A BRIEF HISTORY OF LEAWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH

 

THE FIRST TWENTY-FIVE YEARS

The first congregation met for worship on Sunday, No­vember 17, 1957 with 89 persons present.  The first place of worship was an empty residence located on 103rd Street near Mission Road. The church also worshiped at several temporary loca­tions, including the A.A. building near the Plaza and Country Club Y.M.C.A., The Toon Shop in Prairie Village and  the Ranchmart Auditori­um.  Prayer meetings were held in the basement of Mr. & Mrs. John Stone's home.  The con­gregation was duly constituted as an autonomous Baptist Church on January 5, 1958 cooperat­ing with the Southern Baptist Conven­tion.

 

Reverend I. Houston Lanier, Superintendent of the Kansas City, Kansas Baptist Association, was the first speaker.  At a short business meeting after the initial church service, the congrega­tion elected to call itself the Pio­neer Baptist Church.  On the following Sun­day, Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Arney became the first persons to respond to the invitation for mem­bership.

 

The first officers of the church were:  Ralph Johnson, Chairman of Deacons; Dorothy Stone, Church Clerk; Charles E. Steele, Treasurer; Berlin M. Richardson, Moderator; James R. Duncan, Sunday School Superintendent; and Don Gitchel, Training Union Director.

 

On March 1, 1958 the church called Reverend Robert H. Craft from St. Louis to be its first regular pastor.

 

The strong desire for a permanent home led to an inten­sive search for a site upon which the congrega­tion could build to meet its growing needs.  Seven acres at the northwest corner of 83rd and State Line Road became available.  The membership pledged individual and collec­tive financial resources to purchase the site for $54,000. With the permanent church home now located in the city of Leawood, the con­gregation voted to change the name from Pio­neer to Leawood Baptist Church.

 

Ground breaking for the first building (now the south wing of the present complex) was held in April, 1959.  A Building Committee of seven men, with D. J. Miller as Chairman, vigorously pursued the construc­tion of that building.  Dedication services were held on December 6, 1959, just eight months after ground breaking.  Special guest speaker at the dedication was the Honorable Brooks Hays, former member of Congress from Arkansas and a prominent Baptist layman.  This building had to meet all the needs of a growing church.  It was looked upon with much pride and joy by every member of the close-knit congrega­tion as a labor of love.

 

Because of the steady growth of the church it be­came necessary to conduct dual Sunday School and church services to accommo­date the people. With this need for more space. plans for another building were started. Another Build­ing Commit­tee, with John Stone as Chair­man, began work.  The church autho­rized the issu­ance of some $190,000 in bonds.  The ground breaking ceremony was held in July, 1962.  This second building, designed primarily for the educa­tional and social needs of the con­grega­tion, was completed in February, 1963.  It is now the north wing of our present com­plex.

 

Total annual financial support has shown a consis­tent increase. In the first full year the contribu­tions were $43,000 and the budget for 1983 is $399,840.

 

Interest in mission activities and the support for mission work has been reflected by in­creased contri­bu­tions to mission programs.  Our offering to the Coopera­tive Program has grown from $500 to $35,501.  We were also instrumental in starting another church, now the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Overland Park, Kansas.  Other mission work has included the relocation of a Cuban family, mission ventures in Western Nebraska in 1977, outstate Kansas in 1978, Topeka backyard bible schools in 1980, and two foreign ventures, Quita, Ecua­dor in 1976 and Guate­mala in 1980.  Sherry Woods, our former Minister of Youth, is pres­ently serving with the Southern Baptist For­eign Mission Board in Nigeria, West Africa.

