Latest / Our Community, Our Mission / Ep #225 – The Why and The How: A Conversation with Connor Kraus

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Ep #225 – The Why and The How: A Conversation with Connor Kraus · Our Community, Our Mission

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Heavenly Father.
• 0:00
  Speaker 1: We thank you, lord, for this day and this time to record this podcast.
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: God, we thank you, lord, for the work that you continue to do in this community and in the church.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Lord, we pray that this episode would glorify and honor you and, lord, that listeners would hear it, would be encouraged and blessed.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: Today, in your holy name, we pray, amen.
• 0:20
  Speaker 3: Hello everybody.
• 0:20
  Speaker 3: You're listening to Our Community, Our Mission, a podcast of the Topeka Rescue Mission here on Thursday June 6, 2024, episode number 225.
• 0:30
  Speaker 3: How are you doing, LaManda Broyles?
• 0:31
  Speaker 3: I'm wonderful, how are you?
• 0:33
  Speaker 3: Good, we don't have Miriam with us today.
• 0:34
  Speaker 3: She's on special assignment doing something yeah the other assigned duties.
• 0:39
  Speaker 3: The other assigned duties yes which is most of her job description.
• 0:41
  Speaker 3: That's right.
• 0:42
  Speaker 3: Yeah, so we have a very special guest.
• 0:44
  Speaker 3: We're going to get right into this today.
• 0:45
  Speaker 3: That is a good friend.
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: Yes.
• 0:47
  Speaker 3: And who is a leader in our community and I think currently is and will be a game changer for a lot of things in this community, so I agree.
• 0:55
  Speaker 3: Yeah, so before we get to that, we have those essentials that people actually tune into our community, our mission to learn, and that is what's special about today.
• 1:06
  Speaker 3: So one of the things that's special about this day on June the 6th is National Drive-In Movie Day.
• 1:12
  Speaker 3: They still have those.
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: I don't know.
• 1:17
  Speaker 3: That was the only movie theater when I was a kid was a drive-in movie theater, of course it was, and then they put them inside.
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: That was just a couple of days ago.
• 1:22
  Speaker 3: And then they don't do them anymore at all, anywhere, I don't think, because you could do it at home, right?
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: Yeah, they do it in Oklahoma.
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: Poto Oklahoma is still a drive-in movie theater.
• 1:32
  Speaker 3: We were so excited, you know, just to get the popcorn and sit there and have a little speaker on the window and all that kind of stuff.
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: And today a drive-in movie is in your garage.
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: I know, but I think they are coming back.
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: It kind of reminds me of the Flintstones.
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: You know the opening of it and he pulls in the thing and the little thing comes on the window.
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: I know, you know about the.
• 1:50
  Speaker 3: Flintstones?
• 1:50
  Speaker 3: Yes, I do, I brought those back too.
• 1:51
  Speaker 3: Okay, so also on June the 6th, it's National Applesauce Cake Day.
• 1:56
  Speaker 3: You're grimacing.
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm not sure I like that.
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: You don't have.
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: You had applesauce cake.
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: I have, was it good?
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: No, okay, okay, moving along.
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: That's just another confirmation, barry, that I needed to take your spot.
• 2:08
  Speaker 3: So the next one and the last one before we talk to our guest here today is one of these very important days, amanda, and I think I don't know if it's because it reminds me of you, or it- I was going to say something tacky about you and you beat me Especially around going to say something tacky about you and you beat me especially around the cockroaches, termites.
• 2:26
  Speaker 3: We don't get into the details.
• 2:27
  Speaker 3: It's actually World Pest Day, LaManda.
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and you are the poster child for that.
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: You love to be a pest to everybody, that's what consultants do?
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: is they pest people who need to?
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: be pested, that's right, yes.
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: And you've had a lot of years because you remember the you know National Drive-In movies.
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: I do.
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: Good, good, good memories.
• 2:48
  Speaker 3: I remember one time I ate too much popcorn and threw up in the car, but my parents took me back again after a while to clean it up.
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: So but anyway, I mean it was a great family activity.
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: We didn't have any television.
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: How are we supposed to do a podcast after that visual Well speaking of.
• 3:03
  Speaker 3: World Pest Day.
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: We have a pastor with us and some people call them pesters.
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: That is the worst segue into a guest since we've started.
• 3:14
  Speaker 3: I used to be a youth pastor and so some people call it pastor.
• 3:18
  Speaker 3: I think we, connor.
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: I am really sorry, you know you're such a good friend, we can do this.
• 3:24
  Speaker 3: We have Connor Krause here with us today.
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: He is the lead pastor at Topeka Bible Church.
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: Welcome to our community, our mission, hey, thank you for having me.
• 3:31
  Speaker 3: And you actually are staying after all that huh.
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: Well, if anybody heard the conversation before the podcast started they would know my endurance.
• 3:38
  Speaker 3: That's right.
• 3:39
  Speaker 3: That's right, Connor.
• 3:42
  Speaker 3: Topeka Bible Church has been around in Topeka for a long time 85 years, 85 years.
• 3:46
  Speaker 3: It was Loman Methodist at that site before that.
• 3:49
  Speaker 3: Right yeah, that site.
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: Loman's been around longer.
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so Topeka Bible Church moved to the location we're at now, off of 10th and Mulvane, in 1966,.
• 3:59
  Speaker 3: I think Okay, all right Very good Off of Polk.
• 4:02
  Speaker 3: Polk Okay, okay.
• 4:03
  Speaker 3: So how long?
• 4:03
  Speaker 3: Okay, you mentioned how many, 80 some years.
• 4:05
  Speaker 3: Topeka Bible Church's presence, a lot of growth and expansion over the years, yeah, where you guys have been since the 60s at that particular location.
• 4:14
  Speaker 3: What's a general?
• 4:17
  Speaker 3: A lot of people know about TBC, some don't.
• 4:19
  Speaker 3: What would you kind of generally describe Topeka Bible Church?
• 4:22
  Speaker 3: We have churches in Topeka.
• 4:23
  Speaker 3: We have lots of different brands.
• 4:25
  Speaker 3: We have denominational churches.
• 4:26
  Speaker 3: This is a non-denominational church, so how do you describe it for a person who maybe isn't quite sure?
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so the sort of boring definition is we're non-denominational in the sense that we're not aligned with any particular denomination, but I mean, the really foundation of our church is well.
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: Okay, so very quick story.
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: This came about because and the reason I had 85 years off the top of my head there was a binder that was uncovered recently.
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: That was a scrapbook, basically from the 70s and anyhow, it had a newspaper clipping on the inside of it.
