In early 1971, Tom Rozof and several other young men were traveling cross-countrywhen their 1919 Nash broke down in Wichita. Our own Mark Eaton, known as a Christian mechanic, was summoned to remedy the failed auto. During this unexpected stay, Tom became acquainted with Bob Myers, then pastor of Faith Presbyterian Church in southeast Wichita. Don Williams, a well-known evangelist at the time in California, had told Bob that what Wichita needed was an evangelist who could communicate to its youth in their own language. Bob believed that he had found that person in Tom.

About February of that year, Tom held his first Saturday evening meeting at Faith with about two dozen young people. Within a month, the group had grown to around 100. As each week passed, more and more people came, and more and more of those made decisions to invite Christ into their lives.

By spring of that year, Don Williams, Bob Myers, and others began to organize an effort to hold several evening meetings in downtown Wichita's Century II. Tom and others presented songs and personal testimonies. Don Williams spoke a message and gave an invitation at each of the five nightly meetings in early summer, aptly but very simply titled, "Five Days in June."

The newly formed group met at Faith on Saturday nights,with a wide cross-section of teenaged youths. It was known as BASIC (which stood for Brothers And Sisters In Christ). During its several year duration, as many as 800 youths attended these weekly meetings. In its early days, Ralph Teran assisted Tom with the meetings and occasionally took charge when Tom was gone.

Since many previously unchurched youth were drawn to BASIC, they really had no place where they regularly attended Sunday morning services. Many therefore began attending services at Faith, and that church began to feel the tensions of cultural variations and extremes. This was a time when most "churched" people attended Sunday services in suits and ties. At Faith, jeans and running shoes were becoming the trend. By the fall of 1974 when many youth were assuming more leadership roles at Faith, tensions were resolved only by an eventual decision of the young people to leave Faith and try to assess whether they should form their own church. As the remnant of BASIC had by now dwindled to a much smaller group, these self-exiled young people met and prayed together for several months to determine what their future was to be. In early January 1975, the decision was made to try to continue as a church, and the group rented the downtown Wichita YWCA for Sunday morning worship. Word spread to others, many of whom had previously attended BASIC, that the group was organized and meeting again, this time as a church, not just as an unusual, youth group. Soon the church decided that they had to select a name for themselves. Among the choices of King's Kids and Dayspring Fellowship, the name Church of the Savior won the most votes of those attending. During the mid- to late-70s, the group continued to meet on Sundays at the YWCA. In 1979, it was discovered that the Riverside Church of Christ's building in Wichita's Riverside area was for sale. The leadership of Church of the Savior made a successful bid for and moved into the building where we are today at 875 Spaulding.

In the early 80s, the church continued to attract people to its many weekly activities. Our annual Christmas Candlelight services began. Many of these activities seemed to appeal to the young, single people of the church. As the married couples of the church began to increase the size of their families, activities and energies gradually evolved more towards Sunday School, family groups, and occasional all-church potluck dinners and meetings. By the mid-80s, the babies and young children of the fellowship were challenging the previously clear majority of adults. In addition to Sunday School classes packed into the back part of the building on Spaulding, a puppet ministry had been created. In 1986, Tom Rozof left and formed a Vineyard Church in Wichita. Terry Hedrick, who had to this point served as associate pastor under Tom, stepped forward to lead Church of the Savior. At this time, church structure was reorganized. A group of seven trustees were formed to serve as the board and governing body responsible to the entire congregation.

During the late 80's, under Terry's leadership, we started serving communion each Sunday, and instituted several annual traditions including the Ash Wednesday and Tenebrae services, and the Passover meals. Those years of deepening relationships and reliance upon one another were God's wisdom to provide the healing and stability that were needed, not just because the core adult group needed it, but our children deserved this attention and focus as well.

The mid-90's were a time of stability for the church, and we grew both in faith and in size, partly because our families were growing. Some years, there were almost more children than adults. An active Christian Education program and middle and high school youth groups were formed to help lead the kids to deeper relationships with Christ. In 1995, Amy Brown became Youth Pastor, and under her loving leadership the older youth have produced wonderful drama, traveled to worthwhile conferences, began regular giving to missions, helped with work projects, and thrived in their desire to know God better. The women of the church started taking a regular fall retreat, and the men a yearly spring retreat to Westminster Woods. Also, a girls' retreat and a boys' campout were started as yearly events during this time. Terry baptized many youth and adults who gave their lives to Christ through these and other ministries of the church. In the spring of 1998, Terry announced his interest in aligning himself with the Charismatic Episcopal church where he sought ordination, and submitted his resignation which become effective in August of 1998. Administrative and Spiritual Leadership Teams were created by the Church's Board of Trustees to help carry on 'business as usual'. Sunday morning worship, including weekly sermons, continued as before. More people helped share the load of responsibilities that we had previously taken for granted when it seemed so convenient to let a pastor do it all. Though not perfect in our sensitivity to one another, we shared more of the work to be done. A Pastoral Search Committee was formed, but its work was not pressured to quickly bring results. A spirit of cooperation and reliance upon one another and on God seemed to me to be evident throughout our life together. People expressed contentment at seeing God work in and through one another.

During the summer of 1999, the Pastoral Search Committees's progress identified Adel Thalos, soon to finish his studies at Denver Theological Seminary, as a strong candidate. For both Adel and his family as well as our Church, many of the little "God things" that came to our attention seemed to affirm him as God's choice for us. By the time of Adel 's visit with his wife, Lynne, in June of 1999, a spirit of "this is who we see God bringing to us" was evident to many. The formal vote by the congregation and confirmation by the Trustees of Adel's appointment was almost anti-climatic. The question wasn't whether or not they were coming to Wichita, but when.

Adel was with the church for two years and then left to become ordained in the Presbyterian church. A vision planning process has helped us determine five areas in which to work in the future including inner life, pastoral care, creativity, missions and evangelism. Our hope and desire is that we continue to seek Christ's plan and will for us, and then follow it because we love Him.