Our History

A Brief Overview of our History

After years of holding their annual meetings at various Kansas parks, the Evangelical Association had enough. In March of 1922 the Kansas Conference of the Evangelical Association voted to purchase 22 acres at the east edge of Topeka to be developed as a church camp. The price of the totally untouched wooded area was a sizable $500 an acre. The Conference named their new retreat Forest Park.

A good deal of the work was done quickly, so much so that by August 6^thof that year an open air tabernacle, dining hall and bathroom facilities were built. Also a well was dug during this time. Added next were the Departmental (Crafts) Building and Mokane, a two story dorm named for the four states represented in the Conference at the time (Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska). Soon after the caretaker’s house was built (although it has been enlarged at different times). Rev. C.J. Eiselein provided Memorial Hall (another two story dorm) in memory of his wife. During the next few years Deer Creek (bathhouse), Fellowship Hall (two story dorm), the roads, and utilities were all added to the grounds. More land was secured; however, some of the original land was lost to the Kansas Turnpike. Some of the new land included the hilltop with an old stone house and barn which were turned into dorms by volunteer labor. In November of 1952 the original tabernacle burned, it was replaced with the present one before the next summer. In 1960 the old Dining Hall was taken down and replaced with the present one (which was recently air conditioned).

Tents played an important part of the camp experience until there were enough dorms, one year there were 122 tents scattered across the grounds. The largest attendances (when ministers were required to be there) was 400 for the week with 1,600 on Sunday (the area churches closed and people were urged to go because the Bishop always spoke on Sunday). As many as 8,811 meals were served during those years of Summer Assembly. For many years there was an orchestra that practiced every day.

For many years recreation at Summer Assembly included tennis courts and various tournaments. Bethel (meaning “House of God”), complete with a stone alter and timber cross, lays across the creek. This was the location of a daily Morning Watch prior to breakfast as well as a commitment service at the end of the week.

In recent years both the Dining Hall and Hickory Hall were air conditioned, a welcomed change on hot July afternoons. A gazebo was erected outside of the tabernacle which is where morning communion is now held. A new playground was built several years ago beside Headquarters (the old one was behind the Dining Hall) and, last year, it was restored and new pieces of equipment added as a memorial for Bob Walter. The old house and barn that were on the hill were destroyed before they could be designated as historical landmarks; however, many of the stones were salvaged and used in the construction of the Jehovah Jireh Hilltop Chapel. A time capsule was originally buried in 1997 and recently was reinterned until 2022.

While much of Summer Assembly (and Forest Park for that matter) differs from what it was originally, some remains the same. The Christian atmosphere, loving nature and beautiful surroundings are exactly as they have always been. Many of the children that were campers decades ago are now the camp leaders who have brought their own children up as Summer Assembly campers. The worship services are still energetic and interactive, serving to ignite as well as renew the faith of campers. Most importantly, the presence of God can still be felt as strongly as ever and lives are still being touch and molded by His loving hands.

Please join us for Summer Assembly and become part of our history!