THE BEGINNING
As God has done for centuries, when He needed a work to be done, He looked for a man who was willing to follow Him, such a man was Rev. Samuel Newell Baldwin. Through a vision God placed a call on Rev. Baldwin to come to Lathrop. At the time of this call, he was living on a farm with his wife and five sons.
In the Spring of 1936, Rev. Baldwin came to Lathrop and rented the theater building on Main Street. At that time Rev. and Mrs. Henry Robertson came to assist Rev. Baldwin and held several weeks of revival services in the theater until warm weather arrived.
The owner of the theater wanted to use the building again, so it became necessary to relocate. They were able to obtain some seats and an organ and moved to the city park where they conducted open-air meetings until fall. During those open-air meetings God moved and many were saved and sick bodies were healed.
That winter was a hard one for the Baldwin family. They used a small trailer in which to cook and eat their meals. Their sleeping quarters consisted of an old tent and to complicate the situation they were in the middle of the "great depression." But, through their faith in the great God they served, they made it through these hard times.
BUILDING OF THE FIRST CHURCH
As the church grew the people began to make plans to build their first church. The corner lot at Clinton and Locust streets was purchased from Clyde Slayton and work began.In the digging of the basement the pastor’s cow was used to drag out the dirt from the whole and move large rocks that were to become the basement walls. The rocks were thought to have come from an old quarry between Lathrop and Holt. During the excavation a well was discovered and walled up to be used as a water supply.
There were two houses at that time being sold to make room for the High School building. Rev. Baldwin placed a bid of $60.00 for one of the houses and since there were no other bids, he purchased it for that price. The house was torn down and the lumber was used to build the new church. One end of the church was partitioned off and used as bedrooms for the pastor and his family while they continued to use the trailer for cooking and eating their meals.
CHURCH SET IN ORDER
On April 23, 1938, the church was organized under the Constitution and Bylaws of the Assemblies of God by Rev. Roy E. Scott, West-Central District Superintendent.While the Baldwins were still pastors, Mrs. Baldwin passed away. Rev. Baldwin pastored in Lathrop about ten years.
When Rev. Baldwin felt led to leave Rev. and Mrs. R.O. Jefferies came in 1943 to pastor. It was during their pastorate that a parsonage was purchased on Clinton and Russell Streets. A banister was also put up on the platform of the church.
Rev. and Mrs. Sam Marcum came as pastors in 1945 after a business meeting on May 26 called by Rev. Jefferies for the purpose of choosing a pastor. Rev. N.J. Foley, presbyter, came to conduct the business meeting. Rev. Marcum was voted in by a two-thirds majority for an indefinite period of time.
Much work was done in the basement of the church while Rev. Marcum pastored. Petitions were put in for Sunday School rooms and baseboard was put down. Also, two-by-fours were nailed on the basement walls and plastering put over them. A stoop was built over the front door.
Feeling the call of the Lord to move on, Rev. Marcum resigned as pastor in March 1950, and Rev. and Mrs. Sam Sowell were called as pastors. In July, of that same year, it was decided to use the money in the bank, from the sale of the lot, to put water in the parsonage.
During Rev. Sowell’s pastorate the restrooms were put in the church. Feeling the need for more room as the congregation grew, an annex was built onto the back of the church. Hardwood floors and a new ceiling were put in the old part of the church.
When Rev. Sowell resigned as pastor in 1955, Rev. and Mrs. Sherman Jones were called. Rev. Jones was voted in as pastor for one year. During this time a new furnace was installed in the church. Also, a new piano was purchased.
In June, 1956, Rev. and Mrs. A.L. Schoonover were called. In October of the same year a 500-gallon vapotane gas tank was purchased for the parsonage. During the next four years the basement floor was poured, and the walls in the basement were repaired. Also, a trench was dug around the church and soil pipe was laid and attached to the sewer line to try to get rid of the water that ran in and kept the basement walls and floors wet.
In July, 1957, at a business meeting Rev. Schoonover brought before the people a plan for a building program. It was suggested that each member give one dollar a month toward a building fund. This was voted on and carried.
Feeling that he had finished his work for the Lord in Lathrop, Rev. Schoonover resigned in March, 1960, and Rev. and Mrs. T.W. Stark were elected pastors.
