Church Remarks for the 2006 Yearbook of the Primitive Methodist Church

CHURCH REMARKS$2006 YEARBOOK
Index to This Page Click on any of the following districts to go directly to that location on this page.
Or, click here to return to the index for the 2006 Yearbook.
Wyoming Schuylkill	Pittsburgh Western	Eastern Southern
2005 CHURCH REMARKS WYOMING DISTRICT CHERRY STREET BIBLE CHURCH, PLYMOUTH – We are thankful to the Lord for the progress we have seen at CSBC this year. Our average attendance increased to 102, and visitors continue to frequent our church especially since we changed our name to the Cherry Street Bible Church. Other highlights include: the purchase of additional property for expanded parking, the addition of a third youth group, children’s ministries and community outreach activities. The Lord has given us open doors to reach the community of Plymouth and we thank Him for this privilege. PLYMOUTH FRANKLIN STREET – We praise God for His blessings. The congregation has become more involved with our activities. We have had two conversions. A prayer guide has been added to our Morning Worship bulletins. Youth group has ten children, who faithfully attend. Outreaches include Halloween evening, VBS, concerts, church picnic and covered dish suppers. We support PM missions, Precious Moments Calendar, Operation Christmas Child, and students in Guatemala. “Sewers of Kindness” distributed 8 lap quilts. A church library has been started. We worshipped with Cherry Street, Nanticoke and Messiah at a joint service held at Christmas and during Lent. “Until He Comes.” SCRANTON – The October 125^th anniversary dinner allowed us to renew old friendships with former members traveling long distances to share this special time. Rev. Kerry Ritts’ message was encouraging but challenging. Last year saw the home-going of three faithful active members who are greatly missed. We have grown closer as a church family as we have comforted their loved ones and prayed for several presently fighting life-threatening illness. VBS afforded the opportunity to reach children from nine different churches. Seven prayed the salvation prayer. Adult SS classes were blessed by studying “The Purpose-Driven Life”. We praise God for recent new faces in attendance. WILKES BARRE FIRST – In a changing inner-city location we are facing many new challenges each year in our existence as a lighthouse on the hill. We continue to shine forth the light of Christ inviting those we are in contact with to join us in our heaven-bound journey. With the decline of our neighborhood and city we are struggling with our very survival. Our aging congregation has been very faithful. Financial concerns are in great need of prayer as pressure increases and strains our resources. We are prayerful and are expecting God to continue to provide our needs. WILKES BARRE EAST END – We thank God for His faithfulness to us and His presence constantly in our lives. We have had a good year and we see good things happening in our church. About 60 children attended our Easter Egg Hunt with their parents or guardians. Every one heard the Gospel through the M&M Puppets. VBS was good though attendance was small. We had an outdoor concert with Jonathan Malanowski which was great! People were able to hear the Gospel Music without even leaving their homes. We had our Fall Fest with about 70 children attending. We did Operation Christmas Child. Throughout the year our Ladies’ Class was able to exhibit Christ’s love by taking meals to families following a stay in the hospital or when they were in need. We are involved in United Front to help us continue to grow in Christ and reach others for Jesus. WILKES BARRE LAUREL RUN – Our goal is to be a blessing to our community and the world. Many in our congregation completed reading the New Testament all the way through in 2005. In spring 12 people completed the Billy Graham Christian Life and Witness course. We celebrated Christmas in July by collecting food items and school supplies for St. Vincent de Paul food kitchen. We enjoyed an African Safari in VBS in August and most of the 30 children returned for a whole day of Christmas Bible School in December. Each parent received a free Bible. Our handbell choir is a blessing to our church. We played at PMBC in summer and gave a Christmas concert at a nearby highrise. We also collected 92 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. WILKES BARRE PARSONS –.We sent 125 shoeboxes to “Operation Christmas Child” and our giving to missions increased by $1,100. Of our three youth groups, the older group was involved in the 30 Hour Famine through World Vision and their leaders took them camping. The youth were in charge of a Worship Service with James Sienkiewicz preaching. Scott McGrady is attending Lancaster Bible College in preparation for a Local Preacher’s License. Rev. William & Thelma Fudge (retired) and Lillian Hughes (ministerial widow) are members of the Parsons church. WILKES BARRE MESSIAH (BEAR CREEK) – Praise God for the opportunity to serve Him throughout 2005. We sought to fulfill our vision for