We had been searching for some time due to increasing scheduling conflicts for Sabbath services with our rented facility. There was also the continual need to find an alternate location for Holy Day services, as their building was usually not available those days. 

The Kansas pastor at that time was Ed Dowd, who had assigned deacon Ramon Soto to help find a suitable building to rent or purchase. Ramon knew of a small church building near his home, and negotiations soon began. God worked out many things, and the rest, as they say, is history!  

The “new” building was actually built in 1950 and served two other churches prior to UCG purchasing it. The Dowds are experienced remodelers and supervised a group of helpers from the Wichita congregation in upgrading both restrooms in late 2014.  

The summer of 2018 a second major project was undertaken, a complete remodel of a room that is now a beautiful kitchen. This has greatly added to our ability to have everything from snacks to full meals and even Night To Be Much Observed in our building. It was made possible thanks to the skills of not only the Dowds but two members of the Salina, Kansas, congregation who installed the electrical wiring and cabinetry at a greatly reduced cost. With help from as far away as Phoenix, the floors of the kitchen and foyer were both tiled to match the tile in the restrooms. 

With ownership of a building comes responsibility, including routine cleaning and maintenance of both the interior and exterior of the building and the grounds. For a small congregation such as ours where some have health issues, these things can be a challenge. However, the advantages of owning our own building are worth every effort! We are blessed to be able to have services and activities whenever we choose, as well as to have a presence in the community.  

In addition to Sabbath and Holy Day services, we have enjoyed numerous meals and socials at our church building for the combined Kansas congregations. We have hosted a bridal shower, a wedding and a wedding reception for three couples. We were also excited to have our first baptism at the building this past year, as the church has a baptismal pool. We look forward to many more opportunities to worship our great God in the building He has provided for the Kansas congregations, giving us a sense of stability through challenging times!  

Kristy Foraker