We Live to Praise Him
Overland Park Lutheran Church, called OP Lutheran by the people who love it, has anchored the corner of 79th Street just west of historic downtown Overland Park since 1951. The congregation's vision calls it "a welcoming, Christ-centered place for all to worship, learn, and serve." The bell tower on the south side of the building and the ribbed east wall inscribed with the words "Be My People and I will be Your God" announce the church to anyone passing along 79th Street. Inside, a congregation that has described itself as "the little church who serves a Big God" gathers at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings. The church's welcome greeting sets the tone: "Curious? You're welcome. Hurting? You're welcome. Seeking, searching? You're welcome." OP Lutheran's mission statement goes a step further: by God's grace, the members are believers in Jesus Christ led by the Holy Spirit, aspiring to serve as God's hands in all that they do.
Sunday Mornings at 9:30
Weekly worship is the heart of OP Lutheran's life together. The Sunday service begins at 9:30 a.m. and runs about an hour, combining prayer, scripture, sermon, and music. Holy Communion is celebrated on the first and third Sundays of each month, and at special services throughout the church year. The order of worship is projected on a screen so visitors can follow along, and listening assistance and nursery care are available. A Children's Church for children in kindergarten through sixth grade meets right after the children's sermon each week, giving kids their own age-appropriate time before rejoining their families or heading to the nursery.
Services are livestreamed on the church's Facebook page, and a link to that week's order of worship is shared so those at home can follow along. Anyone who has been baptized and believes in the real presence of Christ in Holy Communion is welcome at the table. Children who have not yet received First Communion education are invited forward with their parents to receive a blessing instead. After the service, the congregation gathers in Hoeger Parish Hall for coffee, donuts, and juice in a come-as-you-are setting where members, guests, and friends of every age can connect. The intergenerational fellowship hour is the perfect place for enlightening conversations that carry through the week.
From a Branch Sunday School to a Sanctuary
OP Lutheran traces its roots to the spring of 1949, when a small branch of the Sunday School of Salem Lutheran Church in Lenexa began meeting to serve area residents. That branch first met at the Overland Park grade school, then moved to a residence near the church's present site. In March 1950, the Mission Board of the American Lutheran Church's Central District confirmed the need for a Lutheran church in Overland Park and purchased the property. The first parsonage was bought that July and remodeled into a sanctuary by a crew of volunteers; the first service was held there in September with forty people in attendance.
The congregation was formally organized on January 14, 1951, when thirty adult members signed the constitution. Ground was broken for the first unit of the new church on March 4, 1951, and that first building was dedicated on December 9 of the same year. Membership more than doubled within a year, and by early 1954 the need for additional Sunday School rooms was obvious. With pledges more than doubling the estimated need, ground was broken for the first addition on August 29, 1954, and the second unit was dedicated on February 6, 1955, adding classrooms and a large social hall. By the end of 1955, less than five years after the charter signing, membership had passed five hundred.
Growth continued to drive building. The third unit, dedicated October 1, 1961, added a new worship space, more Sunday School rooms, and other facilities. An annex was purchased in 1964 for additional classroom space. The fourth and final unit of the original master plan broke ground on January 18, 1970, with a literal blast of dynamite. That unit was dedicated on March 21, 1971, and brought the present-day sanctuary, narthex, and library into being, along with the two exterior features the church is best known for today: the south-side bell tower and the ribbed east wall with its scriptural inscription.
That same year brought loss. Don and Leah Hollis, two of the original Sunday School members, charter members, and the church's architect, were tragically killed in a plane crash. The original worship space was renamed and dedicated as the Hollis Memorial Chapel in November 1971 in their memory. The Hollis name lives on in another way too: OP Lutheran belongs to the partnership of the Hollis Renewal Center, a retreat ministry in Kansas City, Kansas, named in their family's honor.
Learning for Every Age
Sunday School was there at the very beginning, and it remains a cornerstone. OP Lutheran's education ministry traces back to that first branch Sunday School class, and the tradition continues with programming for children, youth, and adults.
For children ages three through sixth grade, Sunday School meets during the school year, giving even the youngest members a place to grow in faith and learn about God's word and the promises held through belief in Christ Jesus. Children's Church, for kindergarteners through sixth graders, takes place during the 9:30 a.m. service, beginning right after the children's sermon. The Adult Sunday School gathering meets each Sunday after coffee hour for a Bible discussion rather than a lecture. The group is currently working through a "Dwelling in the Word" practice, asking questions of the week's text together. The Women's Bible Study meets on the first Wednesday of each month for fellowship, study, and support of the church's stewardship initiatives. Confirmation, when classes are in session, gathers bi-weekly with the pastor. Students learn about being Lutheran and the Bible, exploring faith, religion, Jesus, salvation, the cross, and the church. Each student prepares an individual faith statement in advance of their Confirmation Day, when they Affirm their Baptisms.
Youth at the Center
OP Lutheran believes its youth are the future of the church, which is why they are at the center of much of what the congregation does today: leading and encouraging them in a life of faith through education, service in the church and community, and fellowship with one another. Middle school and high school students are invited to the Youth Group, which meets on the first and third Sunday evenings at 6:00 p.m. The group is shared with youth from Overland Park Presbyterian Church and combines fellowship with service. Recent service projects have included assisting at the Metro Lutheran Ministry food pantry, helping with the MLM Christmas store, and weaving sleeping mats for people experiencing homelessness.
Vacation Bible School is the church's flagship summer event, running for more than thirty years and serving the church community and surrounding neighborhood. Past themes have ranged from a paradise island to sailing the high seas, from a Louisiana bayou to a backyard campout, from a Mount Everest adventure to crazy animals to an African safari. The week brings together kids and the church's older generations, who love helping and guiding children into understanding how special each one is in God's eyes and how God's promises are for everyone.