the year by providing opportunities to declare the message of salvation through personal evangelism and church outreach ministries. Such ministries included a Women’s Bible Study, a Women of Faith group, Lenten Worship Services with featured guest ministers, a Christian Concert by Ruthie Stock, Movie Nites featuring various Christian movies and a video tour of Pastor’s trip to Israel, a Mother’s Nite Out, a visit with Rev. Bill Vasey, a Fall Harvest Festival by the Ladies, the presentation of 2 Choir Cantatas, a Youth Musical presented in the church and an area nursing home, and the proclamation of the Word of God through Sunday School, Bible studies and Worship Services. AVOCA – Praise God for His many blessings: our young adults have become more involved, while our youth had several lock-ins, attended PMBC, and made replicas of the Garden of Eden, showing and telling them at church. Our choir has increased and gave a cantata at Christmas. Our women attended the retreat and our men worked at the camp. Good Samaritan boxes were filled, increasing from last year. Rev. Vasey visited, explaining his work in Guatemala. We have a secret prayer partners program. Music is played from the steeple, which the town appreciates. DICKSON CITY – Our God is faithful! 2005 was a year of complete dependence on our Lord in prayer, anticipating the retirement of our pastor, Rev. James Johnson after 35 years of ministry here. God has led us to revamp our Youth Program, more than doubling the attendance. Our Praise Team, “4 Given” continues to bless us and has ministered to the PM Women’s Retreats and other churches. The team performed for the “Annual Summer Dickson City Days Celebration” at the city park. They testified in song and word to large crowds while the church provided and passed hundreds of New Testaments and Gospel tracts. It was truly a glorious day! NANTICOKE – We praise God for His many blessings upon our church this past year. 2005 marked the 125th anniversary of the ministry of the First Primitive Methodist Church of Nanticoke. Rev. Allan Rupert, our District Superintendent, and his family were guests at our anniversary dinner in September. This year we held our 10th live nativity. We have seen some new faces in our Sunday worship services. We thank Rev. Kyle Gildner for his ministry with us. JERMYN – We report a positive year in the Lord, showing an increase in average attendance and income, but more importantly many of our people have made significant progress spiritually, along with a couple of notable conversions. Our SS remains strong, and with the Youth, put on a Christmas musical. Our Adult Choir is in the process of welcoming Sue Hendrickson as director, and they continue to minister in a powerful way. In July we had a well-attended and staffed VBS. The Secret Sisters have come into their own, making substantial contributions to the church’s ministry, planning many new outreach opportunities. BLAKELY – Psalm 13:6, “I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.” His greatest blessing for us was 2 conversions, one believer’s baptism, 3 new adult and 2 junior members. Our outreach this year included an Easter Egg Hunt, a VBS, a Flea Market, a Southern Gospel concert and the first annual service “For Those Who Have Suffered A Loss” with other community churches. We hosted the District Laywomen and the District Ministers and Wives Christmas Party. Pastor Ron was elected chaplain of the Fire Department and spoke at Christian Unity, Good Friday, Memorial Day and Nursing Home services and Mrs. Perry spoke at the Baptist Church Women’s Fellowship. We participated in Community Lenten and Thanksgiving services. LAWRENCEVILLE (OLD FORGE) – 2005 has been a season of challenge and triumph for us. We have grown closer to the Lord by studying His Word and praising His Name. We remain faithful to His calling and are willing to follow His lead. We are seeking His vision both for our lives and for our church. We are saddened that Pastor Tyler will be moving on, but we are looking forward to Pastor James Sienkiewicz’s ministry. We are certain that God has a plan for our church and that He will use us to further build His Kingdom. TAYLOR – We thank Rev. Gillard Evans and Rev. Norman Beck who provided pulpit supply services while our pastor was laid aside for three months because of two surgeries that were needed to save his right leg. Our church fully supported our pastor through this ordeal. Six teens were received into Junior membership after proper instruction. A Junior Church ministry has been activated which has proven to be a very worthwhile spiritual asset in many ways. We have invited Rev. Robert F. Finley to continue to be our pastor and he has accepted, subject to District and Conference approval. HAZLETON – 2005 began with problems of an aging building calling for exterior brick pointing and roof repairs. God has blessed us with young people willing to provide ministry to a spiritually hungry community with a puppet ministry. Our Mothers to Mothers project helps us raise money on Mother’s Day to give to mothers in