Latimer Lutheran Church Preservation Society

08/25/2026

Latimer Lutheran Church Preservation Society is excited to announce our next fundraising event!

🤠 MEET COWBOY POET — RON WILSON! 🤠
We’re excited to welcome Ron Wilson, Cowboy Poet, as our special guest at the Latimer Lutheran Church Preservation Society Chili Feed and quilt raffle on Saturday, October 3!

Ron isn’t just any cowboy poet! He is:

⭐ An inductee into the Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame

⭐ The only cowboy poet in history to present a cowboy poem at a Kansas Governor’s inauguration

⭐ A spokesman for the National Day of the Cowboy organization

⭐ An Ambassador for the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum in Fort Worth

⭐ Recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Historic Cattle Trails Consortium

⭐ National President of Western Wordsmiths

Ron performs his own original cowboy poetry in full cowboy attire—and he likes to get the audience involved! His poetry is humorous, family-friendly, patriotic, and, as Ron says, “most of the time, it even rhymes!” 😄

🌶️ Chili Feed begins at 5:00 PM

🤠 Ron Wilson takes the stage at 6:30 PM

🎟️ Plus, we’ll have both a Quilt Raffle AND a Barn Quilt Raffle that evening!

We’re delighted to have Ron joining us in Latimer and hope you’ll come enjoy a great meal, plenty of laughs, and a little cowboy poetry along the way!

📍 106 Main St., Latimer, Kansas

08/14/2026

Continuing the Restoration — and Growing in Hope

The work of restoring our historic church windows continues! This year marks our 4th year of restoration, and we are excited to have five more windows being restored — the remaining four small windows and one additional large window.

With the skilled work of John Wood of WoodWorks Restoration, we are steadily working toward our goal of having all 20 windows restored. If all goes as planned, we hope to complete the remaining five large windows in 2027!

The third photo shows our sanctuary after changing the altar paraments to green, the liturgical color of spiritual growth, life, and hope. A fitting reminder as we continue caring for and preserving this beautiful place of worship for generations to come. 💚

We are grateful for everyone who has supported this ongoing restoration journey!

07/27/2026

🎬 Lights, Camera, Action… Making the Match Day Video! 🎥

The Latimer Lutheran Church Preservation Society took some time to step in front of a camera crew as we filmed our Match Day video!

Board Chair Cheryl Mussatto and Vice-Chair Pam Tennyson-Rindt talked about our mission to preserve and protect our historic WWII military chapel — a building that served the soldiers of the Herington Army Airfield Base and remains one of Kansas’ most treasured historic landmarks.

Our biggest project right now? Completing the restoration of the final five original windows (hopefully in 2027) that have been part of this building since its days as a military chapel during World War II.

We’re excited for the opportunity to be part of Emporia Community Foundation Match Day and hope this video helps more people discover our story and join us in preserving this remarkable piece of Kansas history.

Stay tuned for the video… and thank you for helping us keep this story alive!

07/21/2026

✨ It's often the little details that make the biggest difference.

One of our latest improvements at the Latimer Lutheran Church Preservation Society was replacing the light above the front entrance with a fixture that is much more historically appropriate. Based on our research, it closely resembles the style of light that would have welcomed soldiers and visitors when our building served as a WWII military chapel at the Herington Army Airfield.
A special thank you to our board member, David Spiker, who generously volunteered his time and talents to remove the old fixture and install the new one.

What may seem like a small change has made a remarkable difference in restoring the chapel's historic character. We think it looks beautiful both in the daylight and especially when it's glowing at night.

Every improvement—big or small—helps preserve this rare piece of Kansas and World War II history for future generations.

Which photo is your favorite—the daytime view or the nighttime glow? Let us know in the comments!

07/09/2026

What an interesting conversation about a former WWII Military Chapel!

A former member of Zion Lutheran Church in Latimer and a graduate of Herington High School, Matt Wendt, shared a postcard of a WWII Military Chapel he found recently at a museum in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Matt said the following: “A woman at the museum shared background information about the postcard, saying that in 1947, a WWII military chapel was moved from Santa Fe to Los Alamos (after the war ended) because the community didn't have a church. Rather than moving it intact, they carefully took the chapel apart and rebuilt it at its new location, which makes sense considering how narrow the roads would have been.”

