KSHB 41 News anchor Taylor Hemness reports on stories across Kansas, including a focus on consumer issues. You can contact Taylor by email.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, is a long-awaited day for the nearly 2,000 living members of the Kansas Delaware tribe, specifically those in Kansas City, Kansas.
They're preparing to celebrate a gift of land and money from the United Methodist Church.
The historic Grinter Chapel Methodist Church is located in the Muncie community of KCK. It was built in 1868 by indigenous people and given to the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1870.
Now, the United Methodist Church is giving the deed to the church and the neighboring cemetery back to the Kansas Delaware Tribe.
I spoke to Chief Lynn David about the building and his tribe.
“We have approximately 1,865 living members of our tribe,” David told me. “We are not state or federally-recognized at this time, but approximately 400 of them still live in the state of Kansas. The rest are spread throughout the United States.”
This building is not only significant for Chief David’s family, as his ancestors, the Grinters, built the church.
But it also carries great weight for the tribe’s future.
"It will make us what is called a land-based tribe,” David explains. “Having a land-based tribe, where we have a place where we can have our ceremonial dances, where we can have our meetings, makes it extremely important.”
The tribe will go through the process of applying for federal recognition.
The ceremony will be led by Bishop David Wilson, the first Native American elected to serve as Bishop in the United Methodist Church.
In addition, the church will donate roughly $300,000 to go toward restoring the church.
The ceremony is at 3 p.m. on Thursday, and will include short presentations, a Native American Spring Prayer and will conclude with a traditional Stomp Dance. None of the ceremony is considered sacred, so photos and video are welcome throughout the event.
Chief David tells me that they hope to have the first phase of renovations complete by early June, in time for the tribe to meet there for its annual meeting.
You can learn more about the Kansas Delaware Tribe here.
