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THE PRAYER THAT ROCKED THE NATION
The sunflower is the state flower of Kansas.

Kansas Sunflowers

This photo was taken by Margaret Bane of Sterling, KS. Sterling is also the home of Rebecca Rankin Foster and husband, John Foster (his home town) and their children, Andrew and Molly Foster.

From the footprints we've seen, all seem to lead to Kansas.

Thus, we dedicate this page to the Rankins of Kansas. Those include Raymond Rankin, Rebecca Foster, Cindy Stillings, and Beverly Keener - all nee Rankin. The remaining family member, Jimmy, lives in Salt Lake City

And what is ...

significant to the Rankin Clan about Kansas? First of all, with the exception of one family member, all of the family of the late Charles and Gladys Rankin reside in Sterling and Topeka Kansas or buried there. One whole tribe of the Dan F. Rankin clan lives in Oswego. Further, Dan and Gertrude Rankin, formerly of Byers, Texas and Pelican, are now moved to Kansas. There are near their daughter and family in Oswego.

So why is Kansas ...

significant to some of us? Partly because many of our family members live there. It's impossible to enumerate all the things that are important; but, I would like to share an event that took place in the Senate of the Kansas legislature in 1996:

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The Rev. Wright stirred the souls of people everywhere with his prayer in the Senate of the Kansas Statehouse.

When Minister Joe Wright, pastor of Central Christian Church of Wichita, was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:

Heavenly Father,

We come before You today to ask Your Forgiveness and seek Your direction and guidance.

We know Your Word says, ''Woe to those who call evil good,'' but that's exactly what we have done.

We have lost our Spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values.

We confess that; we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism;

We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism;

We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle;

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery;

We have neglected the needy and called it self preservation;

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare;

We have killed our unborn and called it choice;

We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable;

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem;

We have abused power and called it political savvy;

We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition;

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression;

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.

Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of this state and who have been ordained by You, to govern this great state of Kansas.

Grant them your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of Your Will.

I ask it in the name of your Son, The Living Savior, Jesus Christ

NOTE from D.R.:And, whatever the state
you're in, may the Son continue to shine
in the caldrons of congress and the
state legislatures throughout this land.