Kaw Prairie's excited to be partners with several effective ministries--nearby and around the world:
Heartland Center is a Christian retreat center and summer camp facility near Parkville, MO that offers wonderful corporate, church, and large-group retreats and meeting space--and dynamic overnight camping for children & teens all summer long. Heartland Center has an incredible high ropes challenge course and zip-line for team-buildng and thrill-seeking (and coming quick to an adreneline-filled trust in Jesus!). Kaw Prairie does its larger overnight retreats at the Heartland Center and recommends it heartily!
Hollis Renewal Center is a more intimate Christian retreat center in rural Bonner Springs, KS that provides wonderful corporate, church, and family retreat and day-meeting space for fellowship, fun and spiritual renewal. Every summer Hollis sponsors a cross-cultural Vacation Bible School called Hollis Crossings, bringing together suburban kids, inner city kids, and immigrant children from all over the KC metro for a dynamic Christian environment.
Medical Assistance in Africa is an international medical mission organization founded by a young German PhD cardiologist, Dr. Olaf Forster. Olaf had been journeyed to rural Kenya doing doctoral research in traditional herbal medicine, and had fallen in love with the people (heck, an elderly medicine man who was Olaf's herbal medicine 'mentor' bequeathed him his mud hut when he died). With Christian friends from South Africa and Germany, and Muslim friends from Kenya, Olaf founded a portable medical clinic to bring medical care to backcountry Kenyans, and periodic advanced surgical care, too. After years of hauling clean water for medical operations by truck and on their backs, Olaf and his team found business donors who pledged to bankroll start-up operations for a permanent medical clinic--if Olaf could raise the money for the deep well to service the clinic and surrounding regions. During post-doctoral study in the United States in 2006, Pastor Dan met Olaf and invited him to come visit Kaw Prairie. A lay leader in his home congregation in Johannesburg, South Africa, Olaf brought the message one spring Sunday at Kaw Prairie, and the church responded to his dream by working with the Lenexa Rotary Club to raise over $10,000 to dig the well!
Metropolitan Lutheran Ministries is a Kansas City-based social services ministry that served 58,000 people in 2008--using 90% of its income for direct help to needy residents of our metropolitan area. Kaw Prairiers participate in MLM's Saturday morning inner-city grocery distributions, inner-city home repair work, and its well-administered free-to-needy-families Christmas Store giveaway, as well.
ReStart is an interfaith ministry with homeless persons, committed to providing shelter and support services to homeless men, women, youth, and families in downtown Kansas City. Their goal is helping persons and family overcome current obstacles with life-long skills and behaviors to move them toward independence and self-sufficiency. It's not an easy neighborhood. Murders happen outside, and drugs are dealt nearby. But Kaw Prairie is proud to support a git-er-done ministry that changes lives materially--and for generations--with Jesus' love! You should check it out!