Kansas

Blue River-Kansas City association plans for broad impact

Published

2 years ago

June 3, 2024

Blue River-Kansas City association plans for broad impact

KANSAS CITY – When talking to Gregg Boll, there is a sense that being the leader of a diverse association of Baptist churches in the Kansas City metro is a daunting task. He stepped up to be the executive director of the Blue River-Kansas City Baptist Association (BRKC) last October after serving for 10 years as the associate director under the previous leader, Rodney Hammer. Boll is confident in the power of the gospel as he discusses the various ways the BRKC churches are reaching the population of Kansas City.

He and his wife of 42 years, Terri, are life-long Missourians. In fact, both were born in Kansas City. All of the churches he has served have been Missouri churches—churches in Joplin, Kansas City, Oregon and Crane. He often serves as an interim pastor. He is assisted with administrative matters in the association by Amy Cox.

Gregg Boll

Boll noted there are 124 churches affiliated with the BRKC, and it may be one of the most diverse associations in the state. Of those 124 churches, 19 are predominantly African-American churches; there are 6 Hispanic churches, 9 multi-ethnic churches and 7 other ethnic language churches (including Vietnamese, Korean, African, Cambodian, Haitian and Russian speaking churches). Boll’s heart is to see more churches planted, and BRKC prioritizes coming alongside church planters to support them in their work. Currently there are five church plants in the association, but Boll said more are needed.

He also has a burden for churches that are in decline. As a zone leader for the MBC’s Resound Network revitalization ministry, he leads a team that can lead a struggling church through a process of assessments and recommendations. Sometimes the recommendation is that the church needs to partner with another stronger church to reverse their decline. Boll has been humbled by the number of churches who are willing to make the unselfish decision to be adopted by another church to have the ability to reach their community. There have been 12 of these adoption/mergers in BRKC.

Another exciting development is that the three directors of missions in the Kansas City metro area have been meeting together to encourage one another, share ideas and plan joint events for their churches and pastors. Jerry Conner of the Kansas City (Kansas) Baptist Association, and Gary Mathes of Clay-Platte Baptist Association and Boll have been meeting for about a year now and have developed a strong bond and friendship.

Boll said one of their priorities in an urban area is to catalyze church planting, particularly among ethnic groups. The BRKC staff works closely with the North American Mission Board SEND Network as a SEND City. They also partner with the Missouri Baptist Multiplying Churches group.

One interesting thing they have accomplished is to repurpose a church building in the historic northeast part of the city, which now serves as a multi-ethnic church planting center. It was an empty Presbyterian church when NAMB, the MBC and BRKC Baptists went together to purchase it. A Hispanic church called Palabra Viva is based there under the leadership of Pastor Luis Mendoza.

The purpose of the multi-ethnic church planting center is to give immigrant churches a place to meet and grow their church until they are ready to launch out on their own. Several church plants have been launched from this facility. Boll said, “They incubate, hatch and then send” these church plants out from this location.

Collegiate ministry is another priority of BRKC’s ministry. Many have rightly observed that great awakenings usually begin among the young. Collegiate ministry is essential because there is not a more strategic time to challenge young people with the claims of the gospel than when they are at the crossroads of their life trying to determine which vocation to give their lives to. It is from this demographic that the church calls out her future leaders, pastors and missionaries. BRKC supports Collegiate Impact, a ministry led by Travis Hamm. He and his team have ministries on seven campuses and are praying for opportunities to have a ministry presence on every campus in the metro area.

In the inner city area east of downtown Kansas City, Andrew Huesing leads outreach efforts called “People Teams.” They reach immigrants and ethnic groups and connect them with churches and ministries. They reach out to young people, conduct sports camps and have interesting and fun activities to connect with people in need of the gospel.

In addition to this the association has ministries that reach out to those who have been caught up in human trafficking. About 9 years ago, Rodney Hammer realized this great need and had the vision to start a faith-based, long term restorative care ministry to women and minor girls rescued from sex-trafficking. He challenged the churches of BRKC to start this bold venture. With the collective effort of BRKC churches and several other partners, Rehope, formerly known as Restoration House, was started in 2015. Rehope reaches out to those caught in this web of human exploitation, and they give the victims a place to stay and get back on their feet, along with trauma-informed care and counseling. They have witnessed nearly 30 of their participants come to faith in Christ and be baptized by offering them spiritual counsel and the opportunity to attend BRKC local churches.

Boll said that cooperation and networking is the key to helping the pastors and churches accomplish their mission. “My mission is to help them accomplish their mission, period,” he added.