This woman also mentioned that over the years, the congregation made many changes to the building, including adding stained-glass windows.

Here are some other facts about this former Military Chapel in Los Alamos:

• Originally constructed in 1943 at Bruns General Army Hospital in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

• Relocated to Los Alamos, New Mexico, in 1947 to serve the growing community following World War II.

• Originally built as a standard U.S. Army 800 Series, Type CH-1 Regimental Chapel.

• Served as an ecumenical sanctuary for all faiths—Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant—during the early days of the Manhattan Project. Just like the chapel at the Herington Army Airfield, it welcomed people of all faiths under one roof.

• During the secret Manhattan Project, there were initially no church buildings in Los Alamos, so residents held worship services in community buildings until the chapel was relocated there.

• Like the Latimer chapel, it began its life serving the spiritual needs of military personnel during World War II.

Matt said he shared information about the Latimer Lutheran Church with the woman and showed her photos. She was fascinated to learn that our chapel remains about 95% original from its days as a WWII military chapel—a truly rare piece of Kansas and military history that we're proud to be a part of.

07/04/2026

HAPPY 250th BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!

This Fourth of July, we're celebrating more than our nation's independence—we're celebrating a remarkable piece of American history right here in Latimer, Kansas.

Did you know the Latimer Lutheran Church was originally a World War II Army Airfield chapel at the Herington Army Airfield?

Here’s a brief rundown on WWII Army Airfield Chapels:

In 1941, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt championed the construction of dedicated, non-denominational chapels on military bases to provide hope, comfort, and a sense of home for the thousands of young Americans preparing to serve their country. What began as a plan for just over 600 chapels grew to more than 1,100 chapels built across the United States during WWII. These simple country church-style buildings became places of worship, weddings, prayer, and remembrance for countless servicemen and women.

Today, our chapel stands as one of those rare surviving structures—a lasting reminder of the faith, sacrifice, and resilience that helped shape the Greatest Generation. The Latimer Lutheran Church Preservation Society is committed to restoring and preserving this remarkable building because once these historic places are lost, they can never be replaced. It is more than a church—it is a piece of United States history.

As we celebrate America's freedom this Independence Day, we also honor the history preserved within these walls and the men and women who once found strength and peace here before serving our nation.

Happy Fourth of July from the Latimer Lutheran Church Preservation Society! 🇺🇸❤️🤍💙

07/03/2026

☀️ Summer is definitely here! That means hot, humid Kansas days... and memories of trying to stay cool during Sunday church services.
Who remembers these colorful hand fans from the former Zion Lutheran Church in Latimer (or another church you attended)? The church did not have air-conditioning (and the building still doesn’t) so they were a summertime necessity! 🌞

These vintage fans featured beautiful Bible scenes on the front and advertisements from local funeral homes on the back that helped sponsor them. They were a familiar sight in the pews for generations.

Did you use one of these? If so, drop a ☀️ in the comments and share your favorite memory of a hot summer Sunday at church!

Thankfully, many of these fans have been saved and preserved so future generations can enjoy this small but meaningful piece of Zion's history.

06/30/2026

A big thanks to David Spiker who keeps our lawn looking nice! Stay tuned for more upcoming events to support our church restoration as well as the upcoming Emporia Foundation Match Day event in October.

06/12/2026

Unfortunately we are canceling our pancake feed this Saturday due to water in our church basement. We will reschedule for a later date. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Breakfast tastes better when it helps save history.

Join us, Saturday, June 13, for our Pancakes for Preservation Breakfast from 7:00–10:00 a.m. and help preserve one of Kansas' most unique WWII historic sites.

Tell us in the comments: What's your favorite pancake topping? Butter, syrup, fruit, chocolate chips, or something else?

06/05/2026

Breakfast tastes better when it helps save history.

Join us, Saturday, June 13, for our Pancakes for Preservation Breakfast from 7:00–10:00 a.m. and help preserve one of Kansas' most unique WWII historic sites.

Tell us in the comments: What's your favorite pancake topping? Butter, syrup, fruit, chocolate chips, or something else?