All posts by Loretta George

Fort Scott Community College

FSCC Adds eSports to Extracurricular Activities

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picture of a man playing a computer game and the F S logo in the right top corner

Competitive online gaming is coming to Fort Scott Community College as an extra curricular activity.

eSports is competitive tournaments of video games, especially among professional gamers, according to dictionary.com.

“Competitors from different leagues or teams face off in the same games that are popular with at-home gamers: Fortnight, League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, Overwatch and Madden NFL, to name a few,” according to the FSCC website. “These gamers are watched and followed by millions of fans all over the world, who attend live events or tune in on TV or online. Streaming services like Twitch allow viewers to watch as their favorite gamers play in real time, and this is typically where popular gamers build up their fandoms” (Willingham, A. 2018).”

“Esports is considered a varsity sport, similar to our other athletic teams,” said Tom Havron, FSCC Vice President of Students and Athletic Director. “Our students will be developing valuable traits during their time with the team, but there is not a specific major that the students must strive for. One person might want to be a nursing major, while another student might want to look into a John Deere technician major. Esports will not limit them to what they want to do professionally, but will give them an avenue to better experience college through connecting them with other students that have similar interest and providing them a path to be a part of something special.”

 

Students will be required to retain a 2.0 GPA during their time in the extra curricular activity, Havron said.  Additional requirements may be added by the coach as they deem necessary in the recruitment of students.

“FSCC will be offering the following to students who are interested in becoming a Gaming Greyhound,” according to its website:

  • Books and Tuition scholarship for 15 credit hours
  • Private gaming area for practicing and competing
  • Travel for competitions
  • Networking with other gamers, spectators, and possible sponsors
  • A coach to lead them to victory

 

FSCC will be competing in the games League of Legends and Overwatch, with the possibility for more games in the near future.”

Attracting students to FSCC and possible scholarship opportunities are the motivation behind the addition to the college.

“We believe that eSports is going to be a very popular activity for us on-campus,” Havron said. “Our hope is that we will attract students to attend FSCC that may not have thought of us as a destination before we had eSports.”

“In addition to adding new students, we believe that having this sport will help us provide something new on campus that will further diversify our student body.”

“Finally, we have already been contacted by four-year institutions that also have eSports that are looking for new students. We believe that the program is going to open up new scholarship opportunities to our students that they would not have had before.”

A coach will be needed for eSports and FSCC will be recruiting one in the coming days.

” We currently have admissions and the VP of Students recruiting the team as we search for someone to lead the program,” Havron said.

“As with any activity, practice is going to help the students become better at their craft,” he said. ” In this case, more hands-on time with the game is going to improve their skill level.

The coach will also be responsible for:

    1. recruiting and retaining students for the eSports program
    2. coordinating off-season, practice and competition schedules
    3. assisting with team travel when necessary
    4. running camps, clinics, and promotional events
    5. pursuing sponsorship opportunities within the eSports business world
    6. ensuring team compliance with all league, conference, and institutional rules and regulations
    7. continuously ensuring personal behavior and program reputation are in alignment with the institution values and brand.”

Many high schools in the region are adding eSports, Havron said. “Being a casual gamer is also an option.  There are many competitions that can be seen on the internet, and students should find the game that they are most interested in and try to advance their skills.  If prospective students have any questions, they are more than welcome to reach out to me at [email protected] and I will be able to assist.”

Art, Bourbon County, Entertainment

Arts Council Exhibition and Sale Continues Until Saturday

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Bourbon County Arts Council Members present at the Chamber of Commerce weekly coffee on Thursday morning: Steve Floyd, Elaine Buerge, Deb Anderson and Danny Magee.

For the 27th year, the Bourbon County Arts Council has sponsored a fine art exhibit and sale for the community. The venue once again is the Ellis Fine Arts Center on the campus of Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton.

Members of the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce had the opportunity to view the exhibit during its weekly coffee on Thursday morning at the Ellis Center.

