The journey began without fanfare. It was only a small group of believers who gathered in the spring of 1926 with a shared vision. Their meeting place at the corner of 13th and College was small, but their mission was impressive... to reach Kansas City for Christ.

In 1928, A. A. Wilson became the pastor of the faithful few, who took the name of First Assembly of God. Before long he - and the small church - began to see their vision become a reality. Wilson would later write, "We had to enlarge our first building, and soon it was too small to accommodate the crowds that came."

Despite the challenges of the Great Depression, the church determined to grow. In 1934, they moved to 31st Street with a new name, Full Gospel Tabernacle. Sawdust covered the floors, and wooden pews were arranged to seat 1500. Looking back, Wilson wrote, "That was a great step of faith by the people of our church, for we had little money and many people were out of work, but God met us and did exceedingly abundantly above all we were able to ask or think."

God’s faithfulness continued and countless lives in Kansas City were touched. In 1954, the church began constructing a new building at 2801 Swope Parkway. With Wilson still serving as the pastor, the church moved in two years later and took on the name, "Evangel Temple Assemblies of God."

As Evangel Temple’s journey continued, in 1963 God brought a new pastor to the church, G. W. Hardcastle. In the mid-1970s, a vision emerged for a new phase of the church’s ministry. A campus near I-435 was identified as a place where Evangel Temple could continue connecting people with God and each other. Seeing the opportunity, the church moved to its present location, where for 27 years it has been a lighthouse to many on their personal journey of faith.

Now more than 80 years after it was founded, Evangel Temple continues in the same mission that united those first few in 1926. That mission inspires us to show the people of Kansas City that knowing Christ makes a difference. God continues in His faithfulness, and once again the church is growing, nearly tripling Sunday morning attendance in the last six years.

Looking back at where the church has traveled - from its humble beginnings to the excitement of today - one thing becomes clear: God’s faithfulness is what has sustained and inspired the journey. Sometime in the future, someone from Evangel Temple will look back on the present as history. Our actions today will determine the next steps in our church’s journey.