10/19/13

St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Minneapolis, Kansas

Private Collection of M.A.Hudson
The Episcopal Church came into the area of Minneapolis, Ottawa County, Kansas, formally before 1895. A local business gazetteer of 1878 does not list an Episcopal Church, only a Methodist, Presbyterian and a Baptist.   In the Journal of the Proceedings of the  Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas (1895) on pg. 21 is listed a lay delegate from Minneapolis' St. Peter's Episcopal Church. The individual was one A.R. Purton. So, it can be assumed the church was established sometime between 1878 and 1895.

An earlier postcard, often found for sale online, may show this church as early as 1905-1910. The basic structure of the two buildings is very similar, with only minor cosmetic changes reflecting changes over time.  The church was located at the corner of Third and Delia Streets. 

In the early 1970's, this wooden Episcopal Church was purchased to become the First Pentecostal Holiness Church in Minneapolis, Kansas.  The International Pentecostal Holiness Church was a denomination with roots in the south but had been active in Kansas from the early years of the 20th century.  The interior was a soft yellow in the 1970's, with warm polished wooden details, and an ornate chancel area with a stained glass window. Under the leadership of the Rev. Bob Cartwright and his wife Naomi, Raymond and Marge Rinehart, Marvin J. and Marilyn A. Hudson, Don and Ray Stepp, Richard and Carole Willard, and James and Norma Malloy with others, the church was launched and a wing was added to provide space for Sunday school classes and a fellowship hall.

History of the Diocese of Kansas, The first 100 years; being an historical review of the diocese of Kansas of the Protestant Episcopal Church from its formation in 1859 to its centennial in 1959. The Right Reverend Goodrich Robert Fenner, bishop; The Right Reverend Edward Clark Turner, bishop coadjutor.  Maps, however, indicate the Diocese did not extend to Ottawa County.

Local sources in the community indicated in 2013 that the building was renovated and turned into apartments, but they did indicate the stained glass and some features of the church had been retained.

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