BCAC member Danny Magee tells the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce weekly coffee attendees about the art exhibition.
Beth Nuss enjoys a photograph in the BCAC Exhibit on Thursday morning at the Ellis Fine Arts Center.
Ally Turvey looks over the watercolor artwork of Debbie Reed, entitled Feeling Crabby.
Angie Simon views exhibits at the Bourbon County Arts Council Arts Exhibition and Sale.

The free event continues today through 7 p.m. and again tomorrow, Saturday, March 9 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Much of the art is for sale.

The BCAC continues the annual show with the help of the following who provided corporate prizes this year: In Memory of E.C. Gordon, Buerge Art Studio, Landmark Bank, Citizens Bank, McDonald’s Restaurant,  Union State Bank, H & R Block, H & H Realty, Fort Scott Broadcasting, Bernita Hill, Ward Kraft and City State Bank.

The BCAC also helps fund art walks, concerts, Bad Art By Good People, music programs at area schools, scholarships, opportunities for Fort Scott students to experience a production in Kansas City, and recently contributed to the Steinway piano repair for use by the USD 234 music programs.

This Saturday, March 9 the BCAC will help sponsor the Blues and BBQ Concert at the Liberty Theater, featuring Missy Andersen and Her One Man Band.

Upcoming Patio Concerts: Charlie Barrale/PDA on May 4 and Whiskey Raccoons on June 22 at the Liberty Theater.

Members of the BCAC are Deb Anderson, president, Elaine Buerge, Deb Halsey, Breann Martin, Terri Floyd, Steve Floyd, Tedena Tucker, Danny Magee, Ray Streeter, Laura Meeks and Chris Woods.

View the Bourbon County FINE ART EXHIBIT AWARD Winners for 2019 in their categories below:

CERAMICS

1ST PLACE, DARIA CLAIBORNE, Joplin, Mo., SPRINGTIME TEA SET with an monetary award of $150**.

** Denotes the artist who won in more than one category in the exhition.

BEST OF SHOW 3D, DARIA CLAIBORNE, SPRINGTIME TEA SET, $200**

2ND PLACE, AL LETNER of Pittsburg, Ks.,  RAKU POT WHEEL THROWN, $75**

 

 

 

DRAWING & GRAPHICS

1ST PLACE, ROBERT SCHYLER, Rich Hill, Mo.,  EVAN, $150**

2ND PLACE,  JEZERIAH SIMPSON of Fort Scott,  MULLET, SWEATER, & SADNESS, $75

 

 

 

FAMILY THEME

1ST PLACE, DEBBIE REED of Fort Scott,  THE SISTER, $150**

2ND PLACE, STEVE FLOYD of Fort Scott,  RUDY, MY SON IN A FUR COAT, $75.

 

 

 

FIBER ART

1ST PLACE,  GLENDA FLANAGAN of Louisburg,  IRISES, $150.

2ND PLACE, CAROLINE DAY of Pittsburg,  SUNRISE MOONRISE, $75.

 

 

 

JEWELRY

1ST PLACE, CHARLES A AULT of Pittsburg,  WHITE BUFFALO BRACELET, $150**.

2ND PLACE, BARBARA GIBSON of Fort Scott,  NECKLACE, $75.

 

 

 

MIXED MEDIA

1ST PLACE,  RIPP HARRISON of Lawrence, THE RECONNECTION OF GUS, $150.

2ND PLACE,  DEE HUTCHERSON of Neodesha,  KIMONO, $75.

 

 

 

PAINTING

1ST PLACE, ROBERT SCHYLER, EVENING IN PARIS, $150**.

2ND PLACE, IRENE SCHOMACKER of Spring Hill,  SNOWSTORM BUFFALO, $75.

 

 

 

PASTEL

1ST PLACE,  SKIP KREIBACH of Derby,  BIG GUY ON CAMPUS, $150.

2ND PLACE, DANIELLE YOUNG of Bronson, BETTER TOGETHER, $75.

 

 

 

PHOTOGRAPHY

1ST PLACE, LINDA TEETER of Carl Junction, Mo., SEATTLE COFFEE HOUSE, $150.

2ND PLACE, CURT HEIDE of LaCygne, LAZY RIVER, $75.

 

 

 

SCULPTURE

1ST PLACE, CHARLES A AULT, STARS IN MOTION, $150**.

