OUR HISTORY 

 
 

God has blessed ZAIK Church with a vision and dream in the hearts of its people to share God’s love and the message of hope through a personal relationship with Jesus, with our community, and the world at large. That vision continues to grow larger each year. Today, the church is recognized by many as one of the most diverse and welcoming congregations in the city.

 

1922 - 1949

ZAIK Church was founded as "The Pentecostal Tabernacle First Assembly of God" in 1922 by evangelist Anna Belle Hartman.

  • Hartman and a small group of believers rented space to worship.

  • In 1929, the church purchased land at Main and Lincoln and built the first building.

1950 - 1979

By 1951, the name was officially changed to First Assembly of God.

It was the only Assembly of God in Wichita. Wichita was growing rapidly and First Assembly parented several other churches by assisting with finances and encouraging people to attend in the area they lived.

1980 - 1999

By 1984, 27 acres of land had been purchased on Webb Road to house the growing congregation of First Assembly of God.

  • It was subsequently paid off by 1988, and in 1994, the original building at Main and Lincoln was sold.

  • The church moved to a temporary location on Harry while the new facility was being built.

  • The name of the church was changed to Maranatha Worship Center.

  • The first service was held in December 1995, under the leadership of Gene Gilmore.

2000 - 2015

In 2000, the vision of Maranatha evolved to focus on creating a sense of belonging and purpose for people from all nations, races and backgrounds living in the greater Wichita area.

  • Mike and Kerry Clarensau led the congregation of ZAIK from 2000 to 2010, and Dr. Lon Flippo served as the senior pastor from 2010 to 2015.

  • As a newer church on the growing east side of Wichita, the church grew from 200 to its present size and the congregation became more and more diverse.

2015 - PRESENT

In 2015, Pastor Stephen Luna became the new lead pastor for ZAIK Church and began to shape our current vision. ZAIK adopted a new set of values to better guide the mission of the church as we reach the city of Wichita with the gospel.

  • In 2018 ZAIK (then MWC) began breaking ground on the Enhance MWC campaign to better emphasize kids and engage the community.

  • In 2019 renovations of the nursery were completed to better protect the children, and our coffeehouse was added.

  • In 2020 the church officially rebranded from MWC Church (Maranatha Worship Center) to ZAIK Church to better convey our mission to the community.

  • We believe ZAIK is primed to do great things throughout Wichita in the coming years, and we can’t do it without you. We would love to have you join us on this journey.