In the fall of 1978 the Department of General Mission Strategy approached the people of St. Matthew’s about establishing a permanent Episcopal presence on the campus at ISU. St. Matthew’s responded positively and Father Edward Downs, a practicing physician as well as an Episcopal priest, was appointed as Priest-in-Charge. Approximately a dozen people from St. Matthew’s responded to this appeal. Thereafter, a Holy Eucharist and evening prayer were held on Sundays on a regular schedule. As the congregation grew, it appealed to Bishop Hillestad to admit Christ the King as a mission in the Diocese of Springfield. The Synod of 1978 approved this and Christ the King became a mission church. The congregation grew and in 1980 purchased the Mennonite Church, just three blocks south of the ISU campus for $190,000.00.   The congregation continued to grow and flourish. In the fall of 1992, the mortgage was paid off.The parish family of Christ the King continues to grow, not only in numbers, but spiritually. We are more and more becoming a faith community seeking to be fed by God’s Word and Sacraments so that we may become servants of our Lord on a broken and healing world. As we continue to grow spiritually, we have continued to grow closer to one another.   In an effort to facilitate our growing closer, we offer you this web page which should help you to get to know one another, as we continue our mission to know Him and make Him known.