2ND PLACE, AL LETNER, PORTAL 46, $75**.

 

 

 

WATERCOLOR

1ST PLACE, DEBBIE REED of Joplin, Mo.,  FEELING CRABBY, $150**.

BEST OF SHOW 2D, DEBBIE REED, FEELING CRABBY, $200**

2ND PLACE, ANITA WILSON  of Thayer, HILL SONG, $75.

 

Fort Scott, Schools

FSHS Results of Math Relay

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Front row: Kirryn Sprague, Audra Montjo, Karlie Chipman, Zaria Byrd Middle row: Allie Hawkins, Sierra Wright, Alex Bukowski, Amanda Emmerson, Landon Doharty, Dryden Cosens, Shekhar Gugnani Back row: Grant Feagins, Zoe Self, Khris Patel, Bobby Kemmerer, Collin Thomas, Neil Gugnani, Elijah Self, Aidan Marcum, Caleb Trim, Dominik Bishop
Fort Scott High School sent 21 students to the Allen County College Red Devils Invitational Math Relay on March 7.
“Many of these students (marked with *)entered events at a grade level higher than their actual grade because we had so many freshmen attend that we ran out of spots in the 9th-grade competitions,” said Angie Kemmerer, the gifted teacher for the district.

Here is how the students performed:

Computational Math:
Shekhar Gugnani – 1st in 9th grade
Word Problems:
Collin Thomas – 1st in 9th grade
Dominik Bishop – 5th in 9th grade
Zaria Byrd – 5th in 10th grade*
Math Potpourri:
Shekhar Gugnani – 1st in 10th grade*
Kirryn Sprague – 2nd in 9th grade
Elijah Self – 3rd in 10th grade*
Equations & Inequalities:
Shekhar Gugnani – 1st in 11th grade*
Aiden Marcum – 4th in 9th grade
Grant Feagins – 5th in 9th grade
Simplifications:
Neil Gugnani – 1st in 9th grade
Elijah Self – 2nd in 9th grade
Sierra Wright – 3rd in 9th grade
Algebra Relay for 9th grade only:
2nd place for the team of Dominik Bishop, Collin Thomas, Elijah Self, Kirryn Sprague
4th place for the team of Karlie Chipman, Zaria Byrd, Amanda Emmerson, Alexa Bukowski
Algebra Relay for 9th through 12th grade:
3rd place for the team of Shekhar Gugnani, Neil Gugnani, Zoe Self, Caleb Trim
Word Problem Relay for 9th through 12th grades:
3rd place for the team of Collin Thomas, Khris Patel, Bobby Kemmerer, Dryden Cosens
Students were accompanied by Morgan Felt, Kemmerer, and Karen Self.
Bourbon County, Government

Work Continues On 69 Hwy.

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Workers were busy on Wednesday morning at the Cavalry Road intersection with U.S. 69, south of Fort Scott.

Starting tomorrow, March 8, two more side road intersections with U.S. 69 Hwy. will be closed for reconstruction south of Fort Scott.

This is part of the expanding to four-lanes project of the  national highway in Bourbon County.

On Friday, weather permitting, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) plans to close the Fern Road and Deer Road intersections on the west side of the U.S. 69. The two intersections will be reconstructed during the month-long closures, according to Priscilla Petersen, Public Affairs Manager for the Southeast District Office of the Kansas Department of Transportation.

Fern Road where it intersects with U.S. Hwy. 69, will be closed for a month of reconstruction.

Birch Road won’t be reopened until late May 2019, Petersen said. “The U.S. 69 southbound lanes are closed beyond the Birch Road intersection, and the placement of traffic control devices plus the temporary crossover between the new and existing lanes creates line-of-sight and visibility issues for drivers.”

Birch Road at the intersection with U.S. 69 on March 6.

“The Bourbon County U.S. 69 expansion project should be open to four-lane unrestricted traffic by late May or early June, conditions permitting,” Petersen said.

Next in line for expansion is the 11 miles in Crawford County of Hwy. 69.