Guatemala. We raised $900 for Hurricane Katrina Relief sending half to World Relief and half to Samaritan’s Purse. We sent 62 boxes to Operation Christmas Child. Our overall mission giving has increased for the 5th consecutive year. We praise God for His abundant provision. JOHNSON CITY – Another year revealed God’s continued faithfulness. He provided our needs so that we could share with others. Missions giving reflected 35% of our total giving. We welcomed a family of seven refugees from Sudan, sponsoring them through an agency, providing their apartment needs and so much more. We continued our ministry to a local fourth grade class and their teacher. We received positive newspaper coverage for our VBS, refugee sponsorship and our community evangelistic effort during a neighborhood yard-sale event. We now have two women’s and two men’s Bible studies. For all of this we give God the glory. NEW LIFE MOUNTAINTOP – We thank the Lord for all He has done for us this year. Our first year as a recognized church has been busy and rewarding. Over 100 people consider New Life Community their home church. This past year we had the Sky Light Boys and Ruthie Stock – the Lord blessed these concerts, and many heard God’s message and are now attending. The Spring Fling and Fall Festival were a great success. We now can tape our services and make the tapes available to those who could not attend the worship service. We are thankful and give the glory to God who in His grace has allowed us to serve Him. BROOKLYN – We have developed the pastoral work all year, taking care of, feeding and teaching the flock to grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are emphasizing ministry to children, developing children’s church, and a couple’s club, giving direction to marriages. We celebrated a campaign of 50 days of Faith to liven the church. We have had 6 conversions and 2 baptisms. We have an attendance of 34 people each Sunday and a monthly collection of around $1400. Some obstacles have been in the way of our progress, but even this has produced more prayer among us, and the Holy Spirit has been our faithful friend. God bless our Conference this year – in Christ’s love. Return to Index at the Top of This Page SCHUYLKILL DISTRICT: TAMAQUA – “Looking to…the author and perfecter of our faith…” Hebrews 12:2. Seeking to build upon the foundation of fellowship that the Lord has blessed us abundantly with, as a congregation we look to continue to give ourselves over consistently to the application of His perspective, through His word, to the particulars of our lives; to continue faithfully in prayer, to join together in heartfelt worship, and reach out to the community around us. We thank the Lord for the many opportunities he has given us to do this, and look forward to continuing to be used according to His purposes. SAINT CLAIR – During the past year we have partnered in prayer with 12 PM churches, our IMB & NMB, and other local churches. We remember members who are homebound, in nursing facilities, and our leaders, national and denominational. We also pray for our military, firefighters, police officers and EMT’s. Outreach includes Fifth Sunday meals, Game Nights, Hymn Sings, Sunday School contests and our Ladies’ Group. Our Vision Committee and Trustees are exploring ways the church can be a blessing to our community. VBS, Lenten Services and Thanksgiving Services help us minister to our neighbors. We have increased offerings to missions & PMBC. This fall we will celebrate 175 years of proclaiming God’s Word in Saint Clair. GIRARDVILLE New Life Community Fellowship – We pray that 2006 will be a year of increase, geographically and spiritually, as we trust in God to fulfill His vision through us. Our vision team will soon begin its outreach to our local community primarily through the young people on our streets. We remain strong internally with effective prayer, active programs, Sunday school and Youth Group, and powerful worship, all to God’s glory. We can do all things through Christ, who is our helper and strength. SHENANDOAH – Greetings from Bethel PM Church, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We meet faithfully every week for worship. Although we are small in number se remain true to our Lord God. Pastor Ron has retired, but he still serves us as our spiritual leader. Pastor Ron and Sandy have been with us now for twelve years and we share a great relationship. God answers our prayers and we are uplifted by His loving presence with us. To God be the Glory. MOUNT CARMEL – Members of Zion PM Church are very blessed to have Pastor Bob and Darlene as our spiritual leaders. We had another great VBS in which we gained a few more children in attendance and also another Christmas Eve Service. Along with our Saturday morning Bible study we have started a Prayer and Table meeting on Thursday nights. Our Missionary Society has continued to be blessed as we support our overseas missions and Samaritan’s Purse shoeboxes, as well as local missions such as Cornerstone Community Center. We donate food items and monetary gifts to the Shepherd’s