Atchison United Methodist Church - Good News Fund

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 nuturing, educating, welcoming, and serving our neighbors of the Atchison area.  We nurture the need to normalize Mental Health and keep it accessible by hosting office space to Christ First Counseling Center.  The December Longest Night vigil allows the community space to lament as well as honors community members  who "shine bright" with a love for neighbors.  We educate about health guidelines, financial freedom, anti-racism, and the Weslyan way of living by doing no harm, doing good and keeping God first in our lives.  We welcome the community in for election voting, Girl Scouts, Soup & Sermon, Oktoberfest,  even adapting to drive-thru during pandemic. Atchison United Methodist Church serves our community in many ways each day including the blessing box stocked with food, warm hats, gloves and encouragement.  We provide comfort for area daycare children with handmade blankets, and activity boxes for hospitalized children and their families, and we participate in the Loaves and Fishes program delivering meals on Saturdays to those who are homebound. 

Mission

The Atchison United Methodist Church makes disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.  We center our lives upon God with weekly worship and putting faith into action focused on  Nurturing, Educating, Welcoming and Serving our community so that all may know the Good N.E.W.S of Jesus Christ.  

Profile

Atchison Methodist church is historically significant to our community in Christian witness and service. The first recorded sermon of any Christian denomination was uttered by Rev. Robert Shaw in May, 1857.  According to Sheffield Ingalls, author of "History of Atchison County, Kansas” Standard Publishing Company (Lawrence, Kansas 1916) the sermon was “in the office of S. C. Pomeroy, which was located on the corner of Third and Commercial streets.  Within a year the church was chartered and funds raised for a new building located on the north side of Parallel street, near Fifth street. 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 to 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. 

$19,134.45 received
in 42 gifts 159.45%  of  $12,000.00 Goal