Kansas Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists (KNCSB)

Topeka church to return favor

Lone Rock Baptist Church is located in a scenic area south of Mountain Home, Ark. A team from Covenant Baptist Church, Topeka, Kan., will be serving there in June, returning a favor from four years ago.

Four years ago Covenant Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., was nearing the end of a long period of church conflict. The members were weary and discouraged, but two events in June 2005 gave the church a major shot of encouragement.

The church called a new pastor, Casey Ingold from Texas. And a mission team from White River Baptist Association in Arkansas came to Covenant. Members of Lone Rock Baptist Church, south of Mountain Home, made up the backbone of the team.

The team led the way in remodeling the church sanctuary and doing some much needed maintenance on the building. At the end of the week, life-long friendships had been formed, and Covenant’s members were greatly encouraged.

Since then the Arkansas team has returned to Kansas each summer. In 2006, the team served at Riverside Baptist Church, Independence, Kan. The next year, the group worked at Webster Conference Center, Salina, Kan. Several members of Covenant participated in the 2006 and 2007 projects.

June 2008 saw a major push by Covenant to join the Arkansas team in southwest Kansas. The joint team worked at First Southern Baptist Church, Dodge City, Kan., and in Greensburg, site of the horrific tornado in May 2007.

This year Covenant is returning a favor and will be serving in Arkansas. The group will assist Lone Rock Baptist Church in constructing a new addition. This partnership is just one example of the impact of KNCSB’s partnership with the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.