Our Story: The Birth of Heart of Christ  

In 2013, Saint Mark United Methodist Church joined forces with Epworth United Methodist Church to birth a new ministry. Founded during World War II, Epworth was once considered a prominent Methodist church in the Wichita urban area, with over 1000 members in its heyday. Like many Methodist churches, the church went into rapid decline as its once predominantly white neighborhood became more diverse. Running low on finances, the church had to decide whether to close its doors or maximize its resources to ensure the continual missional work of the Methodist church in southeast Wichita.

Epworth chose not to abandon its neighborhood, and instead, recommitted to ministry and making an impact in the community.

The leadership at Epworth sought Saint Mark for assistance. Saint Mark would offer knowledge about how to engage a multi-ethnic, multigenerational neighborhood. For a truly fresh start and full embrace of a new approach to ministry, the leadership of Epworth voted to transfer operational control of their ministries and assets to Saint Mark.

The two churches put together a team to relaunch the Epworth ministry, which included members from St. Mark, Epworth and those who were not members of either church. These various perspectives ensured the presence of Saint Mark, the legacy of Epworth, and new and fresh ideas offered by people with little history with either congregation. Team members understood this assignment as short-term, allowing them to work with a greater level of intensity and a clear goal in sight: a public relaunch of the Epworth ministry.

There was one critical question: how do we reach the people of southeast Wichita?

The team started with public outreach to learn more and develop relationships with people in this community. Learning and listening to community members was of utmost importance.

Meeting with local business owners, school principals, city council representatives, and the neighborhood association allowed the team to gain deeper knowledge of the hopes and dreams of the community they would be serving. They found that people yearned for deeper connections. Local churches had not reached out in meaningful ways in response to changes in the neighborhood. Instead, many churches had closed, sold their buildings, and moved on.

With a fresh burden for the people they were called to reach, the team settled on four community engagement opportunities:  

Prayer walk

Community block party

Free gas giveaway

Open House  

All these events led to an energetic, successful relaunch of the Epworth Church (known as Saint Mark Southeast) and ensured the missional presence in southeast Wichita for years to come.

In 2016, Saint Mark appointed a new pastor with new ideas. After much discussion, it was decided that two campuses were not financially feasible and there was a decision made to close St. Mark Southeast. Pastor Ronda Kingwood, associate pastor of St. Mark Southeast, asked for a meeting to discuss the possibility of a separation instead of a closure.  At the time, St. Mark Southeast was a vital African-American congregation, with an average of 260 worshippers on any given Sunday.

Saint Mark Southeast was granted permission to separate. Next, a naming workshop was held, where over 100 names were submitted for the new church. The vote happened in May 2019 and the new name would be: “Heart of Christ: where we are Christ-Centered and Community-Focused.”

Heart of Christ held its official relaunch service on Sunday, May 19, 2019. Pastor Ronda Kingwood was appointed senior pastor.

Heart of Christ is a thriving, vibrant community that continues to grow under the fruitful leadership of Pastor Ronda. Our mission is simple: to connect and engage the needs of the community through discipleship.

Our vision is to demonstrate love by serving our community, meeting people’s needs through tangible resources and to provide a spiritual and scriptural foundation that will enhance all aspects of the Christian journey.

Heart of Christ continues to be a light to the people we serve. We offer the following ministries to address the needs of our community:  

Sunday morning community breakfast

Clothes Closet/Food Pantry

Matthew 25:35 Homeless Ministry

Loads of Love

Adopting Schools    

We are thankful to God for His continued blessings. We recognize that while we may plant and water the seed, it is God alone who gives the increase.