Good News Fund: Atchison United Methodist Church

Goal: $12,000.00

Specific Need

Your vital donation to The Good News fund of the Atchison United Methodist Church supports the local mission of Nurturing, Educating, Welcoming, and Serving(N.E.W.S.) our neighbors of the Atchison area. Additionally, our 1916 building is in constant need of repair and updating. In 2024 AUMC embarked on a building campaign to install one ADA accessible restroom. The project resulted in immediately replacing the old sewer line with an entirely new one. Funds are needed to remodel and bring the kitchen and rest of building online with new sewer. Additionally, the stained-glass windows are in need of restoration and new protective coverings. Three large stain glassed windows were completed in 2024. The corner downtown building is a community hub, hosting the community Thanksgiving Day dinner, Oktoberfest, Girl Scouts, Soup and Sermon, Community Choir, election poll location, and offices for Christ First Counseling. After 110 years of caring for the building on our own, we are once again asking for the community’s help to ensure it remains.

Mission

The Atchison United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections. We center our lives upon God with weekly worship and put faith into action focused on Nurturing, Educating, Welcoming and Serving our community so that allmay know the Good N.E.W.S of Jesus Christ.

Profile

In addition to serving as a location for many community gatherings, the Atchison Methodist church is historically significant to our community in Christian witness and service. The current building at Fifth and Kansas Avenues was built by the entire community. The town held the building plans to a high minimum standard of at least $42,000 and broke ground when half the money was raised. The first Christian denomination in town was also to be the “finest church edifices in Kansas” (Ingalls, 1916). Our historical building has been serving the community ever since. Most notably, the Methodists of Atchison were involved in the struggle to statehood and extended an invitation to a popular young politician named Abraham Lincoln making a campaign for the presidency. On December 2, 1859 Lincoln made a speech "on the issues of the day" at the local Methodist Church. The issue of that specific day was the hanging execution of abolitionist John Brown. Lincoln declared his position on Brown’s execution and slavery and spoke to the crowd for over two hours. The people of the United Methodist Church historically have been bound by our social principles to actively pursue justice and equality for all human life locally and globally
 

$22,003.01 received
in 28 gifts 183.36%  of  $12,000.00 Goal