The church is also known for its Easter Egg Hunt, which draws congregation members, neighborhood kids, and Easter Sunday guests. The youngest hunters search the playground while older kids scavenge the church lawn for candy-filled eggs. A Blessing of the Backpacks marks the start of the school year each August, praying over students, teachers, and school staff as they head into a new academic year.
Music at OP Lutheran
Two distinct music experiences meet inside OP Lutheran's worship. The Adult Choir, directed and accompanied by the Director of Music, is made up of dedicated members of the congregation who rehearse weekly and provide traditional anthems during Sunday services and at special services throughout the year. The Band plays a mix of today's favorite contemporary songs and classic favorites, lending a more modern sound to the same service. The band has represented the church at the Overland Park Fall Festival Parade and at numerous other community events, carrying OP Lutheran's music ministry beyond the building.
Hands and Feet in the Community
"Together we can!" OP Lutheran works alongside a long list of area organizations to meet needs in Overland Park and the larger Kansas City community. In 2018, the church installed a mini food pantry outside its main entrance. Stocked with canned goods and other non-perishable basics, the pantry is accessible twenty-four hours a day, year-round. The simple rule: take what you want, leave what you can. The Mini Food Pantry serves anyone in the community who stops by.
Since 2017, OP Lutheran has partnered with the Strang Line Neighborhood to offer a community garden on the church's property. Individual plots are available to neighborhood residents and church members. Through the Panera Bread Ministry, a team of volunteers picks up donated goods from Panera Bread, sorts and packages them, and delivers to the Shawnee Community Center, SAFEHOME, and a Kansas Youth Advocacy Program daycare, with a portion set aside for people in need known to the congregation.
The church's community partnerships run deep. Metro Lutheran Ministry, founded in 1971 by metro Lutheran congregations, supports people of all races, religions, and nationalities in the greater Kansas City area with food, clothing, shelter, utilities, transportation, and counseling. With twenty paid staff and more than sixteen hundred volunteers, MLM serves over twenty thousand people a year. OP Lutheran supports MLM financially, with volunteer time, and through food and supply collections. The Hollis Renewal Center, located in Kansas City, Kansas, offers a spiritual place for prayer, reflection, renewal, and learning on grounds with nature trails and wildlife, and OP Lutheran is one of its partner congregations. The church has been a long-standing partner of SAFEHOME, supporting survivors of domestic violence with ongoing collections of supplies; SAFEHOME also receives a portion of the Panera Bread deliveries. Each fall, the congregation collects new white men's socks for the Men's Center at City Union Mission in Kansas City, Missouri, providing services for the poor and homeless. In October, a Coat Drive gathers coats, hats, gloves, and gently-used outerwear for the Johnson County Christmas Bureau's Holiday Shop, where pre-qualified clients select groceries, household supplies, children's clothing, hats, gloves, scarves, coats, toys, gifts, and books. Volunteers and shoppers also support Blessings Abound Thrift Store, a faith-based nonprofit staffed by more than a hundred and twenty-five volunteers that funds feeding, outreach, and care for those in need.
Music also brings the community in. The Music aLive and L'Arche Heartland concert series, hosted in partnership with L'Arche Heartland, brings musicians to the church for afternoon performances that are free and open to all.
Seasons of the Church Year
The rhythm of the church year shapes much of what happens at OP Lutheran. Lent begins with an Ash Wednesday service at 7:00 p.m. Each Wednesday during Lent, a meal is served at 6:00 p.m. followed by a worship service at 7:00 p.m. Holy Week brings a Maundy Thursday Seder Meal Service at 6:30 p.m. and a Good Friday service at 7:00 p.m., both rooted in Lutheran tradition. Easter Sunday follows the regular schedule with the 9:30 a.m. service, and the Easter Egg Hunt begins at 10:30 a.m. on the lawn.
Christmas Eve is celebrated with two services: a family service at 6:30 p.m. and a candlelight service at 9:00 p.m.
Other events hosted at the church have included Red Cross blood drives, LifeLine health screenings, and listening sessions for community initiatives like the Good Faith Network.
The Building and the Spaces Inside
The sanctuary, dedicated in 1971, anchors the church's interior. Adjacent to it, the Hollis Memorial Chapel remembers Don and Leah Hollis, and across the hall the original overflow room now serves as the nursery. The Hoeger Parish Hall is the church's fellowship hub, where coffee, donuts, and juice are served after each Sunday service in a come-as-you-are setting. The Parish Hall also hosts the Women's Bible Study, life screenings, blood drives, and many other gatherings. Members of the Altar Guild prepare the sanctuary for Sunday services, funerals, weddings, and other special services throughout the year, serving faithfully and reverently to set the house of the Lord for worship.
Giving and the Wider Church
OP Lutheran's benevolence program shares a portion of the funds given by members with ministries beyond the congregation. Recipients include the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Central States Synod of the ELCA, along with the church's sponsored Lutheran missionary serving in Russia, Metro Lutheran Ministry, and the Hollis Renewal Center. The Local Ministry Fund, administered through the congregation, provides support for OP Lutheran members in need and for local neighbors. Online giving is available through a secure giving page, with one-time and recurring gift options.
An ELCA Congregation in the Central States Synod
Overland Park Lutheran Church is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with roughly four million members in nearly ten thousand congregations. The ELCA's regional body for the area is the Central States Synod. The church's vision calls it "a welcoming, Christ-centered place for all to worship, learn, and serve," connecting spiritually with God and each other, using Christ's message to guide its ministries in the community.