Editor Baptist: - I have been living in Reno county, Kansas two years, have at last found Missionary Baptists enough to organize a small church founded on Jesus Christ and the apostles. We met on the 30th of last month, and were organized by the assistance of Rev. J. C. Post. There were but ten who were present and went into the organization. There are five others who hold letters and live in the neighborhood, that will join us. Five of us who joined were formerly members of old Zion Baptist church in Haywood county, Tenn. We recognize no baptism as valid except that administered by a regular ordained Baptist minister.We will hold our meetings in a large stone school house, in school district No. 20, Reno county, Kansas, until we get able to build a church house. The name of our church is Harmony Baptist, the third Sunday and Saturday before in each month.
We have no yet chosen a pastor, but will at our next meeting. We are few in number and financially weak, but strong in the faith and, humbly trust and believe that God will own and bless us in the building up of a large and powerful church for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, a way out here in this Western prairie country, which, but a short time back, was inhabited by the buffalo and other wild animals, the hunting grounds of the red men. Bro. Graves, we humbly ask an interest in yours and all Christian's prayers, that God will bless us and hold up our hands in diseminating [sic] his pure gospel, and the upbuilding of his kingdom.
We live in a rich, fertile, healthy and beautiful prairie country, destined (we believe) to be some day the garden spot of the agricultural world. Reno county was organized in June, 1872, has now near 6,000 inhabitants, has good public schools and school houses every three miles square.
Crops of every kind are good this year. Hutchinson, the county site, is a large flourishing town of its age, situated on the A. T. and Santa Fe R.R., and on the North side of the Arkansas river; has quite a number of large stone and brick buildings, both business houses and private residences. A large court house, a large M. E. church, and a large school house, and a large flouring mill, all of brick. It now numbers twelve or fifteen hundred inhabitants. The Baptists have a church organization, but no house yet, hold their meetings in the court house. There are only three Baptist preachers in the county. We need more Baptist preachers and more working Baptists, that our cause may grow and prosper. The M. E. church is in the ascendency, and I believe the Congregationalists next. The Catholics have purchased lots and expect to build soon. So you see the necessity of the Baptist banner being heralded with power and zeal in this part of God's vineyard. We pray the Lord to send in laborers, and give us a Pentecostal ingathering of souls during the incoming year, and to his name be all the glory.
H. D. Freeman.
Hutchinson, Reno county, Kansas, December 14th, 1875.
============= [From The Baptist newspaper, January 8, 1876. Transcribed and formatted by Jim Duvall.]
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