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.

The Bishop Richard and Julia Wilke Institute for Discipleship is tucked in a corner of the campus at Southwestern College. But its reach goes far beyond its Winfield, Kansas, home. In this episode, Todd talks with key leaders at the institute about all the programs they offer, about what is new with BeADisciple.com, and more about a new app for Disciple Bible Study. 

He talks to Steve Wilke about his pending retirement, and Todd will introduce you to Dr. Cheryl Rude, who will take over as executive director in January. Cheryl shares some of the key points about the institute’s new three year comprehensive plan.

Bishop David Wilson and three others representing the Great Plains Conference took part in the 2025 Sand Creek Massacre Spiritual Healing Run in October. The annual event honors the more than 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho people — mostly women, children and elderly persons — who were slaughtered by a band of volunteer soldiers on Nov. 29, 1864, along Big Sandy Creek in eastern Colorado.

The group was led by Col. John Chivington, who was a Methodist Episcopal pastor. As part of a resolution passed by the 2012 General Conference, The United Methodist Church has been taking part in actions of repentance while seeking to build relationships with Native persons in light of what happened on that cold Tuesday long ago.

This video shares about the healing run, but also shares stories bravely told by descendants of survivors, told prior to the start of the run this year. The path traces as closely as possible the path from the site near Eads, Colorado, to Denver, where the volunteer soldiers were based.

The run came shortly before a new exhibit opened in the Methodist Building in Washington, D.C., dedicated to remembering and repenting for the atrocities at Sand Creek. Joey Butler of United Methodist News Service provided a preview.

United Women in Faith recently provided an in-depth story about the massacre and its lasting impact on Cheyenne and Arapaho peoples. You can read Tara Barnes’ Response magazine story here.

Christian Nationalism is not patriotism. It may actually be considered idolatry. Where is the line? And how do we ensure we aren’t pushing Jesus from the center of the throne? Rev. Brian Kaylor, a Baptist pastor, journalist and author, will be the special guest at Orders & Fellowship in October. He will share the history of this phenomenon and will help pastors understand better how they can lead their congregations so that they still can show love for their country without falling into the pitfalls that have happened for others in the past.

You also can read a story about the event by David Burke by clicking here.

The daughters of Bishop Richard and Julia Wilke, the authors of the Disciple Bible Study series, talk about the development of an app that allows people to take a fast-track approach to the study of the Bible. Guests for this episode include Susan Fuquay and Sarah Wilke. The sisters share about how the vision for the app came into focus, key innovative features, and how important Bible study remains as a key component of growing in our faith.

Todd wraps up a short two-episode series on immigration issues. In this episode, Pastor Juan Carlos Veloso and Rev. Chad Boling share their experience in the aftermath of the immigration raid in south Omaha and how they and others are trying to serve the people left behind by showing the love of Christ through their actions.

Dr. Carla Cardoza, president of the Lydia Patterson Institute in El Paso, Texas, shares how students at the grades 7-12 school have been caught up in the immigration debate. Their students — almost all of whom have F-1 visas — have been put in limbo by the U.S. State Department because of a suspension of interviews for visa renewals.

In this episode, we learn about a workshop available for Great Plains Conference congregations meant to help them develop marketing plans for their local churches. Don Osborn, a marketing professional who helped devise the marketing strategy for The Vine UMC in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, will lead the workshop, and he talks with Todd about what people will learn as part of this discussion.

Download the episode.

As the war in Gaza continues, Todd Seifert, conference communications director, talks with Carol Ekdahl-Garwood, chair of the Great Plains Conference’s Holy Land Task Force, on the latest episode of the “In Layman’s Terms” podcast.

During their discussion, they discuss the peril of Palestinian people, the delicate balance between supporting Israel while pointing out human rights concerns related to people in Palestinian territories, and what life is like away from the media spotlight we often see on national news.