Our History

The Methodist Church was the first church of any denomination in Dallas County Missouri.   It was organized in 1838-1839 in the log school house at Buffalo.  The school was located just west of the present Buffalo-Oak Lawn Cemetery near the east side of the southeast corner of the town square.  In 1844, the Methodist Episcopal Church divided over slavery with the Buffalo church adhering to the Methodist Episcopal Church South.  A church was built at the corner of Maple and Lincoln streets.

In 1863, the Dallas County courthouse was burned during one of the many Civil War skirmishes along the Springfield and Warsaw road.  The Methodist Church was then used by the court until July 30, 1864 when the church was burned.  The church was rebuilt southwest of the square.  After the church was destroyed in 1864, the congregation was reorganized into two groups, the Methodist Episcopal Church North and the Methodist Episcopal Church South.  The South church was located on what is now the southwest corner of the second block on West Main.  The North church united with the Baptists in 1869 in building a frame church at a cost of $1600.  They called it Union House and it was located in the center of the block now occupied by our present church.  The two denominations continued to use this building on alternate Sundays until 1888 when the Methodists purchased the interest of the Baptists and became the sole owners. 

The land was given to the Methodist Church by W. L. and Sarah Morrow, great-grandparents of Lucile Scott and plans were made for a church building.  The frame church was moved south to the southeast corner of Walnut and Benton and it was used there while the new church was under construction.  In 1889, the present brick church was erected at a cost of slightly more than $10,000.  There were 85 members at that time.  The plans for the church were drawn in St. Louis.  It was considered one of the outstanding buildings in this part of Missouri at that time and still remains a prominent landmark in Dallas County. 

Some interesting details about the building are: the black brick which forms a trim around the church was hand-dipped by members of the congregation, both the ceiling and the floor in the sanctuary are in the form of a cross, the original stain finish on the ceiling has never been refinished (as of this publishing), there were originally four Star of David windows, one of which was replaced by the present Jesus window.  The large Star of David windows and the tall gothic style windows, with small colored panes outlining them add much to the beauty of the church.

Through the years changes were made in the church.  The chancel arc was lowered from a high semi-circle to slightly above the sanctuary floor and later extended north and south to provide room for the organ and choir.  A new communion rail replaced the earlier semi-circular style railing.   Along with the years came the need for more space.  Since the church was built on solid rock, a basement was not the solution.  In 1953, plans were drawn to add an annex to the south of the sanctuary.  This is the area that presently includes the offices and restrooms.  The present handicap bathroom was the kitchen and the ladies of the church served complete meals from there including turkey dinners with all the trimmings,  The building was dedicated in 1956.  Also in 1956, the original parsonage was sold and a new parsonage was constructed on the same site.

Over the years the congregation grew and in 1966 plans were drawn for a building that would provide both classrooms and dining hall space.  Hadley Thomas was one of the trustees who drew up those plans.  The building was completed in May 1967 and occupied immediately.  The building was dedicated in 1975 when the original loan of $25,000 was paid off. 

In 1979 the adjoining property was purchased.  This is where the Family Life Center now stands.  In 1986 the remaining piece of property in the block was purchased.  In 2005 plans were finalized for a new building to the south of the existing church.  This building would be handicap accessible and provide additional space and new kitchen facilities.  Along with the members, other churches were represented when the groundbreaking was held on September 8, 2005.  The Masonic Lodge 361 set the cornerstone during the consecration service on March 19, 2006.  The family Life Center is used for many community activities such as dinners, reunions, receptions, family dinners, summer library program and yard sales. 

All of the accomplishments of the Buffalo United Methodist Church can be attributed to the dedication of its members both past and present.  We have inherited a beautiful historic sanctuary from the faithful early members of our church and we are striving to meet present and future needs. 

The Buffalo United Methodist Church strives to serve the world and our community by helping people

    1. Find God in a real and personal way through inviting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior of their lives

    2. Become growing maturing, committed Christian disciples by applying God's Word to their daily needs and problems

    3. Reach out with compassion to people, providing an atmosphere and fellowship where they can experience the love and power of Christ for the total person

Our congregation consists of people of all ages and backgrounds.  Our members are active not only within the church but in the community through various ministries and volunteer work at the schools, library etc.  We believe and practice the Methodist slogan of

 "Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors"

Our Heritage

These are the names of those who had been members of 50 or more years recorded in our official membership records beginning in 1894. 

Ethel Bridges, Leona Snider, Grace Petree, Josephine Tracy, William Tracy, Eloise Callaway, Ossie Plummer, Harry Plummer, Evelyn Griffin, Amanda Holt,           Juanita Morrow, Homer Hatfield, Byron Hatfield, Ruth Potter, Fredda Heady, Dale Sharpe, Eunice Hyde, Goldie Jefferies, Virginia Hyde, Vesta Reed, Phillip Reed, Alice Reed Ovitt, Dolly Barnes, June Spoering, Minnie Neill, Henry Rieschel, Carl Deck, Lewis Uplinger, Corliss Ervin, Irene Moyle, Vience "Jiggs" Neill,               Zelpha Hatfield

Our current congregation honors those that hold  membership 50 years plus

Lucille Scott-1927    Evelyn Holt-1942    Juanita Freeman-1945    JoAnn Alford-1946   Clell Spoering-1946    Phyllis Neill-1946                Hadley & Hazel Thomas-1947    Arva Rieschel-1949    Jon Chalker-1952    Wayne Rieschel-1955    Barbara Randall-1955                    Ralph Moyle-1955    Lois Kjar-1956    Francis Tribon-1958    Don Hatfield-1958