Join our Mailing List!
Please click the link below to sign up for your community paper mailing list. Stay up to date with all the events going on in your community as well as the latest news.Sign Up Today!
Lutheran church expands
By Kathy Crawford
Smithville resident Helmuth Eisenbraun used to drive to Raytown to worship. The retired pastor, who has lived in the community with his wife for five years, decided to write a letter to the editor to express his desire to start a church of the Lutheran persuasion in Smithville.
He received quite a few calls, including one from King of Kings Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod, located at the corner of Northeast 96th Street and North Woodland Avenue in Kansas City North. Eventually, the pastors of King of Kings asked Eisenbraun to become more involved in forming a satellite church in Smithville.
Pastor Frank Greene of King of Kings said the church has been growing over the past couple of years and moving geographically into other areas.
“We have quite a few residents in Smithville,” Greene said. “We believe Smithville is a good community, and we think there should be a Lutheran voice in the community.”
About 100 people attended King of Kings’ first worship service in Smithville, which was held at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at its new location — the lower level of the First Bank of Missouri at U.S. Highway 169 and Missouri Highway 92. Future services will be at the same time and location each week. Some of those present were from the Kansas City North location to help Smithville celebrate its first service, but Greene said he expects between 40 and 50 worshippers on a regular basis. With parking for more than 100 people, there’s plenty of room to grow.
“We’re very happy to have King of Kings here and invite the people of the community to come,” Eisenbraun said. “They are always welcome.”
Growth at the new Smithville church has been planned in phases. Greene said the first phase has three facets: establish regular worship, begin Holy Communion and initiate parish education.
“We’re going to be doing our first Communion celebration on Oct. 18,” Greene said.
Phase two will involve communication with the community to determine its needs and identify what King of Kings can provide Smithville.
“We will use our gifts that God has given us to share the love of Jesus Christ,” Greene said was the third phase.
Reverend Paul Schult has served for 22 years as senior pastor at King of Kings Lutheran Church in the Northland, and he will share the work in Smithville with Greene. The Saturday evening sermon in Smithville will be the same the following morning at the Northland church, Greene said.
For more information, call 436-7680 or visit
www.koksmithville.org.
Staff writer Kathy Crawford can be reached at 532-4444 or kathycrawford@npgco.com.
printable version
e-mail this story
He received quite a few calls, including one from King of Kings Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod, located at the corner of Northeast 96th Street and North Woodland Avenue in Kansas City North. Eventually, the pastors of King of Kings asked Eisenbraun to become more involved in forming a satellite church in Smithville.
Pastor Frank Greene of King of Kings said the church has been growing over the past couple of years and moving geographically into other areas.
“We have quite a few residents in Smithville,” Greene said. “We believe Smithville is a good community, and we think there should be a Lutheran voice in the community.”
About 100 people attended King of Kings’ first worship service in Smithville, which was held at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at its new location — the lower level of the First Bank of Missouri at U.S. Highway 169 and Missouri Highway 92. Future services will be at the same time and location each week. Some of those present were from the Kansas City North location to help Smithville celebrate its first service, but Greene said he expects between 40 and 50 worshippers on a regular basis. With parking for more than 100 people, there’s plenty of room to grow.
“We’re very happy to have King of Kings here and invite the people of the community to come,” Eisenbraun said. “They are always welcome.”
Growth at the new Smithville church has been planned in phases. Greene said the first phase has three facets: establish regular worship, begin Holy Communion and initiate parish education.
“We’re going to be doing our first Communion celebration on Oct. 18,” Greene said.
Phase two will involve communication with the community to determine its needs and identify what King of Kings can provide Smithville.
“We will use our gifts that God has given us to share the love of Jesus Christ,” Greene said was the third phase.
Reverend Paul Schult has served for 22 years as senior pastor at King of Kings Lutheran Church in the Northland, and he will share the work in Smithville with Greene. The Saturday evening sermon in Smithville will be the same the following morning at the Northland church, Greene said.
For more information, call 436-7680 or visit
www.koksmithville.org.
Staff writer Kathy Crawford can be reached at 532-4444 or kathycrawford@npgco.com.