha Featherston and son Henry, and a sister, Sarah Veach; Mary Sullenger, mother of JIm Sullenger; Mr. and Mrs. W. Perry and others.
Brother Stansberry and others had preahed near Poyner, MO previous to this time. A church building was erected there and the annual camp meeting was held there for several years. Among those attending were S.B. Mizell, his mother and sister, Mrs. Belle Price; Mrs. Lee and sons, Chas, and Wm, and Wm’s daghter, Be Etta Ellis; Mrs. Dizmang and many others. In the fall of 1908, Brother Seaton moved his family to Doniphan and began evangelistic efforts in the surrounding territory. Sunday Schools were conducted in schoolhouses and cottage prayer meetings in homes.
In 1912 the first church building was built with donated labor and material. Men hauled logs to sawmills to make the framework. Brother Van Murray, father of Ade, Brother Moler and Brother Seaton served as manual laborers and spiritual helpers. The building was a nice white structure. The lots were bought in 1911. The rest of the lots were acquired at various times. The building was used all year for regular services, then turned into a dormitory to house people during the summer camp meetings. The camp meetings were moved to Doniphan from Poyner in 1914. Another building was built which served as a cafeteria for camp meetings. On January 26, 1938 the church building burned. They were able to save the piano and pews from the fire. It was also the night the Mitchener twins, Bob and Betty, were born and Barbara Garrison was born too.
Soon after the church burned a rock building was constructed and the dedication service was held on November 20, 1938. This building was erected by Reverend R.E. Carey and building foreman, Henry Featherston.
In 1959 the parsonage was constructed under the leadership of Reverend Jesse Woodward, Ernest Pepmiller, who served as Chairman of Building, and Bill Bollenbacher.
Under the leadership of H.E. Ramsey the third church building was started in June 1973 and the first service was held on April 28, 1974. Much donated time and money went into this building. The floor plan was made by John Kane, Church Architect, Anderson, IN, who was assisted by church leaders. The Planning Committee, chaired by Allen Barnes, with Ed Sutherland, Bill Bollenbacher, and Jerry Klenn and Church Trustees Arvel Braschler, Jerry Klenn, Ed Sutherland, Kit Featherson, and Ron Whittom, supervised construction of the building. It was dedicated on October 27, 1974. With the passing of tim and a change in the way camp meetings were held, the old tabernacle was torn down in May 1985.
A day care was approved in 1986 under the leadership of Brother Don Sauls and started in May of that year on the remodeled main floor of the old Rock Church.
In May 1993 a strong wind lifted the roof of the old Rock Church, causing the side walls to bulge outward; ultimately this led to the old church being condemned and demolished. The next year, August 1994, a new 15,000 square foot Family Life Center/Day Care was opened.
In the summer of 1998, the church voted to start the Doniphan Christian School. It operated a few years providing Christian schooling to kids. Brother Larry Bashaw became the Senior Pastor in 1991, and Brother Dan Craig was the music minister starting in 1994.
In May of 2017, Ripley County experienced a historic 500-year flood. During that time, the sanctuary constructed in 1974, the parsonage, and the Family Life Center built in 1994 were flooded. The sanctuary and parsonage had to be torn down. The Family LIfe Center was cleaned out, and the church began having services in that building, until a new sanctuary was constructed in 2021.
The church was able to obtain a $750,000 grant to construct the sanctuary located now at 219 State Highway 142 East, and was able to remain debt free thanks in large part to this grant as well as funds that were able to be raised. This was extremely helpful as the insurance proceeds received from the flooded church was not enough to replace the building.
The church appreciates the part it has played in spiritual matters of Ripley County and has plans in place that will carry it into the future, as part of the Kingdom of God.