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: And this is news that nobody will care about but is fascinating, which is we have had this story within TBC of how the church got started that has been passed down from like pastor to pastor.
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: Right, this is exactly what Jim.
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: He was the lead pastor there for 40 years that it was part of a Methodist church and this guy named Walter Warner, he left and sort of founded this church.
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: And it was he left and sort of founded this church and it was this very like sort of innocuous beginning.
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: Well, come to find out, he got kicked out of the Methodist church and he did so because he was a real pastor over there.
• 5:34
  Speaker 3: Right.
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: Exactly, and so we had no idea about this that our church was sort of founded by this guy who was removed, but anyhow, it was because he was holding to some more literal interpretations of scripture about the return of Christ and the authority of the word.
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: And so I digress Basically from.
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: His beginning is kind of how we got started, and it's been a focus on missions in the Bible ever since, and so it's always been about impacting the community and global missions as much as possible and then just really trying to teach the word as faithfully as we can.
• 6:05
  Speaker 3: You mentioned Jim Congdon, who was a lead pastor there for 40 years.
• 6:08
  Speaker 3: Yes, and so when did you guys make the transition where you became now currently lead pastor, and what were you doing right before that?
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: Sure, so I.
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: We made the transition in the fall of 21, I believe, and Isaiah is shaking his head, that fall of 21, I believe, and Isaiah's shaking his head, that makes okay.
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: I'm glad to get some confirmation and I was the student pastor there before that for a couple of years.
• 6:34
  Speaker 3: And you are a Topeka guy.
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: Yeah, born and raised, went to Shawnee Heights Great day to be a T-bird.
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: And so, yeah, I went born just actually across the street from Topeka Bible Church at Stormont Vale.
• 6:48
  Speaker 3: You and Jim made your transition from somebody who'd been there a long time to you, a little before LaManda and I did.
• 6:54
  Speaker 3: Actually, we were watching how you were doing it and reading how you were doing it.
• 7:00
  Speaker 3: And we gleaned some really important things out of that very well-communicated transition.
• 7:06
  Speaker 3: And you know it's not always an easy thing, and LaManna and I have talked about this with different rescue ministries around the country.
• 7:13
  Speaker 3: You're having somebody that's been in the leadership position for a very, very long time and then somebody new comes in and there's always challenges with that.
• 7:20
  Speaker 3: But you guys have really moved through that well and it seems like it's moved well here.
• 7:24
  Speaker 3: Right, amanda?
• 7:25
  Speaker 3: Tell everybody it's right.
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: Let's go back to that national pest day, remember.
• 7:32
  Speaker 3: So, yeah, you guys really thoroughly thought this out, and sometimes this is what even can result in church splits and those kinds of things that has not happened here.
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: No, but to be honest with you, I have really no credit in the transition.
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: It it has a lot to do with the humility of the outgoing leader.
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: And Jim I could say a lot of things about him.
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: He is a mentor of mine, he's a spiritual leader of mine.
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: He I mean he was the lead pastor for four I think it might've been ended up being 41 years and and Jim is still full-time on staff.
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: He's the pastor of missions and leadership development and so he and I I mean we see each other all the time have a great relationship.
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: So that was really critical to it.
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: But I walked in.
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: When I was hired as student pastor, there was no intention of me becoming the lead pastor.
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: In fact that was kind of expressed, that this was not something that you were coming into, you're not a candidate, and making a long story short.
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: That ended up not being the case.
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: But I walked in sort of in the middle of a process that had already begun, with a lot of wisdom before me, and so I kind of rode the coattails of all that thought and prayer and, uh, since then it has been, it's been wonderful, really enjoyed it.
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: Um, I started going to TBC when I was in high school and, uh, it's where I met my wife.
• 8:55
  Speaker 2: Um, we were both interns there, and so a lot of affection and love for the church.
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: My in-laws still go there, which that's fun.
• 9:04
  Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 9:05
  Speaker 3: Amanda, I hope you took a lot of notes from what he just said about all those good compliments.
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: Yeah, connor and I had a deal before this and he backed out we were supposed to bash you and Jim?
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: No, no, yes, won't be the first time, I know.
• 9:19
  Speaker 3: So no, connor, that's your history with TBC coming in.
• 9:28
  Speaker 3: It's unique.
• 9:29
  Speaker 3: Yes, yeah, especially for it to be successful as it has been.
• 9:33
  Speaker 3: So TBC's had a lot of impact in the community in many, many different ways.
• 9:38
  Speaker 3: We talked about growth of membership or people attending it's.
• 9:44
  Speaker 3: Actually, you have two different buildings at least two that I'm aware of for Sunday morning services.
• 9:54
  Speaker 3: One's across the street from the other one and you pipe in the video.
• 9:56
  Speaker 3: That's something.
• 9:57
  Speaker 3: So how many services do you have as far as worship?
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: We have two.
• 10:01
  Speaker 3: we have a nine o'clock and 10.30 in both of the locations 9 o'clock and 10.30, and those are pretty packed out most of the time that I've been over there.
• 10:11
  Speaker 3: And so, connor, there's been the history of impact in the community.
• 10:17
  Speaker 3: Obviously, staying true to missions and staying true to the gospel, yeah, and having people that have supported that, sometimes being controversial in some of those areas.
• 10:26
  Speaker 3: Not everybody embraces some of the positions that TBC has taken, but you haven't wavered from your understanding of biblical understanding and biblical foundation.
• 10:35
  Speaker 3: And so what do you see is the value?
• 10:41
  Speaker 3: I know this is kind of a broad question.
• 10:43
  Speaker 3: What is the value in the mission of TBC and Topeka?
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a great question Um, two things I would say, um, one of them is is philosophical or biblical, and then one of them is more practical.
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: Um, so, actually going back to that scrapbook I mentioned earlier, um, I was going through they had kept pamphlets like church service pamphlets from, you know, the forties and fifties and the sixties, and I was just reading them and going through and I saw our very first annual budget from back in 1939, which included a line item for coal and a number of other things.
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: But all that to say, one of the initiating ideas for TBC as a congregation was that it would give a significant portion of its budget and resources towards missions, and so back then it was about 50 percent, and as the scope of the church has grown it has been difficult to maintain a 50 percent amount, but still we give about 20 percent, or we do give 20% of our annual budget towards missions and outreach, and so that in and of itself has always informed our passions and projects and pursuits, because we've always had a heart for missions, and that was both locally and globally.
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: The other thing that's really affected our ministry at TBC is under Jim's leadership.
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: Tbc really did grow significantly, and there came a time back in like the late 90s when we were sort of needing to figure out what we were going to do.
• 12:19
  Speaker 2: Were we going to move, are we going to stay, are we going to build All those things?