Asked what he is encouraged by, he said he is now seeing greater interest in evangelism and a confidence in the power of the gospel. He thinks “radical partnerships” and new networks of churches partnering together to accomplish a particular mission task such as church planting is the wave of the future for Baptist associations.

“I get to be a minister of introduction,” Boll said. He connects churches and leaders and ministries for gospel advancement. And almost every day he says, “I get to be a pastor to a pastor.” He added, “I feel blessed to do what I do. I think I have the confidence and trust of our pastors that they can call me to get honest answers, real help and hope.”

Monthly pastor huddles, a theology cohort and emotional wellness seminars three times a year are ways they try to stay connected and supportive.

So there is a lot going on in Kansas City and the Blue River-Kansas City Association is doing their best to connect the dots and be “ministers of introduction” to the pastors and churches they serve.

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Kansas

Homegrown Jayhawk stars ready to shine at Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City

Published

8 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Homegrown Jayhawk stars ready to shine at Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City

LAWRENCE, Kan. (KCTV) – As Kansas women’s basketball prepares to enter the postseason at the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, they’ll be led by two Overland Park natives who have been two of the most electrifying players to watch in the country this year.

Junior guard S’Mya Nichols and freshman forward Jaliya Davis have played integral roles in the recent growth of the program. Both cite the desire to help grow the Jayhawks into something special as reasons for committing there.

“Where we wanted to take Kansas women’s basketball, I wanted to be a part of that growing evolution,” Nichols told KCTV5.

“We [my family] were also really big Jayhawk fans. We came to a lot of games,” Davis said about her childhood.

The two were both 5-star recruits in high school, and their commitments marked historic recruiting victories for the KU women’s basketball program.

First came Nichols in the Class of 2023, picking KU over Tennessee and Oklahoma.

“I genuinely wanted to go to Kansas,” she said.

Then Davis became the highest-rated player to ever commit to KU as part of the Class of 2025.

“When you go back to S’Mya Nichols being a local, Kansas City, Overland Park product, a nationally respected player, Jaliya was really the next one that was very important for the Jayhawks to keep home,” said head coach Brandon Schneider.

Now as a junior, Nichols has established herself as one of the most consistent scorers and physical guards in the nation.

But it’s the Shawnee Mission West’s alum’s leadership that defines her legacy in Lawrence.

“The team leader, the quarterback,” Coach Schneider described Nichols. “I think oftentimes the player that everybody looks up to off the court.”

“I mean it means everything. Knowing that I’m important to the team, and that they see me as that as well,” said Nichols with a smile.

Both Nichols and Davis were recruited by the Jayhawks for years, going all the way back to seventh grade.

“Well, we offered her in middle school,’ Coach Schneider said with a laugh about Davis.

“Oh he put in a lot of work,” laughed Davis. “I mean, obviously, seventh grade, that’s a long time.”

It was that dedication from Coach Schneider that led her to choose the Jayhawks over Texas, South Carolina, Baylor, and Oklahoma – where he dad played ball.

“I think it really was the relationship we had and grew. He was always there, every single one of my games,” Davis said about Schneider.

After just one practice as teammates, Nichols voiced a big belief about Davis into existence – and it’s probably going to come true.

The Jayhawks are the 11-seed in the Big 12 Tournament, and will face 14-seed UCF in the first round on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m.(KCTV5)

“I saw her first practice, and I sent her a text, and I’m like ‘I think you can win Freshman of the Year’, and I still stand by that,”

Davis is averaging 21.0 points per game, and has been named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week for eight weeks in a row. That sets a power conference all-time record.

“I think it’s really cool. I mean obviously it’s a team effort, they’re always looking for me,” Davis said about her historic accomplishment.

“Just a phenomenal stretch of basketball for her, and so well deserving,” said Coach Schneider.

Now these two homegrown stars are at the forefront of a late-season push to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Right now, CBS Sports bracketology has them as a ‘First Four Out’ team.

But a few wins in the Big 12 Tournament could certainly help seal their invite to the big dance.

“Obviously we’re not in the position that we were hoping to be in, but I think we can make the most out of it, and get to where we want to be,” Davis said about the opportunity at hand in the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City.

The Overland Park kids are especially fired up about starting the postseason in their own backyard.

“I have a big support system. So I bet my family will take a big chunk of that area during that tournament,” Davis laughed.

“I remember being younger, and the College Basketball Experience is right next door. So I felt like at one moment that was the big stage, when I got to play my little AAU tournaments in there. And then all of a sudden I’m literally in T-Mobile Center on the actual big stage, so it’s pretty cool,” said Nichols.

