ReStory Series: The Church in the Shadow of the Stadium

I love the church. It can be messy, hard work at times, but good work nonetheless. From the start I was surrounded by a particular story within the particular yet all-encompassing story of Jesus. I was born in Wesley Hospital which was emblazoned with the cross and flame—a symbol of my parents' United Methodist Church.

Aerial view of the University UMC's distinctive A-frame building at center-right, with Cessna Stadium undergoing significant remodeling work nearby. (Source: KAKE News)

I was raised in the Christian faith at University United Methodist Church which sits in the shadow of Wichita State University’s Cessna Stadium in the middle of Kansas. There was a powerful connection between the local church and the college campus. Future NBA players like Antoine Carr and Xavier McDaniel would come as guests to the Saturday morning men’s breakfast.  International students from places like Lebanon, Iran, and India would visit the church as well as my childhood home. Aeronautical engineers taught Sunday School classes, and music school alumni played key roles in the church choir.

Within the church building, I was known and nurtured by a sweet mix of people over the first 20 years of my life. I will never forget Kay Crow, a grandmotherly figure who taught rascally pre-teens about the love of a God who can do miraculous things in our everyday lives. I learned the Lord’s Prayer by studying a bookmark the church gave me. I served kids in the community at sports camps and Vacation Bible School. I went on mission trips and led youth retreats. After a session of my first adult Bible study, a man who had watched me grow up said, “I can see that you have been called to ministry.” Raised and called in the same place.

All of this led to a deep love for God, the church, and the various communities in which I’ve been planted. As a boy I spent hours on the campus of Wichita State where my father was a professor. I may have thought of myself as an honorary college student. I remember eating peanuts and sipping Dr. Pepper from a gold and black plastic cup in the bleachers while watching a football game with my family.

Now, if you are an avid fan of college sports, you might be thinking— “Wichita State doesn’t have a football team.” And you’d be right. But they used to. After many seasons of losing football the nearly 100 year old program was ended. More than just a lost future, the university risked losing a part of its legacy. The football team had been involved in the first game of American football that incorporated the forward pass. It had hosted the first football game held under lights west of the Mississippi River. WSU had hired the first African-American head coach in Division 1 football, and set the model for the modern, mobile quarterback position with a player named Prince McJunkins. But by the 1980’s all of that was history. Losing games and losing money, the program was shut down.

In 1986 I was not yet aware of Elizabeth Kübler-Ross’ theory of the stages of grief. In retrospect, one can easily see the classic stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance that took place within the community after the decision to end the football program. There have been numerous attempts by university and city officials and alumni groups to revive the program over the years. Ironically, well-meaning people want to revive a program that although it had had a great history, saw very few signs of life in its later years. To date, every effort has failed. The program is gone, but the stadium (although undergoing a remodel 40 years later) still stands—a testament to what once was.

What about the church in the shadow of the stadium?