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: And TBC is.
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: I mean we're right next to the library, we're landlocked.
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: This is why we have two different auditoriums that are both in the same build, but instead we were going to really just use the resources around us.
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: And so the Methodist church they're building the Loman Hill Methodist church that you were talking about.
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: They had an assisted living home, methodist home for the aged is what the cornerstone says.
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: Right across the street.
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: That was in unbelievable disrepair but we also got it for a total bargain and since then we have been filling that space with ministry.
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: But that was kind of a commitment very early on, or I guess I should say kind of at an inflection point, that hey, the focus of our church is going to be we want to impact our immediate neighborhood, the Elmhurst community, loman Hill.
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: We want to try and be good neighbors and do all those things.
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: So, anyhow, that affects other things I could talk about.
• 13:29
  Speaker 3: I think that that's an important point, because a lot of times urban churches who get to a certain size move out and they leave the downtown areas and oftentimes that leaves a real void in those downtown areas.
• 13:44
  Speaker 3: A lot of times those buildings are big and old and been used and sometimes they go dormant.
• 13:50
  Speaker 3: I mean, there's been homeless individuals who have resided in some abandoned churches in our downtown area.
• 13:56
  Speaker 3: It's nice to build new buildings, it feels good and everything, until they start wearing out too.
• 14:03
  Speaker 3: But you have opportunities where you're not landlocked and it's easier making some decisions.
• 14:09
  Speaker 3: It might be a little more costly on the front end, but you guys decided to stay put.
• 14:14
  Speaker 3: That would have been a big decision.
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I can't take.
• 14:18
  Speaker 2: I'm thankful for it.
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: I can't take any credit for it.
• 14:20
  Speaker 2: But yeah, it's, and I don't think it's to in any way, you know, make a statement about other churches, in so far as it's just.
• 14:27
  Speaker 2: That was a commitment that we really wanted to keep.
• 14:34
  Speaker 3: Well, you have planted some other churches of fellowship being one and it's it's been in two or three different places and it's a huge place out off of Eurasian 10th and they're doing great church and and similar to TBC, I would think, in its mission and its assignment.
• 14:45
  Speaker 3: No Joe out there, joe Hishma, great, great pastor.
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: I was hanging out with him earlier today, so yeah, great guy, great people.
• 14:51
  Speaker 2: So, because of your before your time, it was decided Southwest TBC would be another one, as well.
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it ended just a few years ago, but that was another church Topeka Baptist.
• 15:03
  Speaker 3: I think has that building now.
• 15:04
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it ended just a few years ago but that was another church, topeka Baptist, I think has that building now.
• 15:05
  Speaker 2: Yeah, they do, it's their youth facility.
• 15:06
  Speaker 3: I attended a funeral service at Topeka Baptist last week and that's a beautiful facility they have.
• 15:12
  Speaker 3: So new lead pastor now there's always some new directions and those kind of things.
• 15:22
  Speaker 3: What's new about TPC now that you've been in the driver's seat?
• 15:27
  Speaker 3: What's the vision that is carrying the ball forward?
• 15:34
  Speaker 3: That already began, but what's different?
• 15:36
  Speaker 2: Sure.
• 15:38
  Speaker 2: So that's a great question.
• 15:43
  Speaker 2: I'm trying to.
• 15:43
  Speaker 2: I think one of the hard thing and I'm sure Lamanda could relate to this when you um have the privilege of leading an organization with size, um, changes like turning a cruise ship it uh, to do it quickly, uh would throw people off the decks, and so there, um, over the last three years there's probably been more subtle changes that not everybody would notice.
• 16:09
  Speaker 2: A couple things we moved a.
• 16:12
  Speaker 2: We're actually looking for this position, but with a desire to increase our local outreach, we're trying to hire a.
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: Every church has sort of three words.
• 16:23
  Speaker 2: Ours are discover, connect and serve.
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: That's what we would call our discipleship process.
• 16:26
  Speaker 2: We're looking for somebody over the serve pastor that could really sort of increase our already, I would say, significant commitment to the community by developing more relationships and things like that.
• 16:39
  Speaker 2: That would be a difference.
• 16:40
  Speaker 2: We have become more clear about that process that I just mentioned discovering, connecting and serving.
• 16:46
  Speaker 2: We feel like people who are it's not so much a matter of commitment, but our mission is leading people to life in Christ, and so we've really tried to center all of our ministries around this idea of sort of those three concepts that somebody who is discovering God's word, connecting with his people and serving in his kingdom, somebody who is discovering God's word, connecting with his people and serving in his kingdom.
• 17:08
  Speaker 2: We have we were talking about this before the podcast started but trying to maybe expand our digital media outreach and sort of the way that we're, I really feel like not just social media but sort of the internet and sort of the spaces that people are in online.
• 17:25
  Speaker 2: Now it's a whole nother field of evangelism and so us being able to take our message and sort of transform it and contextualize it into a way that makes sense that way.
• 17:35
  Speaker 2: But, to be honest with you, there are some things that we've got coming that I think will be pretty big here in the near future.
• 17:44
  Speaker 2: But I'm a big systems guy and I would say that that is maybe one of the bigger differences between not that TBC didn't have systems previously, but Jim is more of a scholar than I am.
• 17:57
  Speaker 2: He has forgotten more about the Bible than most people will ever learn.
• 18:02
  Speaker 2: He is still my authority.
• 18:05
  Speaker 2: I'm getting ready to preach on Psalm 2 this upcoming week, and he laid a book on my desk earlier today from his expansive library.
• 18:14
  Speaker 2: That was immediately helpful and exactly what I needed Anyhow.
• 18:20
  Speaker 2: So I think I've taken a bit more joy in maybe shepherding our staff and looking at long-term vision and systems to continue the good work that the church has done as we anticipate for growth.
• 18:35
  Speaker 3: So there certainly is.
• 18:36
  Speaker 3: That was a long answer to your question.
• 18:38
  Speaker 3: No, no, that's good, I mean it really is, I mean you said it well, I think, and there is, I think everybody's aware of cultural shift.
• 18:46
  Speaker 3: It happens in every generation has the sense of very beginning.
• 18:50
  Speaker 3: There is definitely a cultural shift away from faith, away from church attendance, away from biblical, foundational, biblical foundational.
• 19:10
  Speaker 3: How does a church like TBC encounter the current culture, away from something that maybe you know back in the sixties, seventies was, was vastly different than it is today?
• 19:15
  Speaker 2: Yeah, boy, I wish I had a fantastic answer for you.
• 19:22
  Speaker 2: So in one sense, the congregation of TBC is self-selected insofar as we preach, and I preach in such a way that the people who normally stay and are interested are those who have a desire to learn deeply about scripture.
