Our History

In fall of 2003, Laura Guy knew God was calling her to start a church, but she couldn't figure out where God wanted the church to be. The time to choose a location came and went, and since Laura's prayers for direction yielded nothing but a big question mark, she did the only thing she knew to do - launch a church without any clue where they would end up. The question of where they would temporarily worship was answered by her home church, Countryside Christian Church in Mission, Kansas. They told Laura that Living Water could meet there for worship as long as they needed.

So, Living Water held its first worship service on Easter Sunday, 2004. There was lots of excitement and a number of people began to feel God calling them to make this new church a part of their lives. Laura didn’t know it at the time, but the following week, a church in the Parkville area was making the painful decision to close its doors forever. North Woods Christian Church had done ministry together for many years, and now the congregation was moving on to other places of ministry. They prayerfully offered the building to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) New Church Commission.

Former North Woods Church building Laura’s phone rang. Would she be interested in looking at a church in the Parkville area as a possible place for her new church? “No, thank you,” she replied. Parkville wasn't even one of the places she was praying about. A week later a friend convinced her to at least look at it. So she did. At first, everything about it seemed all wrong. It didn't look much like a real church building; it was a house, for goodness sake! The neighborhoods going up around the building were full of big, nice, new houses. Would any of those people want to go to church in a building that was smaller than their house?

And yet…

The property was on some of the most beautiful land in the Kansas City area. And there was something about the space that felt kind of…holy. Laura believed God had a purpose for this place.

So, you guessed it. After much prayer and hesitation, Laura and the rest of Living Water Christian Church acknowledged that God was indeed calling them to do ministry in the Parkville area. Part of knowing God was leading them there was a vision for turning the addition on the front of the house into a coffee house, an inviting space for worship. So in the spring of 2005, Living Water Christian Church started over in their new home. At that time, there were only 15 people coming to worship each week.

But more people soon started coming. Some had never been to church before. They found a church that welcomed them, a church that was warm and inviting and friendly. They met Jesus, and decided to follow him and get baptized. They invited their friends. And in the spring of 2008, Living Water needed to add another service to make room for the people who were coming. In the spring of 2009, they are once again looking for ways to make room for the people who are finding this church to be a place where God's love is made real. Who knows where God will lead next?