Pantry in Mt. Carmel, along with the Soup Kitchen at St. Steven’s Community Center. We have lost two wonderful saints of God – Martha Bailey and Eileen Foster. They will be missed. God is good and continues to bless us. SHAMOKIN – Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Another year has passed as we continue under the leadership of Rev. Bob and Darlene Smith. We are at this time having a weekly Bible study along with our Sunday morning and evening services. We held Bible School again this year and the attendance improved. Our church united with other Shamokin churches in an ecumenical service. We have supported the new Pregnancy Care Center in our community and are very active with the food pantry (Manna for the Many). We were happy to almost double the amount of shoe boxes that were sent to the Samaritan Purse Ministry. WEST CONSHOHOCKEN – 2 Thessalonians 3:13 – “Do not grow weary in doing good.” 2005 has been a transitional year for us. We had a well-attended Easter Egg Hunt and VBS “Fishers of Men” program. We started Children’s Club and invited a group of Korean believers to share our building with us. We contacted a church through Send International in Biloxi, Mississippi and sent 60 boxes of supplies after Hurricane Katrina, as well as care packages to troops in Iraq. We had a study on Sunday mornings and have monthly meetings for church vision. We went caroling to 40 homes for Christmas and are now using the audio/visual “I Worship” to enhance our worship, which is a blessing to most. We saw one person led to the Lord and he has joined the church. We support 6 missionaries and on the 5^th Sundays we have a second offering for missions. MAYFAIR COMMUNITY – We have had a very difficult year. We did 40 days of prayer – each day at noon we prayed individually for what God would have us do as a church and as individuals. We support 4 missionaries and several mission projects. We had a successful DVBS last summer. We feel God has a purpose for our church in the Mayfair community and we are looking forward to growth with God’s help this coming year. HATBORO COMMUNITY – “Sing unto the Lord, praise His name, proclaim His salvation day after day. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples” Psalm 96:2,3. We praise God for the opportunities He gave us to reach out to our community and proclaim His salvation. We continue to seek new ways to show God’s love to our community. We praise God for an increase in attendance and younger families are attending. We have over 25 ministries working within the church for our purpose of “Knowing Christ and Making Him Known.” Our vision for 2007 is to expand our pre-school program into a full-time Christian day care and begin plans for a new utility building. Our worship team and Christian Band are reaching out into community. A goal is to host Christian concerts and a “coffee house” ministry for the younger families. We soon will be completing our two-year re-development project with United Front Ministries. TRINITY LANGHORNE – In the Name of Jesus we are moving toward Glory. We are striving to do God’s will God’s way, making new Christians out of unbelievers. To Equip the Saints to go forth to do the work God has called them to do. We are a team and a partnership of Believers working for the Lord until He returns. We Praise the LORD for every Blessing He has given our Church. We strive to bless others outside the church as well. We do this through many outreach events and food baskets for the needy on holidays. ALLENTOWN – We continued our special Holy Week emphasis with a Maundy Thursday communion and Good Friday services, an Easter Sunrise service followed by breakfast provided by the Trustees, and an Easter Sunday service. This is a time of special interest and involvement by members and those interested in recognizing Christ’s atoning work. In September we sponsor a community yard sale, inviting the neighborhood to set up free tables. Refreshments are provided by the church, giving us an opportunity to meet many neighbors. We participate in United Front Ministries revitalization program. We are thankful for the vision that is emerging as we focus on what God would have us do now in Allentown. LIONVILLE – As we abide in Him, He abides in us. While abiding may mean pruning, we are able to bear more fruit. We continue to stress the need for complete ministry, combining actions to our words. We provide food for local families in need on a regular basis as well as Christmas presents for area foster families and Operation Christmas Child. We have endeavored to start support group ministries and beginning a mediation ministry. We also continue to offer Biblical teaching through our Worship service, Bible studies and youth ministries. We look forward to the coming year as we build our current ministries and implement the new ministries we have planned. We also continue our support for missions and rejoice at seeing new faces taking an active part in our church life. NEWTOWN – We have been committed to the revitalization process in conjunction with United Front Ministries. We