• 19:43
  Speaker 2: I mean, we just spent four months in the book of Deuteronomy, so that is not for everybody, um, and and I recognize that and I'm okay with that Um, I.
• 19:55
  Speaker 2: That is something that I think is important, because I think part of our job, on top of bringing in people who don't know Christ, is educating the saints so that they know more about Christ and, beyond just a technical knowledge, that they have a deep understanding and love for scripture, and so that is a huge priority for us.
• 20:13
  Speaker 2: So that is, I think, a challenge for some churches where they um, part of the erosion of the evangelical faith and witness is that I think we're kind of, on a couple decades now of churches in general maybe desiring so much to seek new people that then, when those people get in and have maybe spent a period of time within a church, there is nothing wholly different about the message that is being presented than what the culture is offering, and I think that's pretty divergent with the way that we're pursuing ministry Now.
• 20:53
  Speaker 2: The obstacle then for us is finding on-ramps for people so that somebody who's brand new to the church and goes whoa, four months in Deuteronomy and you go yeah yeah, right, yeah, let me tell you this.
• 21:10
  Speaker 2: The very first sermon series that I did, um, like full sort of a book, was in Leviticus, so that you really are systems guy, I, I, I am, and I love it, and so I think that that's kind of that's sort of our perspective is.
• 21:26
  Speaker 2: Is that not that in any way we don't want?
• 21:28
  Speaker 2: I'm not trying to excuse me, I'm not trying to say that we're inaccessible, or hopefully not, but our challenge is those who are coming in.
• 21:37
  Speaker 2: So this is why we have really this would be another thing that I've changed but we've really tried to go a long way towards increasing our greeting ministry and sort of our follow-up process and our new member classes and all of those early steps, removing as many barriers as possible, because I believe that the word of God is captivating and that when somebody latches onto it and understands it, they want to draw deeper.
• 22:08
  Speaker 3: But it's a big bite.
• 22:08
  Speaker 3: So that kind of leads into my next question is so you spend four months in Deuteronomy, sure, spend a lot of time in Leviticus.
• 22:15
  Speaker 3: You're going deep.
• 22:15
  Speaker 3: What's the value of that?
• 22:17
  Speaker 3: Why is that important, other than for people who just want to go deep into understanding what it says?
• 22:24
  Speaker 3: What's the value of it?
• 22:25
  Speaker 2: Yeah, boy, how much time do you have?
• 22:28
  Speaker 2: So I'll give you the quick answer.
• 22:31
  Speaker 2: So what we do as a church, the way that we're working through the Bible, is in the spring we go through an Old Testament book and in the fall we go through a New Testament book.
• 22:40
  Speaker 2: So the fall we've been going through first and second Corinthians, this upcoming fall will be Galatians, um, and the old Testament.
• 22:47
  Speaker 2: It has been, uh, jim did Exodus and then I transitioned and it's been, uh, we're just rocking through.
• 22:53
  Speaker 2: It's uh, leviticus, um, uh, numbers, Deuteronomy, um, and so, as we're working through those things, what that helps us accomplish is providing a biblical theology, the narrative of scripture, this idea that scripture is not just something that we go to like a verse of the day and it's there to suit our needs.
• 23:16
  Speaker 2: And that's not to say I mean there's always, there is application, there is.
• 23:19
  Speaker 2: Part of my job is communicating, you know.
• 23:22
  Speaker 2: So last week was Psalm one.
• 23:24
  Speaker 2: We started going through the first eight Psalms.
• 23:26
  Speaker 2: How does the path of the righteous and the wicked apply to everybody?
• 23:29
  Speaker 2: Why is that something that you need to understand and know, but also that we're supposed to go before scripture with a heart to be formed and molded by it instead of anticipating that scripture would be formed and molded by our needs.
• 23:44
  Speaker 2: And so we still do topical messages.
• 23:47
  Speaker 2: We've recently done series on burnout, or we've talked about family conflicts.
• 23:54
  Speaker 2: We've done one recently on emotions what does it mean to have anger in a godly way and all that kind of stuff?
• 24:04
  Speaker 2: Godly, have anger in a godly way and all that kind of stuff.
• 24:09
  Speaker 2: But I also find that we can normally get to a lot of the topics that people anticipate and desire by just working through scripture itself.
• 24:12
  Speaker 2: So, anyhow, it's a word in church history that would be used, for it would be like a catechism.
• 24:18
  Speaker 2: It's a system of instruction that over time, bears out a type of learning and growth.
• 24:25
  Speaker 2: Well, I sound like somebody who did four months of Deuteronomy.
• 24:29
  Speaker 3: Well, it's really good because I think it's fairly unusual, and so the reason I asked you about the value of it.
• 24:40
  Speaker 3: It's one thing to do a thing because it's you know, there's intellectuals who really dive deep into everything, and so there's a value for them on that.
• 24:49
  Speaker 3: But, if I'm hearing what you're saying correctly, there's a value to the people who come to TBC in order that they can be more informed and embrace more of the kingdom by going deeper.
• 25:00
  Speaker 2: And, in fact, if somebody has come just because they are wanting to dive deeper into the word, then I haven't done my job right, because what I'm trying to do is grow and continue to shepherd a church that desires to serve God's kingdom and give to God's kingdom and connect with other people within his kingdom, and so if it is just coming to listen to something, then I have failed.
• 25:22
  Speaker 2: If it is just coming to listen to something, then I have failed, and I have also failed to connect scripture to the daily life, which is why people come.
• 25:31
  Speaker 2: I mean, and I've messed up in that for sure, yeah, that's other stories.
• 25:39
  Speaker 3: But you know, I recognize those things.
• 25:39
  Speaker 3: We have perfect intentions, but not always perfect delivery.
• 25:42
  Speaker 3: I certainly know that one myself Intentions, but not always perfect delivery.
• 25:45
  Speaker 3: I certainly know that one myself.
• 25:46
  Speaker 3: Lamanda as a leader of a ministry and Topeka Rescue Mission.
• 25:54
  Speaker 3: Many people just look at it as a service to the homeless, but it is a ministry.
• 25:57
  Speaker 3: How important is it to you to have connections with churches like Topeka Bible Church that are gospel-focused and really attempting every way they possibly can to equip people to be able to share the good news?
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: You know, I think it's crucial.
• 26:10
  Speaker 1: The Topeka Rescue Mission is not a church, but we are a part of the church and we want to help assist, we want to help educate, we want to help learn from our area churches, because it's almost like the church should be the why and the rescue mission should be the how, and so what I love is just the opportunity that I get to visit other area churches and hear the different sermons, the different discussions.