“The U.S. 69 expansion projects in Crawford County are the six-mile Arma Connection Expressway and the five-mile Crawford County expansion,” Petersen said. “The Arma Connection is tentatively scheduled to be let in the fall of 2019, with construction starting in the winter of 2019 or early in 2020. The Crawford County Expansion is tentatively scheduled to let in the fall of 2020, with construction beginning in winter 2020 or early in 2021. Both projects would likely cover two construction seasons.”

Koss Construction of Topeka is the primary contractor on the U.S. 69 project, which has a construction cost of $21.8 million. Persons with questions may contact Darrin Petrowsky at KDOT-Iola, (620) 365-2161, or Priscilla Petersen at KDOT-Chanute, (620) 902-6433.

Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes

LMC Has Conference Room Available For Classes/Organizations Usage

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The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes can be a place for local clubs, classes and organizations to get a facility tour and have their scheduled meetings.

“Groups can schedule tours at the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes and also use our conference room if they need to have a meeting as well,” Joyce Davenport, administrative assistant, said. “In addition, there is a  kitchenette available so refreshments can be served during their meetings in the conference room. There is also a large screen that can be used for media.”

It can accommodate up to 45 people, Davenport said.

The LMC needs clubs/classes/organizations to schedule two weeks prior, so as not to conflict with previously scheduled events.

The room is huge, with a glass-faced southern view of the greenspace next door to the building.

Contact the LMC at 620-223-1312 between 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

One group that has used the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes is the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce seen here at a weekly coffee event. The conference room is adjacent to the unsung heroes exhibition space.

Exercise, Fort Scott

Yoga Classes Offered On Tuesday Evenings

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Denise Duncan saw a need for a Yoga class in Fort Scott and is filling that need.
“Since the Shiney Yoga Studio shut down, I saw a great need,” she said. “There is one with private classes but I wanted a place where everyone could come do yoga.”

Duncan has secured a Yoga instructor, Rachel Henderson of Iola.

“I met this couple from Iola and she was teaching (Yoga)  and I asked if she would teach a class in Fort Scott,” Duncan said.

Duncan is the owner of the Beaux Art Center and is using a part of the building for the Yoga class.

“We meet at our loft apartment upstairs, 102 S. National Ave,” she said.

Beaux Art Cente, 102 S. National Avenue.

The classes are held on Tuesdays at 6 p.m.

The cost is $10 per class.

“It is for young/old, chubby/skinny, beginner/pro,” Duncan said. “You can go at your own pace.”
Participants should wear loose clothing or yoga pants,  and bring their own Yoga/exerecise mat, she said.

 

Bourbon County, Business, Government

Bourbon County Business Retention and Expansion Survey

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The north wing of the Bourbon County Courthouse has been reconfigured to house the county clerk, treasurer and commission offices.

The Bourbon County Commission’s Economic Development Director has launched a survey to gather information from business owners to develop a strategic plan.

The survey began March 1 and will end April 19, 2019.

“Our goal at the county is to make Bourbon County the place people want to live, work, and play,” said Jody Hoenor, the county’s economic director.   “By increasing our population we can lessen the weight of taxes on the individual with more citizens sharing these costs.  By being strategic in our planning and involving the community in the process, we believe we will be able to lower taxes.”

The survey is sponsored by the Bourbon County Commission, the Kansas Department of Commerce, with assistance from the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, Live Local Bourbon County and the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team.

Survey results will inform the county on how to develop an economic development strategic plan and process.

” We will develop measurable goals with actionable items and report progress to the community through several communication channels,” she said.

“Like any other community, there will be many opportunities that will be identified in the survey,” Hoenor said. ” We do not have the capacity or resources to address every single issue.   Through a transparent process of gathering community input through both a community perception and business retention and expansion survey, soliciting feedback from focus groups all over the county, and analyzing primary and secondary data we will be able to articulate how the priorities in the strategic plan were identified and determined by Bourbon County citizens years from now.”

The target people for the Business Retention and Expansion Survey, is Bourbon County business owners, CEO’s, and upper management, she said.

“That is everything from at home, e-commerce, farmers, ranchers, long term businesses, to our new healthcare providers,” Hoenor said.

