The History of St. John's United Methodist Church

In the early 1950's, the southside of Des Moines started to grow. As the area developed, Superintendent Howard Buxton saw a need for a Methodist Church to be located in southwest Des Moines.

The first service was held in the home of Roscoe and Agnes Alcorn. When the group became too large to meet in a home, they began to meet in a small church called Bloomfield. 

Then in 1957, Dr. Buxton, and four others, each donated $1,000 to purchase land for the new church. On January 24, 1958, a charter membership service was held with 50 founding members.

The Methodist Builders, a volunteer group in the Iowa Methodist Conference, agreed to help with the actual building.

Donations were received from other churches in the area, the national church and the Myerly estate. A preliminary plan for the new church was approved on April 12, 1958. A ground breaking service was held on October 12, 1958. 

The first unit of the building was completed in the late spring of 1959. A new addition was completed in late 1965.