 

We are thankful for the influence of our church in the lives of young people entering the ministry. Twelve have been licensed and/or ordained to the gospel ministry, as follows:

 

1965                                        Lewis E. Hinshaw (ordained)

1966                                        R. Bruce Baird, Jr . (ordained)

1967                                        Richard King (licensed)

1967                                        R. W. Hull, Jr. (licensed)

1968                                        R. W. Hull, Jr. (ordained)

1968                                        Michael Nichols (licensed)

1969                                        Michael Nichols (ordained)

1971                                        Edwin Myers (ordained)

1975                                        Rudy Nail (licensed)

1976                                        Robert Oldenburg (licensed)

1976                                        Don Steadman (licensed)

1981                                       John Estes (licensed)

 

In addition, numbers of others have been or­dained as Deacons.  Almost every year one or more persons are selected by the church and elected to this position of ministry.

 

In July, 1968 Dr. Craft resigned to enter full time counseling work.  Dr. Morris Ashcraft of Midwestern Seminary  was called as Interim Pastor, and a Pulpit Committee began searching for a new minister to lead the church.  After a long and diligent search the church called Reverend Andy Odom from the Harlandale Baptist Church, San Antonio, Texas.  He began his ministry with us on March 16, 1969.

 

Under Reverend Odom's leadership the church autho­rized the construction of a new sanctu­ary.  This building combined with the two existing buildings to form an integral com­plex.  Co-Chairmen of the Committee were Joe Coyle and Charles Francis. Sub-commit­tee chairmen were:  Don Gitchel, Planning: Ray Skates, Construc­tion:  H. L. Nunn, Financing, and Ray Hunley, Furnish­ings.

 

Ground breaking for the sanctuary was held October 29, 1972.  Construction was completed in January 1974.  The long-awaited dream had become a reality.

 

The Worship Center seats 550 people and pro­vides space for an office suite, choir facili­ties and four Sunday School Departments.

 

Dedication services were held over a four week period from February 17 to March 10, 1974.  The first dedication service was led by Dr.Robert Craft, our first pastor, and the last by Dr. Foy Valentine,  Chairman of  SBC's Christian Life Commission.

 

Our resident membership has grown from 207 at the end of the first year to 770 this current year.  During this time there have been 365 additions by baptism.  The Sunday School enroll­ment has grown from 228 to 639 members.  Fifty-six of the charter members are presently members, and twenty-one are known to be deceased.

 

In the mid-summer of 1980, Pastor Andy Odom accepted the call of the First Baptist Church, Harlingen, Texas.  Again, Leawood Baptist turned to Dr. J. Morris Ashcraft to serve as Interim Pastor.

 

On April 12, 1981, Dr. Jerry L. Barnes was called as the third pastor of Leawood Baptist Church.  He is a graduate of Baylor Universi­ty, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and received a Doctorate of Ministry Degree in 1974 at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennes­see.  He has also studied at South­ern Seminary and New College Divinity School, Edinburgh University, Edinburgh, Scotland.  Dr. Barnes pastored churches in Oklahoma and Texas before coming to Leawood.

 

With deep reverence for our past, we once again turn our faces to the future.  In a spirit of prayer and humili­ty, faith and hope, sacrifice and obedience, we commit ourselves to minister in redemptive love to our wounded world.

 

(Written by Ralph Johnson for the 25th Anniversary Celebration.)

 

The Next Fifteen Years:  A Continuing Ministry

The past fifteen years have been marked by events and actions that verify Leawood Baptist Church's commitment to future ministry.  With the celebration of our 25-year heritage, the church established a Silver Anniversary Fund--its contents designated specifically for expansion of nursery facilities.  The church also acquired the "Williams" property located immediately north of the present building with expansion in mind.

 

In 1984, the church charged the newly-formed Long-Range Planning Committee with the monumental task of assessing the needs of the church and community, determining how effectively those needs were being met under current ministry structures, and developing a ten-year plan for ministry.  The ad hoc committee, under the leadership of Chair James Youngblood, presented its final report in November.

 

In keeping with the long-range plan (and under the leadership of Robert Gibbs, General Chair, and Robert Stude, Building Chair), ground breaking ceremonies for the nursery/young adult wing, church parlor/educational wing, and the elevator additions were held on May 18, 1986.  Leawood dedicated its newest additions in February 1987.

