There’s a revival going on down at a church east of Manhattan. No, I don’t mean another service; literally, the church building itself is experiencing a revival.
In this case, a historic stone church is being saved and repurposed into a center for the community.
Dave Nelson is a financial advisor in Wamego. A Manhattan High and K-State grad, he has worked on various land development projects. One of the forgotten landmarks near where he lives is the long-closed Mt. Zion Church, a stone building in the countryside five miles east of Manhattan.
“A new client walked into my office one day,” Nelson said. “When she told me where she lived, I said, ‘Oh, that’s across from the old Mt. Zion Church.’ Yes, she said, and it’s for sale.”
That got Nelson thinking. Soon after, he was out on his daily morning walk with a friend and neighbor, retired city official Jerry Petty. Nelson said: “What would you think if I bought a church? Would you want to be involved in fixing it up?”
Petty wasn’t sure.
The next morning, the two were walking again. Nelson said, “Well, I own a church. Can you help work on it?”
“When?” Petty replied.
“Well, I have two college kids coming at 9 o’clock this morning,” Nelson said.