• 26:42
  Speaker 1: Sometimes it's even controversial.
• 26:43
  Speaker 1: You know there are congregations that are struggling with what do we do with homelessness?
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: Is it unsafe?
• 26:49
  Speaker 1: Should we be helping?
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: Are we enabling?
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: And I love all of those questions because you've got to know that even when Jesus walked the earth, he was doing things that people questioned, like why is he doing this and should he be doing this for these people?
• 27:04
  Speaker 3: And so the weekend you're not supposed to heal.
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: And so to me, I don't think churches can really teach people how to serve if then there's not places to serve outside church buildings.
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: And then our part is we don't want to get caught up in all the different rhetorics and traditions and things like that Like we have people every day, um, that spend another day not knowing who the Lord is, um, and so there's gotta be other options than a Saturday, a Sunday or a Wednesday, and that's where places like the Topeka rescue mission come in.
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: And so I love the partnerships, I love the heart behind it.
• 27:48
  Speaker 1: I will tell you that some of the most encouraging things outside of people themselves experiencing homelessness that has encouraged me in this job has been some of the amazing people from churches.
• 28:03
  Speaker 1: I just got a beautiful card from a volunteer from a church two weeks ago that said I just watched you on KSNT, I'm so sorry that you have to constantly be talking about hard things, but you're the one that needs to lead the discussion on hard things.
• 28:20
  Speaker 1: And I got that card when I literally was sitting in my office where nobody sees, nobody knows, and I'm sitting here going what am I doing?
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: This person says I'm not for businesses or I'm not for a thriving community, and then this group saying I'm being not compassionate enough at all this stuff.
• 28:38
  Speaker 1: And then I got that card thinking thank you, lord.
• 28:40
  Speaker 1: So on a personal level, as I lead, but also when we look at the systems of what TRM and faith-based should be, I just think it's crucial to have the partnerships and the understanding, because really it's the why and the how.
• 28:59
  Speaker 2: Because those whys line up so much easily?
• 29:00
  Speaker 2: Because just a couple of weeks ago, when we were in Deuteronomy, I preached a sermon that was about God's heart for the vulnerable and needy in ancient Israel and I think that this is a great opportunity that churches have but also gives reason why we do four months in Deuteronomy or that kind of thing as that's becoming is.
• 29:24
  Speaker 2: It gives us the opportunity to show people things like I mean heavens, it's certainly, you know, jesus is the example for all of us but also we're talking about the character and qualities of God, which do not change.
• 29:38
  Speaker 2: And so if somebody is coming to us and we're able to connect the heart and we talked about the homeless in the city, we talked about the um, the encampments that were at that time were on the news, as you know, sort of big equipments moving through Um we talked about sort of what is going on at the heart level when we see those things, because from eternity past into the future, when Christ returns and all things are redeemed, until that time we have a responsibility to support and to love the vulnerable and the needy, just like God does and just like he did in Israel in the book of Deuteronomy.
• 30:15
  Speaker 2: And so I think that that's an opportunity that we have.
• 30:18
  Speaker 2: Is, if you say, what specific role does maybe TBC play within the landscape of Topeka and churches is?
• 30:28
  Speaker 2: I think one of the things that I'm happy to be able to say is you can find the answers to these things in God's word, and as we do that, like Lamanda said, then the opportunity becomes.
• 30:41
  Speaker 2: What are you going to then do about it?
• 30:42
  Speaker 2: How are you going to then impact the community?
• 30:45
  Speaker 2: Because God's word isn't just supposed to stop at the heart but it really extends to the hands, and so being able to partner with organizations like TRM, where the fruit and the work of this organization for decades evidence itself, we're able to point to these things and say, hey, this is what gospel impact looks like in a really tangible way.
• 31:07
  Speaker 3: There's a number of things that are polarizing culturally in the United States right now Life, abortion, sexual orientation, the list goes on and on.
• 31:18
  Speaker 3: Homelessness has arisen to that that polarization politically neighborhoods.
• 31:24
  Speaker 3: It's become maybe one of the primary table talks right now because of a gospel ministry like Topeka Rescue Mission, to know that the body of Christ, the real body of Christ, is not just joining in with all of the controversy but are trying to dive into the why and the importance of carrying the heart of God to the vulnerable.
• 32:01
  Speaker 3: And, amanda, I assume you can probably say that even better right now because of the last two years.
• 32:11
  Speaker 1: You know, I just get so excited and humbled to be able to just be truly a small part of kingdom work.
• 32:23
  Speaker 1: And then the other side of me, it's almost like any time you ask me to talk about this or ask me a question I just feel like my heart breaks all over again, because we are, we don't know what to do with homelessness.
• 32:41
  Speaker 1: Let's be real as a, as a society, nationwide, locally, um, and so thus has birthed fear, anger, bitterness, some blaming, and that's really been kind of the louder message, um, but what I get to see and what our team gets to see is just this softness and also this tenderness and this redemption in people's lives every day.
• 33:17
  Speaker 1: And but it's not shouted, it's not the main stories, um, for two reasons.
• 33:25
  Speaker 1: One, things are confidential.
• 33:27
  Speaker 1: You know, barry, I would love to be able to get on here just today, one of our buildings, and I can't say what.
• 33:36
  Speaker 1: Someone showed up really hungry, and the team got this person something, talked with the person a little bit and then walked inside, then saw on cameras this person just slump over, and so our team rushed out with Narcan and, you know, calling 911 and all of this stuff.
• 33:59
  Speaker 1: And I just thought, if the Topeka rescue mission wasn't here, where would he have slumped over?
• 34:08
  Speaker 1: Who would have been prepared to have Narcan?
• 34:14
  Speaker 1: Who would look at this person and not be like, well, he did it to himself or he's an addict, or like our team looks at this not for where they're at right then, but the cross happened for them, just like the cross happened for us.
• 34:29
  Speaker 1: And to go, how can we get him from slumped over and having to be taken to the hospital to somebody sharing the testimony of how he was healed Right?
• 34:42
  Speaker 1: And so it's just so important to me this, this work and what we do and the partnerships that we have, and it means so much that we have people invested in really looking at what is the problem and what can we do about it.
• 34:58
  Speaker 1: And that doesn't mean it's always rainbows and agreements and fluffy stuff.
• 35:04
  Speaker 1: There's crucial conversations, there's disagreements, there are different opinions, but, man, if we can just go back to the narrative publicly and if some of the people who are truly doing some of this work in churches and out of churches can start talking about why this is important and why is it fruitful, and start talking about the people in a different way, I think it's going to shift this animosity and this ugliness and this blaming and the bulldozing, and so I don't know.
