Zeandale Community Church modernized country worship

Zeandale Community Church modernizes country worship

Story for Manhattan Mercury

By Paula Glover

The exterior of the Zeandale Community Church may be from 1896, but inside, worshipers participate in a modern worship service, complete with power point presentations and song lyrics displayed on a screen. At the same time the church with fewer than 100 members affords a sense of community.

“The components that make this church go are the people who are committed to keep it going and do what they believe God wants them to do,” said Wesley Paddock, a professor at Manhattan Christian College, who had led the congregation since 1999. “The church has always been very community minded as well as mission minded (concerned about the world at large). On one occasion we received word that a church had burned in Salina. They were asking for help to rebuild. The Zeandale church voted that night to send $5,000 to the church.”

Originally founded as a Christian Church, during the 1950s, it merged with the local Methodist denomination, and became a non-denominational church, Paddock said.

Together, the congregation supports overseas missionaries, with 40 percent of the church budget. The church members also participate in a variety of charitable efforts, including Angel Food, a program that helps provide groceries for those that might need it.

Carol Cowen grew up in the church, and said the Angel Food program is very gratifying. The women of the church also serve supper to various service clubs as a fundraising activity and that helps give a sense of community, Cowen added, recalling the women have done so since 1959. Marie McConnell coordinates the Angel Food program, and said of the 20 boxes recently brought to the Zeandale Community Center, seven were donated from the church. “It is a good community effort, and gives us fellowship in distributing the boxes,” McConnell said.

Such community efforts are important for a church, Paddock said, to develop a positive Christian experience.

Darrell Parks, who grew up in the church and has been a member for more than 50 years, said he thought people were drawn to the church because “it is definitely a Christ-based church. The Bible is taught here.” Over the years, there have been more young families than there are now. “The church needs to be rejuvenated with young families,” he said.

Paddock agrees. “The greatest challenge is finding young married people that want to be a part of the church. Our church is growing older every year and there are too few coming in to fill the gaps. As with all rural communities, the children grow up and move away.” He said the church has not come to grips with how to solve this problem.

Melissa Boutz leads the choir and the women’s Bible study. Her husband, Bryan, has family connections to the church. Members for 12 years and former students at Manhattan Christian College, they are among the youngest families in the church.

“We have a big sense of family here,” Boutz said. “But we also have a sense that the church community is part of our family.” She joked that the church set up a nursery area because of the birth of their child in 2002 in a corner of the fellowship hall.

As a leader of the women’s Bible study, she is instrumental in building that important fellowship within the church. During the Bible study, on Sept. 27, the women finished a book called “Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World.” With around ten women in the group, the women have developed friendships as they share their faith journeys. There are a couple of ladies in their 80s in the group, Boutz said, but most are between 40 and 60. In her 30s, she’s the youngest member.

Sean Warner, a freshman student at K-State who recently moved near Zeandale from Wichita, bucks the trend of young people not joining the church. “I saw the sign for the church (on Highway 18),” he said. He began attending and “I enjoy the sermons, Dr. Paddock is a great teacher. I thought this would be a good place to get involved.”

During the Sept. 27 service, Paddock began a series on knowing Christ, based on a book by Philip Yancy, “The Jesus I Never Knew” which featured a power point style presentation.

“MCC has provided leadership for the past 30 years,” Paddock said. With a Masters in Divinity in 1971 and a Doctorate in Ministry in 1995, he teaches Old Testament at the college. “I followed another MCC professor who had been there for a long time also.” The church has adapted its practices to the students. For example, they now celebrate communion every Sunday, because the students requested it.

Because of the participation of Manhattan Christian College students, Warner did not stand out due to his age. Students often come to the church, and while they might not be official members, they add a sense of vibrancy to the church. On Sept 20, students participated in the worship service, and the congregation then hosted a luncheon. The following week, members were still enjoying Paddock’s joke to the students that the luncheon would be food they were used to – noodles and mac and cheese.

“No,” said Cowen, “we fed them well.”

The pastor of the church was so kind as to send me a note saying how pleased they were with the story - and the exterior photo included a long-time member of the church, who was tickled pink to have his photo in the paper.