Copied from:  Kansas Farmer, July 1994

Sedalia Community Church-- 
a church with a history; 
a vision for the future

              People who enter the Sedalia Community Church, west of Manhattan, for Sunday morning services are enveloped by a warmth that evokes a feeling of be­longing.   

           That infusion of warmth begins in the small foyer where ushers eagerly look for and greet newcomers as well as longtime church members. The feeling grows as the church fills, perhaps intensified by the church's smallness.

           At capacity, the Sedalia Community Church holds only 135 people. But with chairs set up in the back, 200 people can press inside.

           Lay minister Kevin Larson and wife, Mary, also promote fellowship by greeting all as they leave at the one door of the church. "It's very important that everyone who comes to the church feels we are glad they are here," Larson says, People also visit with each other as they stand in line waiting to leave.

             The friendly atmosphere may be the single reason people join the church. "People come together, not only to worship, but because of a concern and compassion for one another," Larson says. 

           "The people here are just wonderful. Kevin and Mary (Larson) are just wonderful," says Helen Tittel, Manhattan, who with husband, Bill, joined the church four years ago. 

           "They're a friendly lot. You miss church and they miss you," comments Ama White, also of Manhattan. White and his wife, Evelyn, have been attending services at the Sedalia Community Church for 17 years. 

             Karla Buchanan, rural Manhattan, says she's drawn to Sedalia services by "the church family" there. 

             People of all faiths and ages worship in the Sedalia Community Church. They come from Riley, Manhattan and Olsburg.  People wearing shorts and blue jeans and cowboy hats worship beside those wearing suits and dresses. 

            "People here are not pretentious. They accept people for who they are," Larson says.

“People come together, not only to
worship, but because of a concern and
compassion for one another.”

                                                                                - Kevin Larson

 A miracle.

           The tale of the Sedalia Community Church reads like a storybook. In fact, some say it's the story of a miracle. Built in the 1890s as a Presbyterian church, the stone church was closed in the 1940s when the congregation dwindled to a handful. The next 20 years the church became the object of vandals and a home for pigeons and insects. 

But, then, it seems God mysteriously intervened by sending a group of men from Kansas State University's Alpha Epsilon fraternity to steal the 1,200 pound church bell from the church belfry. Incensed, the people of the Sedalia community tracked down and recovered the bell.

The culprits agreed to return the bell, repair the damage, fix the roof, install window panes, clean and paint and restore the church. They paid all costs and held one service at the church for the community. The joint service of the community and fraternity was held April 19, 1964. At that time, the fraternity presented the church with an altar Bible. 

Since, that time, people of the Sedalia community have gathered regularly in the church for Sunday services and Bible school. 

However, the church's struggles were not over. Often collections were barely enough to pay lay ministers to give Sunday services. 

Then, in November of 1986, Kevin Larson was hired as the church's pastor. Viola Dodge, Olsburg, believes Larson is largely responsible for the church's ensuing growth. "He gives you something to take home with you," she says. 

The Dodge family are among longtime supporters of the church. Orlando and Olive Dodge, grandparents of Viola's husband, Glenn, were charter members of the church and loaned money for its construction. 

The church is people. 

            Larson believes his lay ministry is one of the church's strengths. "It forces the congregation to be involved. People realize if the work is going to get done, they're going to have to do it," he explains. 

People in the Sedalia Community Church are dedicated and willing to support the church, he adds. They are willing to step forward and volunteer. "All I do is coordinate things." 

Since Larson became the lay minister, attendance at Sunday morning church services has increased from an average of 36 to 105. As many as 200 people attend Christmas services. 

Youth are a priority of the church. Annually the women of the church raise funds for summer Bible School with a salad supper and auction. In 1993, $1,000 was raised. 

Bible School is promoted with T-shirts worn by all who attend. ‑One hundred kids wearing Sedalia Community Church T-shirts to school translates to a lot of exposure," Larson says. 120 youths attended the 1993 Bible School. 

           The church also has hired a K­ State student, who's a church member, to work with the youth group that meets bimonthly. He's often joined in that work by his friends from K‑State's Campus Crusade. 

           A potluck supper followed by Bible study is held monthly in one of the youth's homes. Monthly group activities for youths include bowling, basketball games and hayrack rides. An overnight lock-iin is held annually for youths in the spring. 

Three couples originally met monthly in the young adult fellowship group; today that number has grown to 35. A senior citizens group, the Apple Dumpling Gang, also meets for fellowship monthly. 

The church itself has had a facelift. A gift from one family paid for a new furnace and air conditioning. Later new pews were bought, the walls replastered and the church rewired. New flooring, carpeting and light fixtures also were installed. Stained glass windows have replaced clear glass ones. 

Four years ago a $60,000 addition was built to the church annex. That loan was paid off in December of 1993. 

Larson believes every church can have the same success. ‑You must identify your resources, build on them and build your program," he advises. 

Others, however, believe the Sedalia Community Church is unique. "There's something special about coming here," says Char Henton, rural Manhattan. 

"A lot of churches would like to be this active. This is the church of the future," adds Ama White. 

The Sedalia Community Church is a church with a history and a vision for the future," Larson concludes.