69 / 150
A
dvancing
T
he
K
ingdom
: K
ingdom
H
ouse
66
...the strengthening of the church here
has been an important goal. With the
coming of new families into the Darst
Project and with the rehabilitation of the
area to 7th St., there will be an influx of
new people and we need a chapel where we
can invite these people to church. After a
meeting here of ministers from the Inner-
City Methodist Churches, the District
Superintendent, Dr. Loutzow, Mr. Collins the
Kingdom House pastor and members of the
Board of Missions and Church Extension,
they recommend a permanent type chapel be
established in Kingdom House.
22
At this meeting, it was decided to ask
the Board of Missions to convert the
first floor of the Recreational Building
to a chapel using folding chairs so that
it could be used for other groups such
as the Golden-Agers. The goal was to
try this arrangement for two years until
a large enough congregation could be
built to justify building a church in this
area. The new chapel was dedicated
April 28, 1957.
In that same month, it was noted that
several Native American families had
moved into the Darst apartments, were
visited by Kingdom House staff and
invited to participate in programming.
More than one invitation was issued, for
Koeppe is quoted in the May
Minutes
saying, “...that the job of Kingdom
House is to integrate the whole
community – that is the neighborhood
and the Housing Project. He told of
an Native American teen-age girl who
stood on the sidewalk until invited in.
She said that she did not know she was
welcome...”
23
The
Kingdom House
Visitor
excitedly announced in its
summer edition:
OUR NEWEST VENTURE
Many of the Native Americans who
have been relocated in St. Louis are our
neighbors in the Darst Housing Project.
Our latest venture in Service has been
to welcome a group of these Americans to
Kingdom House, where they will have a
monthly meeting. The first meeting has been
held, and it is our hope that not only their
lives may be enriched, as they meet in the
‘All Native American Social Club’, but that
A
B
P
hotos
:
A:
The changing racial face
of Kingdom House
B:
Church of the Master at
Kingdom House
K
ingdom
H
ouse
provides
a
place
for
people
to
gather
and
share
their
special
interests
,
and
in
so
doing
develop
their
own
personalities
and
potential
capabilities
.