Bergthal Mennonite Church, north of Pawnee Rock in central Kansas, is slated for the wrecking ball this year. It was built in 1915. (Photo Courtesy of Cheryl Unruh.) An old Mennonite church in central Kansas will soon be torn down, just shy of its 100th birthday. The red brick building near Pawnee Rock has been a spiritual home and gathering space for generations of Kansans, including Commentator Cheryl Unruh.
Commentator Cheryl Unruh is the author of the book: Flyover People: Life on the Ground in a Rectangular State . She also writes a weekly column for the Emporia Gazette .
Find more of Cheryl's work online, at FlyOverPeople.net .
Here's a version of Cheryl Unruh's commentary "as it aired" on Kansas Public Radio. (You know, with music and such.)
BERGTHAL-CHURCH2
Interior of Bergthal Mennonite Church, near Pawnee Rock. The congregation was established in 1875. This church building, which will soon be dismantled, was constructed in 1915.
Production assistance for this commentary was provided by KPR News intern Sixuan Wu, a KU senior from China, majoring in journalism.