She listed the objectives of the survey as:

  • “Obtain a source of primary data to develop a measurable county-wide economic development plan.
  • Aggregated regional survey results will be used to inform regional strategic planning with the Southeast Kansas Regional Planning Commission.
  • Voices of business owners will be used to participate in the process of improving the business climate, validate local needs, and advocate for regional, state, and federal resources.
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with businesses.
  • Develop a better understanding of the concerns, problems and opportunities of businesses in the area and leverage perceived strengths with perceived barriers within the community.

Confidentiality: Information will be protected closely so no one will be able to connect responses and any other information that identifies businesses. Responses will be combined with those of other firms to form an overall aggregate result in percentages, sums, or averages at the county and regional levels.

Final Report: A copy of the summary of findings will be available to all firms that participate in the survey.”

Jody Hoenor, Bourbon County Economic Director.

Interested survey respondents should contact Hoenor at [email protected] for a link to complete the survey.

 Hoener’s office is located at 210 S National Ave., Fort Scott, KS 66701 and she can be reached at 620-223-3800  or 620-215-5725 Mobile or www.bourboncountyks.org

Ascension Via Christi, Fort Scott, Health Care

Ascension Via Christi/Fort Scott Celebrates Opening of Emergency Department

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Randy Cason, Ascension Via Christi Hospital President speaks at the grand opening of the Fort Scott Emergency Department on Feb. 28.

A ceremony of speeches, prayers, cookies and punch, and tours of the new Ascension Via Christi Emergency Department took place in the former cafeteria of Mercy Hospital on Feb. 28.

Ascension Via Christi assumed operations of the closed Mercy Hospital Emergency Department on Feb. 1, 2019.

On Feb. 18, the new department began operations in Fort Scott.

The grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony was the celebration of the emergency department opening.

Randy Cason, president of Ascension Via Christi in Pittsburg said it “was no small feat to open up an emergency department and lab services” and acknowledged the help of the Mercy Hospital administration team and others (a city/county collaboration) who “worked hard to make sure health care will move forward in our community. We understand the need.”

“We opened on the 18th at 7 a.m. and we had our first patient at 7:15 a.m.,” Cason said. “It’s been 24/7 service since then.”

“It’s the most mission based thing we have done,” he said. “I am proud of our team pulling it together.”

In addition to the move to Fort Scott, Via Christi had a name change, “a unified brand move” Cason said. “On Feb. 14, we officially became Ascension Via Christi.”

There are 40 employees at Fort Scott, including emergency, radiology and laboratory services, said Michelle Kennedy, Ascension Via Christi Senior Marketing Specialist.

“We worked hard to see the former employees staying on,” Kennedy said.

The operation of the emergency department will be like any other, she said. “We’ll put patients in categories and the level of care they need.”

“Depending on the urgency, they would be stabilized and transported to another facility for advanced care.”

The facility chosen would depend on hospital availability and the condition of the patient, Kennedy said.

Some of the 40 employees of Ascension Via Christi at Fort Scott.  Back row, left to right: Jessica Cobb, Kayla Stewart, Adrienne Kellenberger, Holly Ryan, Barbara Dunlap, Stephanie Holtz. Front row L to R: Naomi powers, Bill Watkins, Brooke Newell, Melissa Wescoat, Jennifer Meadows, Cheryl Koppa.
The outside entrance, on the south side, to the Ascension Via Christi Emergency Department.
Dr. Tim Stebbins, medical director of the Ascension Via Christi Emergency Department in both Pittsburg and Fort Scott, speaking at the grand opening of the Fort Scott ER on Feb. 28.
Ascension Via Christi Hospital has imaging and laboratory services at the former Mercy Hospital building at 401 Woodland Hills, Fort Scott.
Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lindsay Madison speaks during the grand opening and ribbon cutting for the emergency room. Also speaking from Fort Scott were City Manager Dave Martin, Mayor Jeanne Parker, and Father Yancey Burgess (pastor at Mary Queen Of Angels-Fort Scott), who prayed a blessing for the emergency department.
The Ascension Via Christi Emergency Department had a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the reception area on Feb. 28, including staff and administration and local city dignitaries.
From left: Tawny Sandifer, Ascension Via Christi Chief Nursing Office, and project leader for the Fort Scott Emergency Department; Naomi Powers, Director of the Emergency Department in Fort Scott and Pittsburg; Jessica Cobb, RN Nursing Manager, Fort Scott and Pittsburg; Kayla Stewart, RN Coordinator Clinical Program.
Natalie Snyder, RN; Kristi Harbit, RN and Cheryl Koppa, RN, all of Fort Scott,
man the emergency department nurses station the day of the grand opening of the Ascension Via Christi Emergency Room, Feb. 28. All of the full-time nurses are local, said Ascension Via Christi Manager of Patient Access, Jennifer Meadows. The emergency department interior “looks pretty much the same,” Meadows said.

