The church is the people, but we tend to latch onto the buildings that identify us as a congregation. But some churches across the Great Plains are putting unused portions of their often-larger-than-needed structures to use in new and creative ways.
One example is First United Methodist Church in Wichita. It is coming up on a May 1 closing date for the sale of the Wilke Family Life Center, one-quarter of the church’s large building in downtown Wichita. What once was home to a number of ministries that no longer require such a large space will be home for The Pinnacle — a nonprofit set up by the Wichita Metro Crime Commission — to provide space for physical and mental health programs for first responders throughout Sedgwick County.
The project includes space for therapists and partner organizations to help with physical and mental health therapy for first responders, training rooms, a full gym with workout equipment, athletic courts, and spaces dedicated to cancer and heart screenings.
The sale will allow the church to put money toward needed ministries in its mission field while putting the building to use for people who help so many in times of crisis.
Rev. Amy Lippoldt, lead pastor at Wichita First UMC joins Todd for an episode dedicated to this subject. Download the podcast here. And watch the conference website over the next few months for video stories about churches doing creative things for unused portions of their buildings.
In Layman's Terms 