PASTOR’S CORNER, Rev. Rex Petty, Faith Tabernacle Church, Liberal
The beginning of our town we live in started when a Liberal man named Seymour Rogers gave his water away for free over 100 years ago. He hand dug a water well 88 feet deep before he struck water. In 1885, water was a precious commodity and water was quite expensive! When Rogers was asked how much do we owe you, he replied, "The water is free here.” People were surprised to hear his answer and they said, “That is mighty ‘liberal’ of you.
The historical story of the foundation of Liberal, Kansas is based on the spirit of generosity, not a word based on political views.
Around twenty years ago in 2003 I was reading my Bible when suddenly I found a verse in Proverbs 11:25 that perfectly described the Seymour Rogers story and the true meaning of "Liberal. "The verse read: "A Liberal man will be enriched and one who waters will himself be watered." Proverbs 11:25 (RSV version)
As time went by I realized that I should request to share this story at a Liberal City Commission meeting. I was blessed they gave me the opportunity to tell them about this wonderful verse that emphasizes liberal as meaning generosity, not a political word. I told them that the Hebrew word for "Liberal" in Proverbs 11:25 is "brakah" which translated into English means generous, blessing, kindness and giving. To be "liberal" according to Unger's Dictionary means, "A generous disposition of mind, resulting in large giving."
Also Proverbs 11:25 mentions about a liberal man in the context of giving water! Because of the busy circumstances and big responsibilities our commissioners have, I had to persevere and return three different times to their meetings, in 2017, 2023 and 2024. The old saying "the third time was the charm." The commissioners always said they liked the idea I presented to them, but this time, they were looking for a new slogan for our city which had been "Crossroads of Commerce" for many years. So when I presented the blessing of a new vision incorporating Proverbs 11:25 alongside the historical Seymour Rogers story, they also were open to a new slogan proposal I brought to the meeting.
The new slogan came from my wife, Eydie, who has been a teacher in Liberal for more than 20 years. She took the Scripture from Proverbs 11:25 which birthed an idea, "From Generosity to Prosperity." The commissioners were very much in favor of this new slogan, plus Proverbs 11:25 and combining it all together with the story of Seymour Rogers.
They decided to bundle all three of these together and they voted the night of May 14, 2024 to approve it all together! The commission voted unanimously in favor, plus our Mayor Jose Lara made a proclamation on behalf of the City of Liberal declaring the following:
“CITY OF LIBERAL PROCLAMATION: WHEREAS: SEYMOUR ROGERS and the Liberal community reflected Proverbs 11:25 which states, ‘A liberal man will prosper, and one who waters will himself be watered. THEREFORE: From that inspiration, let it be known the slogan for the City of Liberal will be ‘From Generosity to Prosperity.’”
It is obvious to see how thankful we must be to God for giving our city such a wonderful name and using such a loving, generous man in Seymour Rogers to be our founder! As we enter into Thanksgiving in the month of November we have much to be thankful for! The name of our City of Liberal is special. We are blessed to live in a community that is very generous, kind and loving!
