MORAN — It’s important to love people where they are in life, and allow God to make whatever changes are necessary to help them grow, according to Pastor Mathew Kalmeta with Midpoint Baptist Church in Moran.
The church is celebrating its 65th anniversary with special services at 9:30 and 10:30 Sunday morning, followed by a meal and celebration. Kalmeta and his wife, Amy, are compiling a special video about the church and its history to share with the congregation.
The story of the church is about loving people and offering hope as they search for answers, Pastor Kalmeta said. And just as people grow and change, so has the church itself.
IN AUGUST 1957, the Rev. Monroe Landers pitched a tent in a vacant lot on Main Street in Moran and began conducting revival services along with Brother Fred Holmes, pastor of a Baptist church in Edna, according to a Register article from 2007, when the church celebrated its 50th anniversary.
The Moran Baptist Church received its charter on Sept. 15, 1957.
Landers and Holmes soon rented a building on Main Street, with Landers as pastor, and later moved to 308 N. Spruce St.
Charter members were William Hayden, Dorothy Hayden, Hettie Hayden, Nattie Hayden, Laura Freeman, Levi Freeman, Landers, Margaret Kilmek, Inez Siefker, Irene Siefker, A.W. Siefer, Hilda Siefker and Bessie Head.
Landers served as pastor for only about a year, followed by a series of others with relatively short tenures before Robert Means took over in 1967. He stayed with the church for 18 years, retiring in 1985.
Pastor Michael Miller also served for quite some time, taking over in 1994. He was pastor during the 50th anniversary celebration in 2007.
Kalmeta came to the church in February of 2019, after it had changed its name to Midpoint and moved to a new building at 3965 U.S. 54 in 2017.
A few years earlier, the congregation had dropped to a low of around just 25 people. By the time Kalmeta joined, the church had grown to average about 90 members. Now, attendance at Sunday services averages around 140.
Kalmeta credits that growth to a commitment among the entire community.
“Honestly, it required a lot of people sacrificing and giving,” he said.
That’s part of what drew him to Moran, too.
KALMETA graduated from West Coast Baptist College in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in biblical studies. He served as a youth pastor and site church pastor in a suburb of Portland, Ore., when he learned of the need for a pastor at a small-town church in Kansas.
He waited two months before submitting his resume, and admits it was quite an adjustment for his family. He and Amy have four children: three girls ages 13, 11, 8; their son was born after they moved and is now 2.
“Now, I can’t imagine being anywhere else,” he said. “We’re here to stay.”
Midpoint’s members come from quite a large geographical area, which is why the name was changed.
Kalmeta believes they are drawn to the church for a number of reasons.
“For one, it offers hope to people. Many come searching for answers. We can find all the answers in Scripture,” he said.
Midpoint also is family-centered, with an emphasis on programs for the entire family.
“A community is only as strong as the families in the community,” Kalmeta said.
Midpoint offers services for children of every age, including a Midpoint Kids Service for nursery children up to fifth grade, and a teen’s ministry.
“We also have members who have been here almost since the beginning. It’s not just one age group,” Kalmeta said.
And, finally, perhaps members come to the church simply because it is God’s will.
“Perhaps it is God drawing them here,” Kalmeta said.
“We’re here to make sure everyone is growing in their relationship with Jesus, and to know how life-changing it can be to have that relationship.”
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