Welcoming all ... Excluding none
The History of West Point Christian Church
Yukon, Oklahoma (USA)
Complied by Rev. Kevin K. Adams
Mabel Fry (image to left) was a Yukon, Oklahoma resident, a Disciple (member of the Christian Church), a graduate of Phillips University in Enid, OK, and namesake of the city of Yukon’s “Mabel Fry Library.” Mabel’s historical accounts of West Point Christian Church (WPCC) are the oldest records that can be found from any source. According to Mabel, how WPCC ended up in Yukon, Oklahoma was “a bit of an accident.” In Oklahoma Territory on April 22, 1889, during the first Land Run for what would become the state of Oklahoma in 1907, citizens were allowed to claim 160 acres of public unassigned land, where they would build homes and farms. Mabel’s father, Robert M. Fry, rode “Old Mat”, his horse in that race, and he did so for himself and three other Civil War veterans. However, upon landing in Guthrie, Fry found out that there were not enough available claims in the area all of them. A cowboy he met brought him further south into what would eventually become Canadian County and the district of West Point. It was in this area that the Fry family laid claim, built a house, worked a sawmill, worked on the railroad and farmed. This is where Mabel Fry grew up.
Not long after the land run, in 1890, a small band of settlers in the area organized a Union Sunday School (as they had no preacher). The Sunday school first met in a sod house, called a “soddy.” This is where Mabel Fry attended the beginnings of what would become West Point Christian Church. A Union Sunday School in Oklahoma in the late 1800s was a non-denominational religious education program that brought together children and adults from different Christian denominations for Bible study and instruction. Mabel’s mother, Lucy, taught the boys’ class on the attic stairway in the Winset home. The Winset home was later known as the A. A. Shedeck Homestead and is currently known as the Boles Farm. After meeting in the soddy, they met in a new frame schoolhouse on Antone Shedeck’s land. This was supposed to be the Shell Creek school house but was found to be on the wrong section and was moved to a new site three miles west of Yukon. The settlers then built another soddy schoolhouse on the West Point school ground and met here for several years. Later, the Sunday School moved into a frame building that was built to replace the sod structure, which was located at the SW corner of SW 15th St and Richland Road, now the Novak family home site, longtime WPCC members.
West Point Christian Church was officially organized as a “church” on Sept 6, 1894, after revival services held by Rev J. B. Robertson (of Missouri Military School, Mexico, Missouri). Robertson rode his horse around the area looking for Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) members to organize a service and a church. On the day of the revival, he baptized 18 and organized the church with 34 members. When the call to come forward to join the church, Mrs. R. M. (Lucy) Fry was the first person to walk down the aisle with her “letter” to join the new church at West Point. However, the church decided to move its location down to Thurston, Oklahoma as it was a growing community at the time. Interestingly, Thurston no longer exists. Sometime before 1898, the church relocated back to soddy schoolhouse. George Woods was called to be the first pastor upon the church’s return to the Yukon area. In April 1898, J. M. Monroe, Pastor at El Reno Christian Church (and was also a Union veteran who lost a leg in the Civil War) held an extended meeting at the West Point schoolhouse, and the church re-organized with 32 baptisms and 84 members. Baptisms were held in Shell Creek just west of the church up until the Yukon Christian Church had an indoor baptistry, which WPCC then used.
As WPCC grew, members decided they needed a larger building and so decided to build a church building. Led by John D. Smith, who gave the first $50, a building fund began. Charles Little, who came in the Land Run in 1889, homesteaded a farm six miles southwest of Yukon, and was one of the original organizers of the church. WPCC was built on part of his homestead, which was across the street, Richland Road, (East) from the schoolhouse. Little gave this land to the church for the new building. The new building (image on right) was not a Sears and Roebuck “kit” as was previously believed but was built by church members with their own hands. The new building was dedicated on Sunday, July 2, 1899.
During the dedication it was reported that, while over $700 had been collected, $306 was still needed. Consequently, a collection was taken up and the balance was collected along with enough to start on the purchase of an organ. After a solemn Lord’s Supper service, the congregation sang out “Praise God from whom all blessings flow!” In 1901 Miss Laura V. Thompson, a national organizer of the Christian Women’s Board of Missions, visited Oklahoma Territory and said, “West Point is one of the finest houses of worship in a country congregation that I have ever visited.”
In 1946-47, an addition was built adjoining the church on the south side, that included a kitchen and a fellowship area. (Image to left, note area to the right of the main sanctuary) It was dedicated as a memorial to Calvin Florence and Marvin Fry, two young men from the church who lost their lives in World War II. The young people of the church, who were part of what was called the “Christian Endeavor” group, helped raise funds to furnish the new addition. In the 1950s, the men of the church renovated the church steeple and installed the bell that had been donated by Ernest Brakefield, whose father had brought the bell in during the Land Run. Jim Masopust made the cross for the top of the steeple.
In 1982, a second addition to the church was constructed. This consisted of extending the Fellowship Hall area, remodeling the kitchen, adding classrooms, a bathroom, a storage closet, and a water system. The sanctuary was also refurbished at that time. Ridge Smith, Chairman of the Board at the time, contacted the Oklahoma Historical Society to nominate the church to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places, which occurred in 1983. (Image on right, note expanded part of the building to the right of the main sanctuary)
In 2011, Harold and Jean Claire Lawson donated 10 acres of land to the church which was sold in order fund a new Family Life Center. The Lawson Family Life Center was completed in 2015. (Image to left, note new addition to right, beyond the main church buildin)
This is only a short history. Many other committed individuals throughout the history of West Point Christian Church have turned their faith into action beyond the walls of the church building. Those stalwarts in the faith are the legacy of this church. And we today, are called to continue their faithful work. Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell, primary founders of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), emphasized the overarching unity of the Christian faith despite the diversity of denominations and believers. Therefore, we at West Point Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) humbly follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ and endeavor to bring all into a loving relationship with God.