History of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, Horton, KS
The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of Horton, Kansas was founded in 1977 by Pastor Tom Stone and his father, Elder Howard Stone of Atchison, KS. Elder Stone was a church planter at heart and in his lifetime was instrumental in the founding of several churches in the northeast Kansas-northwest Missouri area.
Tom was a successful personnel manager for a large national company in Kansas City when he began getting up early to pray and seek God’s guidance for his life. At 6:30 a.m. on April 19, 1976 he told his wife Viki, “I think we’re supposed to sell the house and move to St. Joe.” By May 28 they had sold the house and moved to St. Joseph, MO, wondering what the next step would be.
After three days of fasting and prayer, Tom got clear direction to move to the small town of Horton, Kansas, approximately 60 miles southwest of St. Joe. After sharing the news with his wife to make sure she was in agreement, he told his dad that he felt the Lord leading him to raise up a ministry in Horton. Elder Stone agreed and shared that he had been sensing the same thing.
Father and son made a few trips to Horton together and things began to miraculously fall into place for the purchase of the former Second Baptist Church building at 845 Second Avenue East. The building, which had been empty for years and was in disrepair, had actually already been sold to a local group which had planned to use it as a museum. Because of the persistent challenge of one local man (former 2nd Baptist member Rev. Clarence Hughes) to the idea of the church building becoming a museum, the owners were eventually glad to sell it. (Rev. Hughes, acting under his own authority, had actually opened the doors to the church for the Stones—who were unaware of the building’s legal owners— to have a first service there on Saturday, June 19, 1976.)
The building was offered to Pastor Tom for $700 and included new roofing materials. It was blessed as the All Nations Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. A good friend of Elder Howard Stone, Rev. Claude Webb, of Atchison, KS, offered to put the roof on at a fraction of what any other contractor would charge. Pastor Tom borrowed $3,000 from the Bank of Horton to pay for the building, labor and other incidentals to get it ready for service. One of Pastor Tom’s & Viki’s friends, Venda Raye, of Kansas City, sent a tithes check to the new church with a note saying that God had spoken to her heart to begin tithing to the new nondenominational, Spirit-filled ministry. These monthly support checks covered the entire installment payments and continued until the loan was paid in full.
Pastor Tom & Viki moved to Horton with their two little girls, Shannon and Hopi, on January 29, 1977. (Their little family eventually grew to also include, Benjamin, Ivy, Summer and Mark.) After learning the Stones, a black couple, had plans to start a church in the predominantly-white community of Horton, some in the community, fearing the young couple had made a huge mistake, offered statements such as “there’s no colored here” or “where’s your congregation going to come from, Reverend?” But they were not phased by such comments. The name of the church, “All Nations . . . “ reflected Pastor’s & Elder Stone’s desire to preach the Gospel to everyone, regardless of race, culture or background. The opening Sunday service was on May 29, 1977.
God added to the church, and by 1980 it had nearly outgrown its building. In September of 1981, the church purchased its present building at 120l Central from the Seventh Day Adventist Association. The building was originally the First Presbyterian Church and was built in 1925. At some point in the early 1980’s, the official church name was shortened to “Church of the Lord Jesus Christ” (CLJC). Elder Howard Stone then opened the former All Nations building as Tribal Pentecost, a reflection of his special love for Native American people.
In 1983 Church of the Lord Jesus Christ opened Good Shepherd Christian School for students in grades kindergarten through 12 with an estimated enrollment of 30 children the first year. The staff included several state-certified teachers with master’s degrees. The school continued, kindergarten-6th grades, until l996.
One of the most notable moves of God at CLJC was what became known as the 1999 October Outpouring. This unprecedented move of the Holy Ghost began in the summer months with a handful of youth who would not stop praying. They were preceded by some older prayer warriors who met on Sunday nights and had also been praying faithfully for revival. The youth would meet at every available opportunity and the glory of God would come upon them. The Spirit of God touched the rest of the church, flooding us with a mighty Holy Spirit outpouring beginning October 3.
Through the years, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ has seen many come to Christ, many baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, and many receive healing and deliverance. CLJC is active in the Northeast Kansas Pro-Life Action League, and ministers to children not only in Sunday School classes but also in an our exciting mid-week Faith & Fun Club & Youth Group. Other doors God has opened: Abiding Love for married couples, Waffles & Worship and Rooted, both women’s ministries; jail ministries to Atchison & Brown counties, a weekly radio outreach by our pastor including the award-winning radio drama “Unshackled”, and a dedicated worship team & youth choir that offer their talents to the Lord. The Lord has also blessed us to be a support to missionary efforts at home and overseas thanks to our generous congregation and its trustees. Look what the Lord has done!
Zechariah 4:10a
“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin”
1 Corinthians 3:6b
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.”
