Our Story

A Country Church on West Tracy

For decades, our little white building on NE 144th Street has stood among the fields northeast of Excelsior Springs, half a mile west on Tracy — a plain country meeting house with oak pews, well‑worn Bibles, and an open door. Generations of families from the surrounding countryside have worshiped here, studied here, married here, and buried their loved ones from here.

We are a congregation of the churches of Christ — we take the Bible as our guide, sing together, pray together, and share the Lord’s Supper each first day of the week, the way the earliest disciples did. There is nothing fancy about us. What we have is each other, the Word, and the God who has been faithful to this little band in this place for a very long time.

“We have seen God work in some wonderful ways. We have seen Him comfort the ailing and give strength to their caregivers… all these events occurred for our little band in this place.”
— from a year‑end letter to the congregation

Over the years God has blessed this congregation with new families, new babies, new Christians born again in baptism, golden anniversaries, and — through every season of grief and joy — the steady fellowship of people who refuse to let one another walk alone. That is our story, and it is still being written.

“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24

Reflections

From Our Pulpit

Devotional writings shared with our congregation by Gary Sambursky.

June 2018

A Friend Who Sticks

“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” — Proverbs 18:24

Friendship. A simple concept. Yet in today’s world it’s a most troubling and difficult thing to acquire. It seems as our society advances in technology we increasingly get disconnected from others. There are so many distractions — TV, internet, games, work… so many ways we are pulled away from meaningful human connections. Even in the church, we often find it quite difficult to re‑engage with others and find that “friend who sticks.”

Then there is the problem of choosing the wrong friend — one who will lead you into temptation and, as the wise man says, ruin. “Bad companions do corrupt good morals.”

The good news is, we do not need to choose the wrong friend. We can choose a friend that sticks closer than a brother. Jesus is just such a friend! He is all about making and keeping friends. He wants to be your friend as well as your Lord. He is a friend who sticks.

Perhaps a friendly challenge is in order here. Look at Jesus and examine how He made His disciples. How He developed His friendship with them. What is it that you see?

Your brother, Gary

March 2018

“Come and See”

“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. — John 1:46

Sometimes we tend to make things more difficult than they need to be. I believe the Lord included these accounts of newly called, “unschooled and ordinary” disciples of Jesus reaching out to friends, peers, and family for that reason. In Philip’s account, we see how reaching out to others can be far more simple than we often imagine. Philip finds a friend and enthusiastically shares that he has found the Messiah. When questioned further, his simple response was “Come and see.”

These are three simple words we need to memorize and place in our conversations with others. Philip had spent a few hours with this remarkable man, Jesus of Nazareth. He didn’t know a lot, but he knew where his friends and kin could get the answers to life and its most challenging questions: at the feet of this man, Jesus!

The same is true for all of us who have spent a few hours with Jesus, even today. Let me ask you a few questions: When you are at church, do you sense you are in the presence of Jesus? Do you sense you are in the presence of those who have spent some time with Him? Are you convinced that the answers to life’s most difficult and challenging questions can be found there?

With that in mind, you — along with Philip — are more than qualified to enthusiastically share with friends, associates, and loved ones: “Come and see.” Then it is incumbent on us to conduct ourselves as those who have been with Jesus.

— Gary Sambursky

December 2016

Reflections at Year’s End

“Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” — 2 Corinthians 4:16

First of all, we have seen God work in some wonderful ways. We have seen God comfort the ailing and give strength to the spouses and caregivers. We have seen Him answer prayers in powerful ways. We have seen new children born to Him in His Kingdom, the church, growing in faith and maturity. As one told me, “He has opened the eyes of my heart to His ways.”

For many it has been a bittersweet year. We have seen Him as the “God of all comfort” as He comforted those who have lost their loved ones. Their passing is a reminder to us all: none of us will make this world our permanent home. We know with certainty that Jesus is the author and trailblazer who can help us in that final trial this side of His glory.

There were renewed vows to God and new‑found commitments to love and obey Jesus and His ancient but sure ways. All these events occurred for our little band in this place. And remember — you are all welcome in this place.

Always to His glory, Gary