• 35:42
  Speaker 1: I've been questioning even myself of how do we change that ship back and how do we respect the differing opinions and the controversy that's out there, but also don't let the squeaky wheels be the one getting the oil, and that's just part of my role and to bring more of that awareness.
• 36:02
  Speaker 3: I could ask the question even more than I used to.
• 36:05
  Speaker 3: What's the solution?
• 36:06
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm more into the systems level of this issue of homelessness now and all the related things around it.
• 36:12
  Speaker 3: Sure, and I will say without any hesitation the body of Christ is the answer.
• 36:20
  Speaker 3: And why can I say that?
• 36:22
  Speaker 3: Well, we've been 60 years now in a war on poverty.
• 36:26
  Speaker 3: We spent trillions of dollars um, housing's important, um services are important, feeding people is important, but those things are tools to help people stay alive.
• 36:37
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it doesn't really change their life.
• 36:40
  Speaker 3: Sometimes what we'll do is spend more money for bigger band-aids.
• 36:44
  Speaker 3: So why is the body of Christ the answer?
• 36:47
  Speaker 3: It's because the message of the gospel and what Christ told us is really, really important in this whole thing.
• 36:55
  Speaker 3: And culturally, we are not really following what Jesus said to love God, to love your neighbors yourself.
• 37:02
  Speaker 3: We, culturally are looking out for ourselves and oftentimes just fighting each other in the process of that.
• 37:08
  Speaker 3: And what I think's valuable about churches like Topeka Bible Church and I really have appreciated getting to know you since you've come on board, thank you Is that there is an intentionality here to understand what.
• 37:24
  Speaker 3: Jesus meant and go, do what Jesus told us to do.
• 37:28
  Speaker 3: And I believe in that is that we will have.
• 37:32
  Speaker 3: Maybe not changing the world, maybe not even changing America, but I believe that we will see changes in people's lives and we see that here at Topeka Rescue Mission.
• 37:40
  Speaker 3: And when a church sends staff here, they're equipped.
• 37:43
  Speaker 3: When they send volunteers, here, they're equipped.
• 37:44
  Speaker 3: When they send volunteers here, they're equipped.
• 37:46
  Speaker 3: Then we, when I say equipped, equipped with the first thing and that is to have the understanding of a heart for the Lord and then being able to understand how to apply that.
• 37:59
  Speaker 3: And we can train them.
• 38:00
  Speaker 3: We can train them how to do outreach and train them how to feed people and train them how to do shelters and mobile access partnership and how to help people with showers and those kind of things and get them to the emergency room and all those kind of things.
• 38:10
  Speaker 3: We can train them.
• 38:11
  Speaker 3: But if they don't have the heart, it's like everything else.
• 38:15
  Speaker 2: So quick comment and then question so he's flipping this around.
• 38:21
  Speaker 3: I know Such a pastor.
• 38:24
  Speaker 1: Such a pastor, such a pastor.
• 38:24
  Speaker 2: I mean, I think you know it's LaManda when you were talking.
• 38:27
  Speaker 2: You know, one thing that comes to mind for me is as a part of the body of Christ.
• 38:31
  Speaker 2: One thing that makes TRM so interesting first of all is the commitment to faith that the organization has, which isn't true for everybody who's trying to work on the homelessness situation.
• 38:43
  Speaker 2: Um everybody who's trying to work on the homelessness situation.
• 38:45
  Speaker 2: My comment to your statement, barry, is I agree with everything you said.
• 38:49
  Speaker 2: The only thing I would add is that um trying to solve a human problem by human means is um is kind of a fool's errand to a degree.
• 38:58
  Speaker 2: I mean, it's not that we don't see progress and it, or that many of those things that you mentioned aren't worthy endeavors, but when you're working with something that is powered by the spirit and that can change lives, that is more powerful than whatever it is that somebody has going on it's.
• 39:16
  Speaker 2: It is as simple as that, though the particulars are necessarily so to the particulars, the other part about being all in the body of Christ.
• 39:25
  Speaker 2: You talk about the heart.
• 39:26
  Speaker 2: It's not just.
• 39:28
  Speaker 2: If only it were as simple as TRM got to decide what to do, TBC got to you know, help further, a vision or whatever.
• 39:38
  Speaker 2: But there are a lot of players in all of this.
• 39:41
  Speaker 2: And you know, when I preached a couple of weeks ago about the vulnerable, I I, you know dallied into some of these waters, but ultimately I'm no expert when it comes to execution.
• 39:52
  Speaker 2: So here's my question, and it's really just one out of ignorance because I'm interested in knowing.
• 39:58
  Speaker 2: But I know that as a city we have been talking about, we've had some experts come in and sort of give recommendations and then that's gone to the council and I guess I'm unaware of kind of where we're at with all of that, and I know that the recommendations were given.
• 40:16
  Speaker 2: I'm ready.
• 40:19
  Speaker 2: Listeners want to know.
• 40:20
  Speaker 2: What do you guys think about sort of some of the things that have been said?
• 40:23
  Speaker 3: We have no opinion.
• 40:24
  Speaker 3: Is that right?
• 40:25
  Speaker 3: Okay, all right, plead the fifth.
• 40:27
  Speaker 3: That's right.
• 40:28
  Speaker 3: No lament, I'll let you go first.
• 40:30
  Speaker 1: Okay, you know, I think that we have a lot accomplished and I think we have a long way to go.
• 40:38
  Speaker 1: So, in regards to the process with the consultant and kind of coach, brianna did an amazing job and I think that it was worth it.
• 40:49
  Speaker 1: We had a core team of about a dozen and we have an auxiliary team is I don't know probably 12 to 18 people, and what was incredible about that is all of us started with our own opinions and that's really what they were Even myself, myself included and through this, we discovered, really, what homelessness looks like in Topeka and in Shawnee County, and then that created dialogue and questions.
• 41:17
  Speaker 1: And then we did all of these interviews that created dialogue and questions, and then we did all of these interviews, and so the process, to me, was incredible because it really moved us from what all we thought to no, here's what it looks like and here's what it is and here's where we need to be going.
• 41:32
  Speaker 1: Another thing that I love about that is when you had so many different people involved, you really got a picture of what is stellar in our community, and being able to say, hey, we've got to keep these organizations or these nonprofits or what these churches do are incredible.
• 41:50
  Speaker 1: The other side of it, it showed gaps, and what was neat about the core team is we saw gaps in TRM.
• 41:56
  Speaker 1: We saw gaps from Topeka Housing Authority.
• 41:58
  Speaker 1: We saw, and all of us were involved and we're all like, oh yeah, that needs to be the direction we go.
