About Us

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Welcome to Indian Heights United Methodist Church in Overland Park celebrating forty four years serving our community in ministry and mission.

Please contact the office if you would like to learn more at
(913) 649-9040.

Indian Heights UMC was planted by the Kansas City District Missionary Society of the Methodist Church, after it concluded that a new Methodist congregation was needed in the area. The Society purchased seven and a half acres at 103rd and Nall Avenue in October 1966. The site included a house and a pony barn. At that time, the site stood on Overland Park's southern edge.

Rev. John Patterson, a retired missionary, agreed to be a Parish Home Visitor and temporary pastor. He and Dr. Benjamin Schmidtke, the district superintendent, performed the organizational work and made many personal calls. A special letter invited the community to the first worship service, held in the house on April 2, 1967. The living and dining rooms served as the sanctuary, and other rooms hosted Sunday school classes. Other churches and members donated furnishings. Asbury Methodist Church sent some members to help start the new congregation. There were 24 families that first Sunday, and a business meeting followed the first service. The congregation accepted the name suggested by Mrs. Schmidtke, Indian Heights Methodist Church, which referred to the church's location on the hill above Indian Creek.

Rev. D. Allen Polen, Jr., was appointed pastor in 1967. He and his family moved into the back rooms of the house, which were prepared as an apartment. Rev. Polen made many calls in the neighborhood, including calls on friends and alumni from Baker University.

Indian Heights was the first church in Johnson County to have a black pastor when Rev. R. C. Moore served as the associate pastor from 1969 to 1973. He was greatly loved and is still remembered for the emphases that he brought to Indian Heights, including its theme song, "There's A Sweet, Sweet Spirit." In his remembrance, a wall hanging commissioned in 1989 now hangs in the narthex.

The church building was completed in December 1970. Additional space and sanctuary remodeling took place in 1989, and other additions were built in 2004. The other accomplishments of Indian Heights UMC include:

The Hallelujah Service at 8:30am with contemporary music.
An Education Coordinator for the church school and discipleship program
A Mother's Day Out, begun in 1973, now a State Licensed Pre-School and Parent's Day Out.
A record of local mission outreach that includes donations of food, clothing, and sponsorship of the clothing section of the Cross-Lines Christmas Store, volunteer work at Harvesters Food Bank and Meals on Wheels, and support for Kansas City Habitat for Humanity.
Mission teams that have worked in Guatemala on projects with Methodists, Mennonites, Roman Catholics, and Habitat for Humanity.
Youth Mission trips that have taken place in several states.
A public labyrinth for those who choose to walk a prayer path
Cooking and serving casseroles at Wilhemina Gill Center and Interfaith Hospitality Network
An accomplished Pianist/Organist who plays for worship services with an accomplished Choir Director to direct the senior and children's choirs, and leads chimes choirs for different ages.

Beliefs and Values

Mission Statement - The mission of Indian Heights United Methodist Church is to worship God, to follow Jesus joyfully, and to build community and mend the world through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Our Founding - What is unique about Indian Heights United Methodist Church? In 1967, some followers of Jesus Christ had a vision to plant a church on the hilltop of 103rd & Nall. They gathered to worship in the stone house already there, then, built a church building to accommodate the growing faith community. Since our founding, the people of Indian Heights have gathered, worshiped, celebrated, grieved, worked, and built. We have offered people maps into the heart of God and pathways to service in the world. We have a passion for Spiritual Formation (as reflected by our Labyrinth) and service to the world (see below). The call to faithfulness continues. And so the people of Indian Heights United Methodist church commit ourselves anew. Our mission is "To worship God, to follow Jesus Christ joyfully, and to build community and mend the world through the power of the Holy Spirit." At Indian Heights United Methodist Church, we believe that our love of Jesus Christ must extend beyond our building and our members. From the beginning, we are strongly committed to community service as exemplified by our long relationship to Cross-Lines Community Center of which Indian Height's coordinates securing clothing for the Cross-Lines Christmas Store, supports Cross-Lines Emergency Assistance, and the Back-to-School Drive. In addition we support other community needs such as Harvesters, the Interfaith Hospitality Network, and serve and provide food to several Food Kitchens. We are a "Green Church" and have a church garden that provides fresh vegetables for area food programs. Indian Height also annually sends mission teams to Guatemala to build infrastructures for communities in need.