 

Church news, Fort Scott

Adventure in Missions: Tiffiny Durham

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Submitted photo. Tiffiny Durham

Over the past 12 years, Tiffiny Durham has worked many different jobs, in many different locations throughout the United States.

These jobs range from a retreat hostess for Outlaw Ranch in South Dakota, a convenience store clerk in Nebraska, a construction worker in Nebraska, a pine beetle tree marker in the Blackhills of South Dakota among others.

“One might call me a wanderer, as I move from place to place,” Durham said. “It is in these places though, that God has used me to provide a smile for someone having a rough day, or to be that ray of sunshine in a darkening and desperate world.”

Because of her current job, she often works on Sundays, so attending church is difficult.

But Durham has been involved in Family Life Assembly of God in Pittsburg, who have a small group Bible study in Fort Scott on Thursday evenings.

She serves on Wednesday evenings at that church, teaching Bible lessons to the children, she said.

 

Recently Durham feels God has provided her an opportunity for Christian mission work.

“Within this past year, my heart has begun to really change and I am being pulled in a completely different direction: ministry,” she said.

An important scripture verse for her is Proverbs 3: 5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understandings. In all your ways acknowledge and he will make your path straight.”

“That scripture is my life verse,” she said. “God gave it to me in college as I got to know Him and have a personal relationship with Him.”

“God has placed me in places where I have been the only believer (in Jesus),” Durham said. “Wherever he puts me, he gave me that verse to let me know I can trust Him, no matter what situation I’m in.”

Trusting in God, she believes God has given her the next adventure; The World Race through Adventures in Missions.

To learn more about Adventures in Missions, click below:

https://www.adventures.org

“Starting in June of 2019, God will be using my gifts to provide hope and a ray of sunshine in some of the darkest, poorest parts of the world,” she said. “This program is unique because it is not only a mission trip but a chance to allow God to work through me and help me to grow deeper in my walk with God.”

She will travel with a team to Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Morocco, Ethiopia, Djibouti, India, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, and Indonesia. 

“We will work in churches and ministries within local communities to preach the Gospel, plant God’s word, minister to women and children trapped in the cycle of prostitution and human trafficking, working in orphanages, and provide help where needed,” she said.

Durham is fundraising for this mission trip and she asks for prayer support.

To learn how to support her click below:

WR fundraising tri fold final

Durham is having a family game night at the First Presbyterian Church on March 22 from 6 to 8 p.m.

“It will be a fun family evening,” she said. “Bring and stay with your kids. You have 15 minutes to try a family game, then a buzzer will ring and you move to the next game.”

There will be a silent auction which will be the fundraiser for Durham.

Area News, Elections, Government

Redfield City Council Changes Election Ordinance

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The Redfield City Council. Photo by Jody Hoenor. From left: Pam Speer, Deputy City Clerk; Wilma Graham, Council; L.D. Morrison, Council; Michael Beerbower, Council; Ed Guss, Mayor; John Speer, Treasurer; Kirby Martin, Council; and Beth Guss, Acting City Clerk.

Redfield’s City Council is working to improve their town.

One of the ways to improve is the way the council is elected.

“We will have elections every two years, like everyone, but not everybody running for office at the same time,” said Beth Guss, acting Redfield City Clerk.