• 42:02
  Speaker 1: This is what we can do.
• 42:03
  Speaker 1: But we saw bigger gaps, particularly with government.
• 42:07
  Speaker 1: And what does that look like?
• 42:09
  Speaker 1: And what should government be doing?
• 42:11
  Speaker 1: What should government not be doing?
• 42:12
  Speaker 1: And so I think that's kind of where we're at now.
• 42:15
  Speaker 1: I feel like my role as the executive director is how do we bridge partners where faith isn't going Well, I'm not working with government and how can we encourage government to not have their hands off of faith?
• 42:29
  Speaker 1: Right, and then, how do we do this where we know who should be doing what and why?
• 42:34
  Speaker 1: And if we don't start working together, we are going to continue to deserve our community.
• 42:43
  Speaker 1: As far as so the process and all of that.
• 42:46
  Speaker 1: Those are my thoughts.
• 42:47
  Speaker 1: You know the council.
• 42:50
  Speaker 1: I was a bit surprised at some of the comments.
• 42:53
  Speaker 1: You know my role here is to respect authority and I try to do that the best I can.
• 42:59
  Speaker 1: Um, but I was a bit shocked with, um, some of the comments and and, uh, you know, there were a couple that said that they hadn't been able to read through the stuff.
• 43:08
  Speaker 1: And so you're sitting out there and the whole council room is full of people that, just on the edge of our seats, because we're doing this every day and then to have some of the people in power, well, I haven't read through it, I'm not ready Right.
• 43:22
  Speaker 1: And so I mean I'm just being honest I was disappointed because I think we as leaders are held to a different accountability.
• 43:29
  Speaker 1: County commissioners I thought they had excellent questions.
• 43:33
  Speaker 1: I felt like they were really trying to listen, but I also felt like their brains and Barry might disagree, I don't know it's almost like their brains were also trying to problem solve as we, as this was being presented, and so the questions that came up were great.
• 43:50
  Speaker 1: I also was shocked at they opened it up to the floor and was like anybody else in here have comments.
• 43:58
  Speaker 1: And so there was probably what six or seven of us that were able to go up to the podium and share thoughts.
• 44:04
  Speaker 1: There were different groups there that the commissioners acknowledged, and so do I think the county knows exactly what to do.
• 44:12
  Speaker 1: No, this is all new for us, but I would say that it seemed to be a bit different in how it was received and the processing, and it felt different to be in that audience than it did at council.
• 44:24
  Speaker 1: So really, I know it sounds cliche, but the biggest thing that has brought me peace is knowing the Lord is in control.
• 44:32
  Speaker 1: And you know we don't feel like at the Topeka Resch Commission.
• 44:36
  Speaker 1: Everybody has to believe the way we do, but we believe we serve because of the way we believe in Christ.
• 44:42
  Speaker 1: And so at the end of the day, I'm going to do my very best humanly to support these efforts and to put work ethic in and all of that.
• 44:50
  Speaker 1: But I also rest in my faith to know it really doesn't matter what good or bad the city or county tries to do, that the Lord's will will be done and I'm supposed to be a vessel for that.
• 45:04
  Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, I think that's that's.
• 45:06
  Speaker 3: I agree with everything you said.
• 45:07
  Speaker 3: I I would just add on to it.
• 45:10
  Speaker 3: There's a human tendency to want a king to solve our problems.
• 45:15
  Speaker 3: Israel ran into this and it didn't go so well for them.
• 45:17
  Speaker 3: So we want government.
• 45:21
  Speaker 2: Which, by the way, perry, that passage is brought up in Deuteronomy, where that concept is introduced for the first time.
• 45:27
  Speaker 2: I'm going to throw it back to you, but keep rolling, keep rolling.
• 45:30
  Speaker 1: Did you spend three weeks on that, Connor?
• 45:32
  Speaker 2: No no.
• 45:32
  Speaker 3: I think I got that the first time, but anyway, it's always good to be reminded four weeks in a row or four months, sorry, it's always good to be reminded four weeks in a row or four months.
• 45:41
  Speaker 3: But no, you know, we want a savior, and oftentimes what we look at is anything but the savior.
• 45:51
  Speaker 3: And when we look at the savior, then he says this is what I want you to do.
• 45:56
  Speaker 3: And so these recommendations that came out of a months-long study were presented to the city council that was where they paid for the consultant With these recommendations, four things to actually look at.
• 46:09
  Speaker 3: But yet the question was will you support this, but support it how?
• 46:15
  Speaker 3: And so there is no answer to that yet.
• 46:19
  Speaker 3: The media has kind of interpreted that as they have to approve it in order for it to go forward, and that was actually this week in a report that the city council has yet to approve the recommendations.
• 46:32
  Speaker 3: And so if we stay in that vein, that government is going to be in charge of solving this problem the king.
• 46:39
  Speaker 3: It won't work.
• 46:40
  Speaker 3: So government going forward is a part of this, but it is a community concern.
• 46:47
  Speaker 3: There has been some due diligence now to uncover the problems, the gaps, as LaManda said.
• 46:52
  Speaker 3: And so then, what do we do with that?
• 46:56
  Speaker 3: And we don't see willy-nilly in Deuteronomy.
• 47:00
  Speaker 3: We see systematic approaches to doing things, and so the question is who's going to grab a hold of this now and become, in a modern term, the backbone of bringing everybody together to move forward?
• 47:12
  Speaker 3: And we do have some things in process with that that we're not ready to announce yet, but it will either be embraced or it will be rejected.
• 47:22
  Speaker 3: Regardless, it does not get solved by saying to the government, take it, nor church, you take it.
• 47:30
  Speaker 3: I think the life transformation comes with the body of Christ.
• 47:33
  Speaker 3: I think most people of faith would say that Not all churches are going to be in that realm.
• 47:37
  Speaker 3: So I think that the community, hopefully, is hungry for what does this mean?
• 47:43
  Speaker 3: now and when the design for the ark has been revealed, that they will say we want to be a part of that.
• 47:51
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm reminded of.
• 47:53
  Speaker 2: I just read a book about Charles Spurgeon and his church.
• 47:59
  Speaker 2: It was called the Metropolitan Tabernacle back in London in the 1800s and the Metropolitan Tabernacle had 66 different benevolent ministries and a significant aspect of those a significant number, excuse me were the schools that the church started, because at that time in London there were, there was no government system of education for the children who were.
• 48:24
  Speaker 2: I mean, this is industrial revolution.
• 48:25
  Speaker 2: The kids are in the factories, so he's drawing them out and he's doing all of these things.