 

In July 1987, Dr. Jerry L. Barnes resigned as Senior Minister after six years of ministry.  The church, under the leadership of interim pastor Dr. Don Hammer of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, began the search for its fourth Senior Pastor.

 

On August 21, 1988, the church called Dr. Michael L. McKinney, then the pastor of Ashworth Road Baptist Church in Des Moines, Iowa, as its Pastor.  Mike brought to LBC experience in church-starting and conflict resolution.  Under Mike's leadership the church engaged in a fund-raising effort in the spring of 1990 for the purpose of retiring its debt of $450,000 by July 1, 1993.  (The debt was retired in the Spring of 1994.)

 

Debt from expansion, however, has never kept us from ministry.  The items which follow represent only a fraction of the ministries we have been involved with or supported over the past fifteen years.

·         Southern Baptist Ministries, Inc. (or Wyandotte ministries as it is more commonly known) - a ministry to people without the necessities of life. LBC people work at and provide resources for this ministry on a weekly  basis.

·         The Vasilas Family - In 1985, LBC raised money necessary to bring a Romanian family to the Kansas City area and help them get established.

·         Special Needs Enrichment Program - In September 1992, LBC began a hospice program for special needs children, ages three through six.

·         Habitat for Humanity.

·         Project Warmth.

·         1993 Flood Relief Collection and Clean-up.

·         The Dot Langston Memorial Scholarship Fund - Through the generosity of the Langston family, the church established this fund in July 1991, for the purpose of providing aid to church members who need financial assistance in pursuit of educational achievement beyond the High School level.

·         Deaf Liberty Baptist Church - In 1994, Leawood Baptist Church opened its doors to invite a deaf Baptist Church to use its facilities for worship services and other activities.

·         Licensing and Ordination of Ministers

1985  Wes Eades—Ordained

1992  Brian Pendleton—Licensed

1993  David Armstrong—Licensed

Leawood Baptist Church has continued its affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention through its giving and participation in Southern Baptist life.  In 1990, however, the church appointed a Denominational Relations Task Force to study the crisis in the SBC.  Upon the committee's final report, the church adopted the following statement that appears on its publications:  “Leawood Baptist church is affiliated with and in cooperation with, the Southern Baptist Convention and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.”

 

In 1993, through the vision of Pastor McKinney, the Deacon Ministry took on a new shape.  Moving out of the traditional family ministry model, the Deacon Body formed ministry committees designed to more specifically meet the needs of the membership and the community around us and to make more effective use of the gifts of the individual Deacons.  Those committees include Benevolence Committee, Care Committee, Church Members Committee, and the Crisis Committee.

 

Vision is critical to the spiritual well-being of any congregation, and to that end the church came together in February, 1994, to begin defining its future as a community of faith.  That process began with a series of workshops known as Vision ‘94 in which church members identified goal areas.  Next, Task Forces were created--Children’s/Youth Ministry Task Force, Outreach Ministry Task Force, Adult Sunday School Task Force, and Home Bible Study Task force--and were charged with the responsibility of fleshing out these goal areas into new and/or improved ministries.

 

After several months of work, the Task Forces presented their findings and recommendations to the church.  Early in 1995, the church began implementing and continues to implement recommendations of these groups.  A few of those that have been implemented (as well as others that have stemmed from further planning) follow:

 

·         Age-group Councils charged with the responsibility of identifying needs and developing responsive ministries.

·         Networking with community services and projects.

·         Renewing our commitment to children’s ministries through a Ministry Budget Line Item and an identified staff member.

·         Improvement of visitors’ initial contact with the church through strategically located greeters and better signage.

·         Construction of a stairway between the west parking lot and the Main Entrance for safety and to funnel our visitor’s through a central location.

·         College-age students home/away ministry.