“When my husband (Ed Guss) took office, everyone but Wilma Graham was new, and nobody had known what to do,” she said.

They visited with neighboring Uniontown Mayor Larry Jurgensen and City Clerk Sally Johnson about the issue and were told about staggering the election so all are not new members at the same time, she said.

Following protocol, the City of Redfield published the proposed changes in the Fort Scott Tribune on Feb. 9 and 16.

This ordinance will take effect 61 days following the final publication.

An election of city council members will take place this November 2019, with succeeding elections every two years for the positions of those whose terms have expired.

This year Wilma Graham and L.D. Morrison will be up for re-election.

“Anyone can register to run,” Guss said.

Other members of the council in addition to these two are  Clarence (Ed) Guss, Kirby Martin, and Michael Beerbower.

Beth Guss said she is the acting city clerk until a replacement can be found.

It is difficult to find citizens who will serve in a community of Redfield’s size, 157 people, “not counting the dogs,” she said with a laugh. The town is located in the middle of Bourbon County.

“We’ve got small-town issues, like all small towns,” she said. “We are working to make our town better.”

 

Church news, Fort Scott

First Southern Baptist Expands

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Fort Scott’s First Southern Baptist Pastor James Collins stands near the sign on the church property at 1818 S. Main. The congregation will be breaking ground on a new Family Life Center in April-May.

A local church is expanding its’ facility because the congregation is growing.

First Southern Baptist Church, 1818 S. Main,  is building a new building east of the present one, which will be the FSBC Family Life Center.

James Collins is in his third year of pastoring the church, and the church has grown from 12 to 130 people, he said.

“The church was small,” Collins said. “We’ve had tremendous growth.”

“I taught on the Passover last year,” he said. “We didn’t have enough room, so we decided to expand.”

The church’s childrens program includes AWANA on Wednesday evenings.

“We have a big children’s program, 80 kids on Wednesday night,” Collins said. “We needed a place for them.”

AWANA stands for Approved Workman Are Not Ashamed, from 2 Timothy 2:15 in the Bible.

In addition to that growth, the Cornerstone Bible Church, at 6th and Horton, merged with FSBC after its’ pastor left.

Ben Workman, the former pastor of Cornerstone Bible Church, was called to a church in Oklahoma, his home state.

“They wanted to get back closer to home,” Collins said of Workman and his family. “He loved it here but wanted to go and do that.”

That congregation asked Collins to fill in preaching and help look for a new pastor.

After a few months, when the pastor-less congregation felt like God was working in the First Southern Baptist Church congregation, “They wanted to be a part of where God was working,” Collins said.

Approximately 25 people came from the Cornerstone congregation to the First Southern Baptist congregation, Collins said.

An expansion was in the works.

The new building will be two-stories and feature a multi-purpose room, classrooms and a kitchen and measure approximately 80 feet by 120 feet. The multi-purpose room will be used as a fellowship hall and gym. It will be built on the east side of the current church building.

Groundbreaking will be in the spring.
“April or May, hopefully,” he said.

“We are not going into debt,” Collins said. “We are doing the building in phases.”

Fundraisers have been scheduled for the year including a recent pancake feed and the  preparing and delivering of a luncheon meal to Peerless Products.  In May the church will be part of the town-wide rummage sale and there will be a fundraiser at the Bourbon County Fair in July, he said.

Collins believes God led him to Fort Scott.

“I was in the Army as a chaplain,” he said. “I was retiring. I was being considered for a big church in Oklahoma. We were on vacation and a friend said ‘You need to check out Fort Scott.'”

The pulpit committee asked him to come and preach.

“When we got to the city limits of Fort Scott, I felt like the Lord spoke to my heart ‘This is where you are coming’,” Collins said. “I always had a heart to be a small town pastor.”

“The first year and the last year of our four-year-old’s life I had (served in the Army) in Iraq,” Collins said. “It hit me. I wanted to go where I could close the door and take my kids fishing. That was a little bit of my motivation…a slower pace.”

“We are pouring our lives into the community,” Collins said. “We love being a part of Fort Scott.”

He and his wife Amanda have three children: Abby, 14 years old; Tim, 12 and John, 8.