A New Home on East Galena
Living Word Outreach sits just off I-35 and South Hydraulic at 1513 East Galena in southeast Wichita, a building the congregation has called home since February 2022. Pastors Matthew and Dena Hudson have been laboring in Wichita since 1988, and their burden for the city has shaped everything the church does, from a Sunday morning packed with children's ministry to a food pantry that hands out nearly a million pounds of food a year. The church describes its heart in a single line: "where the ministry of Jesus is people."
Sunday Morning, and Three Other Gatherings Each Week
The week centers on a 10:00 a.m. Sunday morning service that combines congregational worship with a parallel Children's Church. After the adults finish worship, the children head straight into Treasure Seekers classes designed to bring the story of Jesus to life in a safe, fun setting. A Wednesday evening service follows at 7:00 p.m., and on Saturday evenings at 6:00 p.m. the doors reopen for youth ages 13 to 18. Services are streamed online through the church's live page, with hosts who chat with online guests and receive prayer requests, so a visitor who cannot make the drive can still join in from home. Recordings are also archived on the same site, and CDs and DVDs of services can be picked up at the church bookstore.
A Spanish-Speaking Church Under One Roof
Living Word Outreach shares its building with La Iglesia Mision Cristiana Elim, a Hispanic congregation that Pastor Jorge Gamero and others started in April 2012 in a Wichita apartment. After months of prayer the young church connected with Pastors Matthew and Dena Hudson through Bread of Life and moved in at the start of 2013, where it continues to meet on Sunday afternoons at 3:00 p.m. and Thursday evenings at 6:00 p.m. Elim now has roughly twenty-five steady members and shares Living Word's vision of reaching the Latino community of Wichita for Christ.
Treasure Seekers, The Gathering, and the Next Generation
The children's and youth work is anchored by Troy Bird, a Children's Pastor with more than thirty years in kids' ministry and a simple aim: that every child who comes through the doors would come to know Jesus and step into the potential God has for them. Treasure Seekers, the Sunday children's church, begins right after the adult worship set. For older kids, The Gathering meets every Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. and welcomes students ages 11 to 18 with teaching that presses them toward a real relationship with Christ and a Christ-shaped identity in a culture where many truths are blurred.
Sozo Prayer, Men's Bible Study, and the Bookstore
Pastoral care runs deeper than Sunday services. A Sozo Inner Healing team, trained in the Bethel Sozo model, offers focused intercessory prayer that invites Christ to identify lies a person may unknowingly believe so they can be uprooted by the truth, bringing hope, peace and order out of conflict in body, soul and spirit. Men who want to grow in their faith and become godly leaders gather for a Men's Bible Study every Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. The bookstore, coordinated by Phyllis Seward, keeps timely Christian resources on hand for purchase, chosen to challenge faith and align hearts with what God is doing. Hospitality Director Jane Litwiller oversees the welcome side of things, making sure every person who walks in feels the love of Christ in a smile, a handshake, or a hug.
Bread of Life and Garments of Praise
Living Word Outreach houses Bread of Life, a 501(c)(3) charity established in 1991 that distributes food and clothing to people across Wichita and the south-central region of Kansas. The ministry reaches into Butler, Cowley, Harvey, Kingman, McPherson, Reno, Rice, Sedgwick and Sumner counties, contributes to local disaster relief, and partners each year in an annual Thanksgiving giveaway. About a million pounds of food reaches more than 58,000 people annually through the program, which is led by Bill and Becky Milner and supported by private donors and grants. One hundred percent of every donation goes directly to food, with all operational expenses covered by the church itself. Running alongside Bread of Life is Garments of Praise, a nonprofit clothing distribution center where anyone receiving food can also pick out clothing at no cost. Inventory is built from neighborhood donations, local resale shops, and clothing drives such as Coats for Kids. Donations to Bread of Life can be made online or by mail through Living Word Outreach.
What We Believe
The church accepts the scriptures as the revealed will of God and adopts a Pentecostal statement of fundamental truths. It teaches that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, that there is one true Godhead of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin. It holds that humanity fell through voluntary transgression and is redeemed only through the shed blood of Jesus, that salvation is by faith rather than human works, and that water baptism and the Lord's Supper are central ordinances. Living Word Outreach teaches that all believers should earnestly seek the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as a distinct, subsequent experience with the physical sign of speaking with other tongues, and it embraces total prosperity in spirit, mind, body, finances and relationships. The church looks for the blessed hope of Christ's return to gather His saints and affirms the reality of eternal separation for those who have not accepted the redemptive work of Jesus.
The Team
Pastors Matthew and Dena Hudson lead the congregation. They have been married since June 1981 and have two children, Matt Hudson and Melissa and her husband Jared Case, and three grandchildren, Hudson, Brodi and Lincoln. The team around them includes Children's Pastor Troy Bird, Media Director Sarah Wibel, Bookstore Coordinator Phyllis Seward, Hospitality Director Jane Litwiller, Office Administrator Lynette Pretorius, and Bread of Life Directors Bill and Becky Milner.
Getting There and Getting Involved
Living Word Outreach meets at 1513 East Galena, Wichita, KS 67216, just off I-35 and South Hydraulic, with services on Sunday at 10:00 a.m., Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday at 6:00 p.m., plus Elim's Spanish services on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. and Thursday at 6:00 p.m. Anyone needing a ride to Sunday morning worship can call 316-683-8641 by noon on Thursday. Tithes and offerings can be given online or by mail, and separate online giving is set up for Bread of Life. The church's guest speakers and friends include prophets, apostles, teachers and revivalists from ministries such as Grace Church, River of Life Revival Ministries, MorningStar Fellowship of Ministries, Robert Henderson Ministries, and others, who come alongside Living Word to strengthen the church and reach the city with the gospel of Jesus Christ.