·         Homebound worship ministry.

 

God continues to unveil His plan and purpose for us, and we, like those who have preceded us, look toward the future with expectation, grateful to God for 40 Years of Ministry!

 

(Written  for the 35th Anniversary Celebration and edited  for the 40th Anniversary Celebration by Cynthia Jarrold.)

 

Midway Through the Journey from 40 to 50

On November 17, 2007, we will turn fifty!  Thought is already being given to a grand celebration of our Golden Anniversary—fifty years of ministry.  We are halfway between forty and fifty, and our desire is to focus on the future of our ministry as a community of faith; but we could not allow this anniversary—our forty-fifth—to pass without a brief reflection on the journey, for it has influenced who we are in the present and who we will become in the future.  Following are some of the highlights of the last five years.

 

·        hrough the leadership of our pastor, Mike McKinney, we moved away from the old business model of church decision-making to a new model—Church Forums and Decision Meetings.  Church Forums serve as times when church members assemble, in the context of Christian love and prayer, to discuss church issues and ministry.  The intent of the Forums is to facilitate communication and understanding among church members, leaders, and staff in an attempt to know and follow the will of God in all ministries of the Church and in all decisions made.  The Congregational Meeting Covenant and the Church Forum Guidelines replaced Robert’s Rules of Order as the governing documents for our interactions with one another.

 

·        We committed to following through on the visioning process we had begun in 1994 and invited John Savage of L.E.A.D. Consultants, Inc. to teach us about and guide us through a process of renewal and envisioning.  Over 150 members gathered July 10-11, 1998 to discuss roles, expectations, corporate pain and joy, commitment, stability, and productivity.  We emerged from that session with a clearer understanding of what we needed to address as a community of faith.  Problem-solving groups were formed to address the following issues:  Mission/Vision/Follow-Through; Accountability/Responsibility; Biblical Conflict Resolution; Decision-Making; Spiritual Emphasis; Communication; Outreach; and Lack of Trust.  PSG groups met regularly throughout the fall of 1998 and the spring of 1999, guiding the church to make spiritually healthy adjustments and decisions about current and future ministries.   Perhaps the most significant decision was the adoption of the following vision statement:

            Our vision is to be a Baptist church in the heart of Greater Kansas City, used of God to break down walls that separate people from God and each other by actively:

§         Affirming generational, cultural, socio-economic and other differences in people through a blended approach to worship, education, and ministry.

§         Showing the love of Christ in our community by sharing our beliefs, resources, talents, and gifts.

§         Extending Christ’s ministry beyond the walls of our Church by identifying and meeting the needs of people.

 

·        In June 1999, we took our first church-wide mission trip in many years to Homestead, Florida—the site only a few years earlier of the devastating Hurricane Andrew.  Working with CBF of Florida, CBF Resource Center in Atlanta, and Open House Ministries of Homestead, adults and youth continued construction on Open House Health Center, worked with children in a nearby housing project, served meals at a state-of-the-art homeless shelter, and traveled to Miami to work with Touching Miami With Love—an inner city ministry to the homeless.

 

·        We moved into the world of high-tech communications in the Fall of 1999 when we:  1) upgraded our phone system to include voice mail boxes; 2) linked up to the internet to provide email access; 3) networked our computers; and 4) established our own website and domain name, www.leawoodbaptist.com.

 

·        We partnered with former LBC staff members, Arville and Shelia Earl, now serving as CBF missionaries to the Albanian people, and raised the money needed to purchase three tractors for the Kosovo Village Project.  (On November 11, 2000, Shelia presented the church with a painting of one of the village boys on one of the tractors.  That painting is displayed in the church office.)

 

·        We licensed two individuals to ministry on October 1, 2000:  Cynthia Jarrold and David Paulson.