• 48:28
  Speaker 2: And what was interesting to me about that is there was many of the benevolent ministries that that church pursued with a desire to I mean his.
• 48:40
  Speaker 2: He has this beautiful theology that Christ and coming to Christ is more important than social revitalization or something of that sort because, only Christ saves, but yet to be a Christian that does not support and pursue helping the vulnerable and the needy is to abdicate the Christian faith Anyhow, but that one of the ways that he was going around is saying okay, well, where are the gaps, where is the need present?
• 49:05
  Speaker 2: And there are a lot of the things that they pursued that are no longer needed today because we have these things.
• 49:10
  Speaker 2: He had an alms house for widows and things like that, but what does it look like for the church, what does it look like for nonprofits to step into the gaps where things are not currently being carried?
• 49:24
  Speaker 2: The water isn't being carried, and it's not even a message of criticism, as one is of reality.
• 49:31
  Speaker 2: Right, there are gaps, there are unique challenges to serving the homeless and unhoused.
• 49:36
  Speaker 2: In Topeka, the problem, the situation is growing and it's bigger than it has been before.
• 49:43
  Speaker 2: And so I think a lot of the questions that are even being asked now are the approach has not always had to be multifaceted.
• 49:51
  Speaker 2: There were not all the different sectors that needed to be involved, and now that all of them are coming together it's a bit of a chicken fight.
• 50:01
  Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, I wondered when I first started doing what I'm doing, because I came out of church ministry and I came into this realm and there just seemed to be such a dichotomy of going to church and doing youth groups and doing everything church does and this, but yet they're still under the umbrella of Christ.
• 50:19
  Speaker 3: And there was a real struggle for me to say, okay, what's the value of the church to this?
• 50:26
  Speaker 3: And over the years I've learned the value.
• 50:27
  Speaker 3: It's multifaceted as well, and I even had this conversation with Jim a number of years ago and I thanked him.
• 50:33
  Speaker 3: Thank you for preparing people to come, do this work Year after year in that pulpit, helping people to understand the heart of God, helping them to understand maybe four months of Deuteronomy, helping them to go the deep dive into equipping them when, if and when that person comes through that kind of prep school, so to speak, onto the field of ministry, like a rescue mission here or a foreign field, somewhere, that they are fortified spiritually, they're grounded and they're not having to start spiritually from scratch.
• 51:11
  Speaker 3: And so I think, connor, what you're doing and you'll see this as time goes along further there's going to be some all-stars that are coming out of the Peacock Bible, like they're all-stars coming out of others and have been forever, who are going to be those individuals who God calls.
• 51:28
  Speaker 3: Not everybody got God didn't call everybody to this, but they're going to be frontline people on this and there's going to be the team, the TBC team, the fellowship team, the First Southern Baptist team and I leave everybody out out here, but those are the teams supporting the people on the front lines.
• 51:47
  Speaker 3: And now the next opportunity is what do we do corporately together, even though we may see things a little bit differently, maybe we approach things a little bit differently in regards to our churches.
• 51:56
  Speaker 3: How do we then go and serve the community together to be able to have that corporate impact?
• 52:02
  Speaker 3: It's a good word Got one Jesus all over the world.
• 52:06
  Speaker 3: Same one, doesn't matter if he's in Mozambique or if he's in Topeka Kansas.
• 52:10
  Speaker 3: Same Jesus all over the world, same spirit all over the world who has a direction for all of us.
• 52:15
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I just want to say thank you for accepting the assignment at TBC.
• 52:21
  Speaker 3: Wasn't what you planned on when you came in.
• 52:23
  Speaker 3: Got a chance before the podcast to see how you're still a youth pastor at heart, which is awesome.
• 52:30
  Speaker 3: Really is awesome.
• 52:32
  Speaker 3: And so anything else you would like to share.
• 52:36
  Speaker 2: I mean thank you, thanks for having me on, thank you for the ministry and work of TRM, thank you for both of you being so faithful.
• 52:44
  Speaker 2: Um you know, it's, uh, it's a blessing to be able to um, uh, I mean, I have a very uh, what do I say?
• 52:53
  Speaker 2: External role, um, and that I I am, um, hoping to lead people to life in Christ and then, through that life in Christ, that they would be impacted to and be led by God to try and solve these problems, as we all are.
• 53:08
  Speaker 2: But being able to walk with you guys and other leaders in our community, as I'm kind of getting to know more of them, I mean it's obvious that, just like TBC, I've walked into a situation where God has blessed so many people with so many gifts.
• 53:22
  Speaker 2: And it's just a privilege to be here, so thanks.
• 53:25
  Speaker 3: Thank you, amanda.
• 53:26
  Speaker 3: Anything else?
• 53:27
  Speaker 1: You know, I'm just thankful for Connor.
• 53:29
  Speaker 1: I'm thankful for TBC for so many different reasons.
• 53:32
  Speaker 1: They are prayer warriors for us.
• 53:35
  Speaker 1: We've got volunteers from TBC, We've gotten financial support from TBC.
• 53:40
  Speaker 1: I mean they, they just walk the walk and talk the talk and I appreciate that.
• 53:46
  Speaker 1: You know, as a new leader, I appreciate my friendship with Connor just because, especially to be doing this within six months of each other, to both be following up people with three or four decades and we were both hearing at the same time you've got big shoes to fill or man, this is a tough job and just to be able to have someone else knowing like God has called him God called Jim to to move into a different role, God called you to move into a different role, God called Connor to be in that role, me in this role, and to be able to kind of do that sum together has been fun and it's also just another level of support and I think we I know I can speak for Connor and I both that we also want to honor, like the work that you and Jim have done and continue to do.
• 54:37
  Speaker 3: You know it's it's hard to keep a good thing good like you say, and I actually got that from another guy named Clark Johnson.
• 54:43
  Speaker 1: Yes, and so anyways, I just think it's neat that we have such similar stories in our same community to be able to do that.
• 54:51
  Speaker 1: And I appreciate Connor and who he is, just his character and his heart and what he wants to do, and I just appreciate TBC Amen to that.
• 55:00
  Speaker 3: Well, thank you for joining us today on Our Community, Our Mission.
• 55:03
  Speaker 3: We've been talking with Connor Krause, who's lead pastor at Topeka Bible Church, about a lot of things here today about the church and about our conditions that we're in in our community as well as across the nation and beyond, and what the value of going the deep dive is with the gospel, and it does not disappoint.
• 55:21
  Speaker 3: So thank you for listening to us.
• 55:23
  Speaker 3: If you'd like more information about the Topeka Rescue Mission, you can go to the website at trmonlineorg that's trmonlineorg and join us again next week for Our Community, Our Mission.