August 2024 Newsletter

Dear Friends,     

Our second summer book gathering will (tentatively) happen on August 25 after the morning service. That title is “Gone for Good? Negotiating the Coming Wave of Church Property Transition,” a volume of essays edited by Mark Elsdon, a part-time minister in the PC(USA) who also works in nonprofit management.

 Remember that this book, like our previous summer book selection, is not prescriptive. Nothing in either book is required of this church; both only offer ideas that have been useful in other churches. Of course, none of those churches is First Presbyterian Church of Independence, Kansas, so there’s no guarantee they will work here. Being aware of options, however, is never a bad idea.  

With that in mind, I invite you to spend some time contemplating what other services might be possible through judicious use of our church property. How about that movie room upstairs, or what is apparently a gym room in the basement? We know Gehman Hall gets a workout during the summer with the children’s theater groups rehearsing there; what might be possible at other times of the year?  The people of this church are keen to serve God by serving our neighbors; this much I have seen. Maybe the property of the church can be part of that service.

                                                                                 Charles