kindling the flame in iowa

by Kevin Lannan

A Brief History

It was unseasonably warm Easter Sunday, April 2, 1961, when 16 people gathered in a rented building at the corner of 12th and Grant Streets in Bettendorf, Iowa. They took part in the first Free Will Baptist service in the metropolitan area along the Mississippi River now known as the Quad Cities.

With Bettendorf and Davenport, Iowa on the north side of the river and Moline and Rock Island, Illinois on the south, the area had become a thriving agricultural manufacturing area. Corporations like Caterpillar, Case, and International Harvester were major employers, and a flood of people migrated from southern states for jobs. Many of the transplants were Free Will Baptists, with no church to attend.

For months, Mr. and Mrs. Ebert Franks of Winfield, Alabama, felt God leading them to establish a church in the growing area, and they held that first service just 10 days before Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space.

Although Iowa is not quite outer space (contrary to popular belief), the mission of the Franks family —traveling halfway across the United States to establish a church in an unknown part of the country—was just as pioneering and courageous.

One month later, Harvey Hill and Dale Skiles arrived from Berkeley City, Missouri, ready to organize the mission into a church. On May 28, 1961, this handful of people established the first FWB mission church in Iowa. They broke ground for the Riverview FWB church in Bettendorf on June 10, 1962, six blocks up the hill from the original meeting site. The church served as a springboard to establish three other Free Will Baptist churches on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River: Green Rock FWB in Colona, Faith FWB in Milan, and First FWB Church in Moline.

These churches were, in turn, instrumental in calling Cliff and Kathy Donoho, assisted by Dale and Lana Mitchell of Nashville, Tennessee, to establish a second missionary church in Iowa 30 years later. Heritage FWB church was founded in Davenport in October 1992. Land was purchased and ground was broken for the new building on August 22, 1993, and the Heritage FWB Church became self-supporting in 1999.

Serving the Community

Many souls have been saved through the efforts of the Quad-City churches. In addition, the Iowa churches developed a heart for serving the community. Heritage church created a puppet ministry with shows and skits based on the gospel message. They took it to the streets, doing shows in nursing homes and any other place that invited them. The teens and dedicated adults spent hours in prop building, rehearsals and performances.

Pastor Wayne Martin of the Riverview Church heads a bi-weekly prison ministry and sends sermons to inmates who are transferred to other facilities. Heritage church provides emergency supply baskets for the local women and children’s shelter. The ladies of the church also prepare baskets for the local right-to-life organization that helps unwed mothers who opt to keep their babies. Church members rotate in volunteer teams to operate a weekly food pantry out of the church.

Recently, area Free Will Baptist churches sponsored a non-denominational, “Share the Faith” evangelism seminar attended by representatives of churches throughout the city. Both Iowa churches hold a summer Vacation Bible School that is open to the public.

Fields of Opportunity

Originally, the Iowa churches were member congregations of the Illinois Association of Free Will Baptists. Because the numbers of Free Will Baptists in the state were so few, it seemed best to join the Illinois group for representation at the national conference.

In 2006, however, Pastor Jim Martin of the Heritage church introduced the idea of creating a new Iowa conference. Why? If Iowa churches were truly planted as missions to Iowa, then they should be recognized as such.

The intent was not to break fellowship with churches on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River but to establish an Iowa denominational presence, a vanguard for future churches in the state. The move put Iowa on the Free Will Baptist “map,” no longer hidden under the Illinois banner.
Denominational leaders were excited about the idea, and all necessary preparations were completed. The Eastern Iowa Association of Free Will Baptists was officially recognized as a separate district at the 2007 national conference, and was honored by the denomination at their first meeting in November 2007.

Next Steps

So what is next for Iowa? Why all the fuss? In his article titled, “Running the Numbers,” in the February-March 2008 issue of ONE Magazine, Tom Jones made a point that bears repeating. Eighty-one percent of Free Will Baptist churches are located in 12 states. Unfortunately, Iowa is not one of the “big” states.

Forty-seven years after that first Easter service in 1961, there are still only two Free Will Baptist churches in Iowa. Both are in the same area, perched precariously on the far eastern tip of a state that is home to three million people.

The Eastern Iowa Association had a booth at the 2007 national convention. The theme was “Iowa: Fields of Opportunity.” Iowa has several large cities, an Indian reservation, and thousands of small communities between. It is home to three major state colleges: the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa State in Ames, and the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. Davenport is home to the renowned Palmer Chiropractic College, which draws students from around the world.

The state has changed in those 47 years as well. The jobs that brought many of the Free Will Baptists up from the southern states are gone. The Caterpillar, Case, and International Harvester factories closed or moved their facilities elsewhere. The flood of workers has receded back to their home states. A growing casino and gaming industry has filled the employment void left by manufacturing industry, bringing with it a host of social, moral, and economic problems.

The Iowa churches are aging. Pastor Jim Martin likes to remind his congregation that he is not getting any younger. Yet the opportunities are endless. After Heritage held their ceremonial mortgage burning in June of 2005, both Iowa churches now stand debt free, ready to continue the missionary vision in Iowa.

The only question is: who will join us? Iowa may not be an exotic location like many international mission fields, but the need is just as great and just as urgent. In the absence of sound biblical teaching, the young people of Iowa have turned to the internet, radio, and television talk shows for spiritual guidance; they are influenced heavily by movie and music celebrities touting their latest spiritual discoveries. Cults are flourishing, and new age books routinely sell like hotcakes…yes, in Iowa!

Romans 10:14-15 comes to mind: “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach, except they be sent?”

We are praying that the 50th anniversary of Iowa will be a celebration because Free Will Baptists from across the nation—that’s you—have taken the challenge to kindle the flame in Iowa.

About the Author: Kevin Lannan is deacon and treasurer of Heritage Free Will Baptist Church in Davenport, Iowa.