South Central Mennonite Conference PO Box 564 Hesston, KS 67062 .620.327.4187

a Regional Conference of Mennonite Church USA

Blessed to be a blessing

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We are in the midst of replacing our carpet in the Community Center and the main hallways of the church. It almost seems crazy that we are having to replace carpet after just over 10 years, but for me this is a sign that our building is being used for a variety of things in addition to church activities and Hesston College events. There’s a reason why it’s called the community center: it’s a space that can be used for community events and needs. And the hallway carpet is being replaced because we value accessibility. The carpet was beginning to bulge in some places, creating a safety concern and access issues for those with reduced mobility. Despite the price tag for replacing all this carpet there was no question that it should be done and was accepted unanimously by the council without push-back.
We are also repainting our children’s wing after the Hesston Community Daycare was there for over a year while their facility was being rebuilt. Another sign of the building being used for more than just church.
If we are blessed to be a blessing, and part of that blessing comes in a spacious facility, then we are happy to share what we have for the benefit of all!
-Clayton Gladish– Pastor

Wichita Church Plant begins IBA courses

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At the Feet of Christ Church is a church plant in Wichita, KS.  Recently six people in their group have committed to taking classes through the Instituto Bíblico Anabautista (IBA) or Anabaptist Biblical Institute.  IBA began as a Spanish language biblical education program but classes are now also available in English.   The congregation has chosen the English version which is also the language they are using in their services.   Five of the students beginning courses were baptized by Pastor Jerry Acosta who, along with his wife Lori, started the church. People in the church are thinking about how they can reach out to their friends and the people who are living in the neighborhood close to their rented meeting place at 1201 South Pattie (at Lincoln Street just West of 135).  Some members are also talking about an outreach to the homeless in their area.  At the present time between 20 and 30 people gather each Sunday morning for Sunday school at 10:30 and Worship at 11:30.  IBA classes will begin in February or March and will meet on Friday evenings.  Each participant is contributing to the cost of the classes and South Central Conference is also providing some scholarships.

Financial Assistance Available for Pastors

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Pastors’ Financial Assistance grant:  Everence has been awarded a second $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment to address financial needs of pastors. Similar to the previous grant, this program will provide direct financial assistance grants to pastors to help alleviate debt burdens such as education, medical and credit card debt.  (Grants will be available to pastors who have not previously received direct financial assistance grants as part of the program). The grant will also assist pastors with financial planning subsidies toward the cost of a first-year Everence comprehensive financial plan, and support educational events on topics such as retirement planning, debt reduction, financial planning, clergy taxes, etc.   Applications and related information will be made available in January 2019. For background, see https://www.everence.com/everence-articles/congregational-articles/pastor-resources/20181212-everence-received-1-million-lilly-endowment-grant-to-assist-pastors

Argentine Relaunches

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Argentine Mennonite Church has been a presence in the Argentine neighborhood of Kansas City for over 90 years. The church sees itself in a “relaunching phase” as they try to change patterns that have been part of the congregational culture for some time. Their main contacts with the neighborhood are: the Lunch Buddy outreach; connections with The Snack Shack, an after school program for Jr. & Sr. High School students; and Venture Club, an every other Wednesday evening children’s ministry. All are part of the greater mission of mentoring at-risk kids, many of whom are part of the 1400 homeless kids in the KCK area.

The Lunch Buddy outreach is a partnership program with New Stanley Elementary School across the street the street from the church. Members of the congregation are paired with students identified by the school as needing good mentorship and Argentine persons have lunch regularly with those students. The congregation and the school recognize that the needs far outweigh the available persons. Pastor Sandeep is preparing a presentation about the mission, work, and needs of the church to present in other Conference congregations in the hopes of attracting additional persons to join their ministry in Kansas City.

–Kurt Horst:  Regional Conference Minister