Even though the building is for sale, St. Johns Episcopal Church isn’t closing; it plans a move to a new location.
“Our for-sale sign draws a lot of attention and some have assumed we are disbanding. That is not true,” said Rose Kelly, St. Johns senior warden. “We are simply transitioning to a new site.”
The congregation is moving to the chapel at First Congregational United Church of Christ, 3400 21st, Great Bend. The current St. Johns location is 2701 Adams, the corner of 17th and Adams.
“Economically, the move is the right thing to do,” Kelly said. “It is not feasible to continue at this location. Believe me, this is not something we want to do but our population has continued to decrease.
“There has always been the age-old question: is the church the actual building or is it the people? All of us agree – it is the people.”
The priority is to maintain the congregation and the Episcopal faith in the community “rather than watching it diminish to nothing and have to close.”
When the building sells, St. Johns will relocate to First Congregational. A sign will be posted on the east side of the church on Tyler Street.
An affordable rent will be paid for use of the chapel.
“We so appreciate everyone at First Congregational,” Kelly commented. “We are working with them in tandem to further our Christian work in the community.”
This relationship has already started to blossom. St. Johns and First Congregational have teamed up to periodically serve a Sunday evening meal at the Dream Center.
This charitable effort is in addition to other St. Johns community activities, said Teresa Lahar, priest. These include: providing meals to school children; supporting foster families through CarePortal; offering the Shrove Tuesday pancake dinner; and helping the less fortunate with immediate needs such as utility bills, housewares and appliances.
“We continue our outreach into the community,” Lahar said. “While we are not merging with First Congregational, we will find even more ways to join together to serve our neighbors.”
Lahar acknowledged that the current situation is disappointing “but it is the reality. The good news is we have been in contact with the other congregation for quite a while. We have come to know them and the transition is mutually beneficial.
“This relationship helps us cope with the transition on an emotional level too. Also, our church can become financially sustainable, which means we will have more resources for our local mission.”
Mike Munz, First Congregational pastor, said “our congregation welcomes St. Johns Episcopal members to our building. We look forward to getting to know them even better, while we explore the possibilities of extending our combined mission in the community.”
Pastor Munz also noted that First Congregational has shared its facilities with three other churches at various times.
“We view sharing our space as part of our mission,” he explained. “In addition to the churches that have used our building, First Congregational has housed Head Start and currently is home to Little Panthers Preschool.”
A few St. Johns details
The 17th & Adams structure was built in the early 1950s; the church previously was at 16th and Williams.
Tables, chairs, kitchen furnishings and other items will remain if another church buys the building.
In addition to the altar and sanctuary, the structure is home to office space, two bathrooms, kitchen, meeting room and partial unfinished basement. The main floor is 4,887 square feet.
It could be converted into a private residence.
