It could have been called the North Summit Church of Christ, because
North Summit Rural School was the first "formal" meeting place in the
late 1940's. Charles and Lillian Stephens had moved from Texas to
Sully County in 1947, where they farmed, and Lillian was the first known
member of the Church of Christ in central South Dakota. She
faithfully followed the church around as it moved from place to place
until the church family finally settled on North Madison Avenue
permanently in 1957.
After World War II and into the 1950's, other southwest families, lured
by cheap land in the Dakota's (so they thought), began moving north.
Other church members moving to the Pierre area in the late 1940's were
Bobby Hood and his family, along with his sister and her husband, the
John Chamalis's. Lillian and her family, Bobby, and the Chamalis
family obtained permission to hold church services at the North Summit
Country School near the Stephen's farm in rural Sully county and began
meeting there, using the school house from about 1949 until 1951.
The first preacher was John Teel, who was in the Pierre area during 1949
and 1950.
In 1951, Lillian's sister, Lorene Barbee, and her family moved to
central South Dakota. Also, in 1951, the N.M. Cruse family, Jimmy
Cruse family, Wilson Wyly family, Elton Wyly family, and the Harris
Evans family came to South Dakota. They were followed by Miles and
Nora Robbins, Darrell and Sue Robbins, Marvin and Dorothy Massey, and
the Walter Thompson's.
Elva McFarland and Dorothy Webb moved to South Dakota during those years
with their husbands and were members of the church. Dorothy's
mother, Mrs. Henthorne, came up on the summertime, but said that the
south side of Oklahoma city was a s far north as she wanted to be during
the winter.
Max and Peggy Cruse were married in 1954 and still live in the area.
Cornell and Martha Hensley farmed north of Pierre for many years, but
lived at Altus, Oklahoma until the late 1950's when they moved their
permanent residence to Pierre. Their daughter and son-in-law,
Shirlene and Carroll Bishop, soon joined them.
In the middle 1950's three families of the Rivoire's came to South
Dakota. They were Mrs. Rivoire and Boyd, Olin and Justine, and
Paul J. and Murthel. Also in the middle 50's the coble families
came up from Oklahoma. Both families first moved to the Presho
area where Jim and Lenora still live. J.D. and Dorothy lived there
for time then moved to Pierre.
All the families mentioned above were farmers and ranchers and, in many
cases, they or their descendants still are. In addition to the
farm economy, the construction of the Oahe dam brought other members to
the area: Ed and Vanila Hendrix, Leatrice Sanders, and the H.B,.
Bruce family. Other early memembers include Bib and Darlene
Duncan, Herb and Jane Davis, James and Priscilla Reed, and Nona Roberts.
For several years after it began, the church in central South Dakota was
the "traveling" church. After meeting for a time at the Sully
County School, its members began meeting with families at the Buckeye
School, just north of Pierre. As more families moved into the
area, the bulk of the congregation wanted to have Sunday school as a
part of the Sunday meeting (The meetings at the Buckeye School consisted
of worship services only.). All but two families agreed and the
church began meeting in Pierre in 1955 at the Seventh Day Adventist
Church building on Capitol Avenue in Pierre.
In 1957 the church bought the old Pierre Country Club building along
with a block of land surrounding it. Golf cleats had made a hash
of the floor in both the auditorium and on the stairs going to the
basement where we had classrooms. At Miles Robbins' suggestion, we
turned the boards on the stair steps over and the looked fine, but we
had to live with the chipped up auditorium floor until we could raise
enough money to put a covering on it. Although money was short, we
immediately raised enough to tear out the Country Club bar and replace
it with a baptistery -- that money being raised as an emergency fund
drive, more than likely! As we needed money to make payments on
the building, we sold off excess land and eventually sold about a half
block. The church still owns the about a half a block.
After we had been in the country club for three years, the members
decided to build a new building - the current one - and completed it in
1960. The congregation contracted with Paden Construction of
Cleburne, Texas to oversee the work and to do the jobs for which no
members had skills. Paden sent two men to supervise - one very
tall and a short, dark one called "Frenchy". the tall one was a
good carpenter and Frenchy was good with masonry and brick, but the
membership supplied most of the labor. Olin Rivoire, for example,
did the wiring and most of the sheet metal work, and Miles and Darrell
Robbins worked as experienced carpenters. Payden had a "southern"
heating system that they said would be sufficient, even though several
members argued otherwise, particularly two families who had had
experience with the same system at their church in Oregon. The
Oregon families proved to be right - it did not work! The women
could not sit with their feet on the floor or they would freeze!
Carpet was added to help the situation, but eventually heating vents had
to be added in the auditorium.
Early church officers include Cornell Hensley, Ed Hendrix, and Wilson
Wyly, who were appointed as elders in 1959. Olin Rivoire, Paul J.
Rivoire, Jim Cruse, N.M. Cruse, J.D. coble, and Walter Thompson were
appointed as deacons in 1961. Besides John Teel, ministers have
included Leon Edmonds (1957-1958), Clyde Freeman (1958-1961), Leonard
Tester (1961-1962), Don Sigle (1962-1967), L.L. Thornton (1968-1972),
Forrest French (1973-1978), Fred Davis (1979), Nathan Blanton
(1980-1985), James Beam (1980-1985), Larry Roberts (1985-1988), Don
Sigle (1988-1992), Charlie Wharton (1992-2005), and Mark Newton
(2007-present).
In
2000, the church finished construction of a new fellowship hall.
The church continues to grow and build each other up, and is looking
forward to great things in the future.
