Delphi Christian Church to host special celebration
Comet staff report

Rev. Kraft

Delphi Christian Church will celebrate 100 years of Christian service in its present building at 315 E. Main St. on Sunday. In celebration, the church will have a special worship service at 9:30 a.m., followed by a banquet provided by the ladies of the congregation. The singing duet, Water- N2-Wine, will present a special concert.

The congregation officially began in April 1880. The Christian evangelist who planted the church and became its first minister was William Kraft.

Kraft relates how he became a Christian minister in the book, "From Darkness to Light, a Series of Autobiographical Sketches Relating to Religious Experiences by Eminent Ministers of the Christian Church."

Kraft was born in 1853 in Germany. He spent his teenage years looking for peace of mind and a sense of acceptance with God, but could not find it. In 1870 at age 17, he left Germany and came to America.

He encountered many trials and hardships as he learned the English language and adopted new American ways. He lived for a while in Chicago and then moved to northern Indiana where he came into contact with Christian Church evangelist K.S. Martin. As Kraft read his Bible and listened to Martin's preaching, he felt that he had found the answer to the peace of mind for which he had searched so long. In 1875 he joined the Christian Church in Hebron and soon became a preacher.

Delphi Christian Church

Almost immediately he began planting new churches. In January 1878 he was called to his first pastorate in Remington. He built up that congregation and the next year left for West Lebanon where he was equally effective. In April 1880, when he was 26 years old, he started the Christian Church at Delphi, where he served two years as its first minister. The congregation grew quickly. On March 15, 1882, he married one of the church's charter members, Alice Haughey, and before they left Delphi, Kraft recommended that the church purchase the "old school" Presbyterian Church building at 315 E. Main St., which they did.

Kraft and his wife planted new churches in Morocco and Pine Village and also served churches in four Indiana and four Ohio communities. He spent the last 14 years of his life at Florida Christian Home in Jacksonville, still preaching every Sunday. He died on Jan. 13, 1939, at age 85.

"The Delphi Christian Church has been blessed with many great ministers throughout the years, but we will always have a special place in our hearts for William Kraft, whose pioneer spirit started that church in Delphi," said Andrew Paris, current minister of the church.

All are welcome this Sunday to join in the worship service, banquet, and concert. Those planning to attend the banquet, are asked to RSVP by phone to (765) 564-3560.