During Rev. Stark’s pastorate the church voted to put storm windows in the parsonage, fix the foundation and insulate it. A year later the basement walls of the church were plastered and painted. The outside of the church was also painted.
The following summer the parsonage and church were converted to natural gas, the restrooms in the church were refinished, the parsonage was repapered and the roof was repaired..
The next year the roof of the parsonage and the church were repaired. The fence was removed from the south side of the church and trees were planted.
The following year the congregation began to realize the need for more room and talked of building onto the front of the church, but decided not to spend a lot of money on an old building but plan toward a new one. However, the stoop was repaired, new steps and walk were installed. The sidewalk and steps at the parsonage were put in new, the chimney was repaired, a new roof was put on, and a new door and a back door were installed.
In March, 1966, Rev. and Mrs. Stark resigned as pastors because of too much responsibility. They had been elected as presbyters of Northern Missouri District and overseer of the campgrounds at Lake Maurer. It was then that Rev. and Mrs. Ralph McCaulley were called as pastors.
The downstairs bedroom was remodeled in the parsonage and new cabinets and a sink were installed in the kitchen for the new pastors.
Two years later the church voted to place some money in savings to draw interest. By May, 1968, the total amount in savings was $1098.87.
The following year at the annual business meeting there was discussion concerning the building of a new church. It was voted that $1200.00 more be put in savings from the treasury. At the meeting a motion was made and carried for the board and pastor to locate a suitable building lot for a church and parsonage.
The church called Rev. and Mrs. Vearl M. Mings as pastors in October, 1969. The Lord had spoken to Rev. Mings to build a church but he didn’t know where he was to build it until he came to Lathrop and met with the board. At this meeting he was told that whoever we called as pastors must be willing to go along with us in the building of a new church. It was then that our Rev. Mings felt that this was the answer.
PURCHASED CHURCH SITE
In December, 1969, the present lot was bought. We then began to see our plans become a reality.We were able to purchase an organ in January, 1970. In July Rev. and Mrs. Mings purchased a home and the church voted to sell the parsonage and put the money in on a new church.
On April 12, 1970, we had our groundbreaking ceremony.
BUILDING IN PROGRESS
In April, 1971, the basement was dug and our church was begun. New Year’s Eve, December 31, 1971, we had our first service in our new church. The Lord met us in a wonderful way and put His approval upon the progress being made.We believe that all of the pastors since First Assembly of God Church in Lathrop began were called for "such a time as this."
We appreciate the sacrifices that have been made down through the years; the prayers, the fasting and all the efforts which have been put forth by pastors and laymen to keep the church progressing.
"United we stand, divided we fall." Only the Lord will know the seed that has been sown and the harvest it will reap.
"If my people which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." II Chronicles 7:14.
May the Lord continue to move among us as He has been since the church began and may we see a harvest of souls before our Lord’s return.
As we look upon our beautiful new structure our hearts are made to rejoice and we cry, "Look what the Lord hath wrought by faith."
Praise His holy name.
The Assemblies of God grew out of the Pentecostal revival, which began in the early 1900s in places such as Topeka, Kansas, and the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles. During times of prayer and Bible study, believers received spiritual experiences like those described in the book of Acts. Accompanied by “speaking in tongues,” their religious experiences were associated with the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Jewish feast of Pentecost (Acts 2), and participants in the movement were dubbed “Pentecostals.” The Pentecostal movement has grown from a handful of Bible school students in Topeka, Kansas, to an estimated 600 million in the world today.
Many participants who were baptized in the Holy Spirit during revivals and camp meetings in the early 1900s were not welcomed back to their former churches. These believers started many small churches throughout the country and communicated through publications that reported on the revivals. In 1913, a Pentecostal publication, the Word and Witness, called for the independent churches to band together for the purpose of fellowship and doctrinal unity. Other concerns for facilitating missionaries, chartering churches and forming a Bible training school were also on the agenda.
Some 300 Pentecostals met at an opera house in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in 1914, and agreed to form a new fellowship of loosely knit independent churches. These churches were left with the needed autonomy to develop and govern their own local ministries, yet they were united in their message and efforts to reach the world for Christ. So began the General Council of the Assemblies of God.
Assemblies of God churches form a cooperative fellowship. As a result, the organization operates from the grass roots, allowing the local church to choose and develop ministries and facilities best suited for its local needs.
