The church soon became a popular site for beer parties for students from Kansas State University in Manhattan. As the frequency of these parties increased, acts of vandalism and littering also increased. Windows in the church were broken, holes were punched in the interior walls, and beer cans were littered in the lot. At one point the community considered razing the structure and using the limestone to build a wall around the cemetery. ⁵⁰ A homecoming reunion of past and present members was held each September at the church, and plans to reopen the church were often discussed. Those plans, however, were never carried out.

In 1964, 15 members of the KSU chapter of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity stole the church's 1000 lb. bell from the belfry as an April Fool's prank. In the process of removing the bell, the belfry and the roof of the church were severely damaged. This act of vandalism sparked the community to act. They notified the police who quickly located the bell at the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house. County Attorney Don Everett stated that the City had been too lenient with vandals in the past, and would not put up with acts of vandalism such as this. He promised to file charges of grand larceny, breaking and entering, and injury to personal property against the 15 fraternity members. ⁵¹

Faced with the possibility that the 15 offenders could be sentenced to I to 5 years in prison, the fraternity pro­posed a compromise. The fraternity offered to replace the bell and repair any damages its removal caused in exchange for the dropping of all criminal charges. The Sedalia community agreed with this proposal as their only interest was in the return of the bell and the repair of the damage. The University Interfraternity Council (IFC) and Panhellenic Council also endorsed the compromise and it was finally accepted.

For four weeks the entire fraternity spent every evening and weekend working on the church. They repaired not only the damages which they had caused, but also restored parts of the church which had been vandalized by others or which had simply fallen into disrepair. They replaced windows, repaired and painted the interior, repaired the roof, removed dead trees, and cleared brush which had grown up around the church. They presented the church with a new and larger alter Bible. The cost of these repairs was financed almost entirely by the fraternity. They raised almost $1300.00 to cover the repair costs. ⁵²

With the extensive repair work done by the fraternity, the community saw a way to reopen the church. A piano was presented to the church by Martha Luzader.  New hymn books were purchased through donations from neighboring churches. On Sunday, April 19, 1964, the church reopened with the community and the fraternity holding a joint service. The fraternity conducted the service, provided the music, and invited all present and past community members to attend. Approximately 115 guests attended the service.⁵³

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