What does Indian Heights United Methodist Church believe? - We are part of the United Methodist Church. We share a common heritage with all Christians, confessing belief in the triune God a God we describe in a 3-fold nature as Father (Creator), Son (Redeemer), and Holy Spirit (Counselor). Our congregation has an "Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors" policy, welcoming everyone. For a more detailed description of what United Methodist believe, please visit the denomination's website United Methodist Beliefs.

What do the Colors mean in the Church? - We change the colors of the cloths at the front of the sanctuary (on the altar, etc.) throughout the year to represent the different Christian days and seasons, also called the "Liturgical Year." The year begins with Advent, four Sundays before Christmas. The main colors for Advent are blue and purple, symbolizing royalty. At Christmas the color white symbolizes the purity of Christ. There really are 12 days of Christmas in the church year, followed by the season of Epiphany which begins in early January. During this season we focus on Jesus' life among us and how we are called to follow and grow in Christ. We symbolize that growth with the color green.

The season of Epiphany is followed by Lent, which begins with Ash Wednesday and leads us to Easter. During Lent, the color purple signifies humility, as we are called to reflect inwardly and prepare our hearts for resurrection life. On Easter Sunday we turn to white, once again symbolizing Christ's purity. We continue this color until Pentecost (50 days after Easter), when red symbolizes the fire of God's Holy Spirit at work in our lives. After Pentecost, we turn once again to green and focus on our work as Christ's servants in the world. The colors change to white for All Saints Day (typically celebrated on the first Sunday in November), and for other special services throughout the year. You will also notice special banners and other visuals around the church and Sanctuary used to celebrate the seasons. These are all rich with symbols and meaning, helping to reinforce and deepen the message of the season and that of Christ's love for us in general.

For more information, inquire at the church office for the church's 40th anniversary history book (2004).

History

In 1967, some followers of Jesus Christ had a vision to plant a church on the hilltop of 103rd & Nall. They gathered to worship in the stone house already there, then, built a church building to accommodate the growing faith community.

We have a passion for Spiritual Formation (as reflected by our Labyrinth) and service to the world. The call to faithfulness continues. And so the people of Indian Heights United Methodist church commit ourselves anew. Our mission is to worship God, to follow Jesus Christ joyfully, and to build community and mend the world through the power of the Holy Spirit. At Indian Heights United Methodist Church, we believe that our love of Jesus Christ must extend beyond our building and our members. From the beginning, we are strongly committed to community service as exemplified by our long relationship to Cross-Lines Community Center, Cross-Lines Christmas Store, Cross-Lines Emergency Assistance, and the Back-to-School Drive. In addition we support other community needs such as Harvesters, the Interfaith Hospitality Network, and serve and provide food to several Food Kitchens. We are a Green Church and have a church garden that provides fresh vegetables for area food programs. Indian Height also annually sends mission teams to Guatemala to build infrastructures for communities in need.

For the full story, click here. ---- Under Construction

Mission Statement
The mission of Indian Heights United Methodist Church is to worship God, to follow Jesus joyfully, and to build community and mend the world through the power of the Holy Spirit.

What does Indian Heights United Methodist Church believe?
We are part of the United Methodist Church. We share a common heritage with all Christians, confessing belief in the triune God a God we describe in a 3-fold nature as Father (Creator), Son (Redeemer), and Holy Spirit (Counselor). Our congregation has an "Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors" policy, welcoming everyone. For a more detailed description of what United Methodist believe, please visit the denomination's website

United Methodist Beliefs
Indian Heights promotes the "Five Practices of a Fruitful Congregation" which are:
1. Radical Hospitality the active desire to invite, welcome, receive and care for those who are strangers, offering them the invitation to Christ and a spiritual home.
2. Passionate Worship describes those times when we deliberately seek to encounter God, and the emotional connection that goes beyond reason.
3. Intentional Faith Development our deliberate effort to learn, grow and mature in the faith.
4. Risk-Taking Mission and Service pushing our comfort zone in making a positive difference in the lives of others.
5. Extravagant Generosityan unselfish willingness to give that reaches beyond the usual.

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