The Jayhawks are the 11-seed in the Big 12 Tournament, and will face 14-seed UCF in the first round on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m.

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Kansas

Why Matthew Driscoll continues to say Kansas State is ‘close’

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Why Matthew Driscoll continues to say Kansas State is ‘close’

MANHATTAN — David Castillo sank his free throw to finish off a three-point play to cut TCU’s lead to two late in the second half. Kansas State had a chance to play spoiler to a team that was on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

For the previous 36 minutes, the Wildcats were more engaged than they had been all season. You wouldn’t have recognized they were just under two weeks removed from their head coach getting fired. The Wildcats were in the middle of a competitive basketball game when there haven’t been many this season.

And then the final four minutes happened, and the Wildcats lost once again.

Kansas State pulled within one score six different times in the second half against the Horned Frogs, only to never take a lead, and then go 4 minutes, 4 seconds without a point after Castillo’s late bucket, leading to a 77-68 loss.

K-State interim coach Matthew Driscoll compared the loss to a broken record, when the Wildcats have been close late, only to fall apart in the end.

“We get there, and then, for whatever reason, we can’t break through,” Driscoll said. “When we got it to a one-point game, I thought that this was when we were going to turn the corner. It just seems like we keep getting close, and we can’t break through that wall.”

Kansas State (11-18, 2-14 Big 12) has been within striking distance in a handful of games this season, only to go on lengthy scoring droughts and come up short in the end.

While there are plenty of games in which the Wildcats were blown out or didn’t show half the effort they showed against the Horned Frogs, there have been enough games that if the Wildcats finished, they wouldn’t be fighting to not finish at the bottom of the Big 12 standings.

K-State’s Feb. 25 loss to Colorado is another example, having two five-plus-minute spurts in which it didn’t score a point. The Wildcats held late leads against West Virginia and Oklahoma State, and in their first game against TCU, only to choke away those leads.

“There’s a lot of frustration,” Khamari McGriff said. “It’s been a fight to continue to focus on the next right thing and let whatever has happened in the past, and just try to get to a point where we can compete for 40 minutes. We gotta look at it with the perspective that we’ve been close a lot of times, and we just gotta figure out how to take that next step.”

Kansas State is running out of opportunities to achieve that “next step.” The Wildcats have a home game on Tuesday, March 3, against a beatable West Virginia team before closing the regular season at Kansas on March 7. After that, it would be surprising if the Wildcats get more than two games at the Big 12 Tournament.

But Driscoll hasn’t seen his team quit, which is almost all he can ask for after what has been a season to forget.

“We just haven’t completed the deal,” Driscoll said.

Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at wwheeler@usatodayco.com

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Kansas Highway Patrol reports five-vehicle crash in Johnson Co. Friday

Published

2 days ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Kansas Highway Patrol reports five-vehicle crash in Johnson Co. Friday

JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. (WIBW) – Multiple people were involved in a five-vehicle crash Friday in Johnson County.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol Crash Log, the crash occurred around 4:55 p.m. on Interstate 35.

Five vehicles: a 2021 Toyota Tacoma, a 2010 Toyota Sienna, a 2014 Honda Pilot, a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu, and a 2018 Ford Mustang, were all traveling northbound on the I-35 long ramp to 75th Street.

The 2021 Toyota Tacoma exited the roadway to the right and struck the rear of the 2010 Toyota Sienna.

The 2021 Toyota Tacoma then continued northbound and struck the 2024 Honda Pilot.

The Honda Pilot was pushed and struck the rear of the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu, which then lost control and struck the 2018 Ford Mustang. The Chevrolet Malibu then struck the barrier wall.

There were no serious injuries reported in the incident.

The driver of the Toyota Tacoma, a 28-year-old male of Kansas City, Kan., was taken to a hospital with a possible injury. He was wearing a safety restraint.

The Toyota Sienna driver, a 23-year-old female, of Merriam, Kan., had no apparent injuries and was wearing a safety restraint.

The Honda Pilot driver, a 75-year-old male of Lenexa, Kan., had no apparent injuries and was wearing a safety restraint.

The driver of the Chevrolet Malibu, a 31-year-old female of Kansas City, Kan., had no apparent injuries and was wearing a safety restraint.

The 2018 Ford Mustang held two occupants. The driver, a 19-year-old male of Garden Plain, Kan., had no apparent injuries and was wearing a safety restraint.

The other occupant in the vehicle was an 18-year-old female of Goddard, Kan. She did not have any apparent injuries and was wearing a safety restraint.

View the full Kansas Highway Patrol Crash log on this incident here.

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