 

·        In the process of updating our Constitution and Bylaws in the Fall of 2000, we reaffirmed our commitment to the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message as our statement of faith and doctrine rather than the recently revised 2000 Baptist Faith and Message and included the following statement:

            “We affirm the Baptist distinctives of the lordship of Jesus Christ, salvation by grace through faith for works, the inspiration and authority of the Bible as God’s word, believer’s baptism by immersion, the priesthood of all believers, and the separation of church and state.  We encourage openness and diversity of all believers, regardless of race or sex, in the living and expressing of the Christian faith, and we desire for everyone to know and grow in the knowledge and understanding of the Good News of Jesus Christ.”  (Article 1:  Statement of             Faith and Doctrine)

[Note:  In the process of updating and revising our Bylaws, we voted to change the church’s name from Leawood Baptist Church, Inc. to  Leawood Baptist Church.]

 

·         We honored the faithful and distinguished service of six of our Deacons by bestowing on them the title of Deacon Emeritus: 

            Paul Dicken, Bob Holtzinger, George Hopkins, and Jim Youngblood on

            November 25, 2001, and Davis Estes and S.A.M. King on November 17, 2002.

 

·        We undertook the renovation of our preschool wing, the oldest part of our facility.  In the summer of 2001, the church voted to borrow $336,000 for the purpose of renovating the preschool area and purchasing a new organ for the Sanctuary.  (The organ was purchased for $42,000.)  We hired architectural firm Mantel & Teter and construction firm Pearce Construction to begin the work and charged the following committee of church members and staff with oversight of the project:  Jim Mantel, chair, Joyce Deering, Barry Huhn,  Cynthia Jarrold, Kim Manford, Wade Sherrill, Lorita Stilley, and Linda Thompson.   We dedicated this space in Worship on Sunday, May 5, 2002.

 

Improvements made to the Preschool Wing included:  new energy efficient windows; steel exterior doors; new classroom entry doors with  viewing panels; new ceilings, flooring, lighting, and wall and window coverings; expanded restrooms with new fixtures (including a handicapped-accessible restroom); new cabinetry (both fixed and moveable); new furniture for preschoolers and teachers; new kitchen area; new stackable washer/dryer; new two-way radio communication system; new signage with directional components; and improved playground surfaces (including concrete patio replacement) with under ground drainage system.

 

·       Based on the research and recommendation of the Organ Search Work Group (composed of Mary Cook, Lane Klein, Mike McKinney, Linda Thompson, and Rebecca Prater), we purchased a new organ, at a cost of $42,000, from Contemporary and Classic Church Organs as a part of the renovation project.  The organ, built by Rodgers Instruments using Parallel Digital Imaging that recreates the entire panorama of sound previously created only by wind-blown pipes, was dedicated in a special worship service—“Let Ev’ry Instrument Be Tuned for Praise”—on Sunday, June 23, 2002.

 

·       We partnered with the North Leawood Ministerial Alliance and Habitat for Humanity to build our first Habitat house—1513 Wood, Kansas City, Kansas—from beginning to end.  Fund-raising and construction efforts began in the Spring of 2002,  and the house was completed in the Summer of 2002.  Bob Gibbs chaired the Construction Volunteers Committee, and Dave Baumgartner and Pete Keroher served on the Fund-raising Committee.  Russ and Helen Watson continue to serve as mentors to the home-owner.

 

We have continued to minister in significant ways as a faith community.  A chart on the next page provides an overview of many of our current ministries, activities, and programs.

 

[Chart not included on website display.  For more information about ministries, activities, and programs, go to “Programs & Ministries.”

 

We have set aside today, November 17, 2002, to celebrate our corporate story, a story of God’s grace at work—past, present, and future—in and through this community of faith.  Tomorrow, we begin the task of making the future a reality.  May the story, as it continues to unfold, provide us with strength for the journey!

 

(Written by Cynthia Jarrold on the occasion of our 45th Anniversary.)

“Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on?  It means we’d better get on with it.  Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in.  Study how he did it.  Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God.” Hebrews 12:1-2, The Message