have prayed diligently for God’s direction to guide us into a renewed effort to reach our community with the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. As a result we have reluctantly decided to close our half-day pre-school program, which has seen consistent loss of enrollment. But as one ministry came to a close God brought a new vision for a concert ministry twice monthly presenting Jesus Christ in the form of a music ministry aimed primarily at the teen population. This ministry will include an outdoor Community Day, performances by at least 2 Christian bands, and presentations by community services, letting our neighbors know that God has offered eternal life through faith in Christ. Return to Index at the Top of This Page PITTSBURGH DISTRICT: We are privileged to have in the District these retired men – Revs. Clarence Allwine, Loren Anderson, Robert Balsinger, Merle Wilson, Tom Watkins and Bernard Murphy. Watkins and Murphy are supplying the Beaver Falls and Westmoreland City churches. Our Ministerial Widows are Violet Hildebrand, Virginia Malanowski and Dorothy Thomas. Three of our missionaries with IMB are Ronald Anderson, William Vasey and Jennifer Trigg. Rev. Steve Ramsier is with the NMB and Rev. David Parry is in Special Ministries. WESTMORELAND CITY – Five Score and Twenty Years Ago, our fore-fathers brought forth to Westmoreland City a group of people dedicated and faithful, to become Charter Members in establishing a Primitive Methodist Church in Westmoreland City, PA. Moses was faithful as a servant of God in his entire house. Christ was faithful to His Father who appointed Him heir of all things by Whom the worlds were created by Him (Hebrews 1:2). He was also anointed by Him with the oil of gladness above His fellows (Hebrews 9:9). The Son was counted more worthy than Moses because He built the house. Moses was faithful to a few people, where Christ was faithful to all mankind (John 3:16), for He was over the house as the Master Builder. Except the Lord build the house they labor in vain that built it (Psalm 127:1). DOOR OF HOPE – The year 2005 brought many changes. One was our name change: Door of Hope Community Church. We have seen the Holy Spirit moving and working in our church, community and the new faces on Sunday morning. Many of our outreach programs have brought new friends to us. Some to worship with us; others to come along side us and help with our outreach to the community. We had a total of 15 conversions throughout the year: seven on the Sunday before Christmas. That Sunday 25 community children, 10 of which are new members of our Sunday school, did a reenactment of the birth of Christ for many of their unbelieving family members. The Holy Spirit touched the hearts of the 7 as they came forward. Praise God! God is working and moving through His followers: we praise Him and thank Him for allowing us to be a part of His work in our community. Thank you to the NMB and the churches that sent teams to help us during VBS week. We had a nightly average of 75 community children in attendance. 2005 was just the beginning of God’s work in our community. We will celebrate our 125^th anniversary in 2006! PITTSBURGH SECOND – God’s love is wonderful and we praise Him. Our Wednesday night Prayer Meeting/Bible study continues along with our outreach programs: Beulah Food Bank and clothing drives for the needy; Samaritan Shoeboxes; Shut-in ministry and other mission projects. During Lenten Services we had special guest speakers followed by a time of fellowship. Our Easter Services (Sunrise) Breakfast, Sunday school and church services were well attended as was Christmas Eve Candle Light Service. God is Great and with much prayer we are planning a neighborhood outreach program for the 2006 Lenten/Easter services. We are praying and working diligently for God’s guidance and love to help us spread His Word in this part of His vineyard. SWISSHELM PARK – We praise God for His faithfulness at Swisshelm Park. We are thankful for the opportunities God has provided to be a light to the community, including VBS, our annual Fall Fun Fair, and “Tracts & Treats” Halloween night outreach and the youth and children’s Christmas program. We participated in “Operation Christmas Child” and the Precious Moments Prayer Calendar Program, and we continue to have monthly Mission Project Nights. It was a blessing to host the District Christian Education Conference and experience the wisdom of speaker Margie Krogh. We continue to see consistent attendance and an increasing spirit of unity. MERRITT – God is faithful as He continues to bless us in many ways as we are going through a transition with a new pastor and a healing process as we move forward to glorify God and magnify His Son Jesus Christ in our lives and our church life as we reach out into the community. Our children and youth program continue to grow. With our outward focus we were able to help families in need in our community. Our focus for 2006 is prayer and becoming aware of our calling. We are a church that is returning to the basics of Christianity – 1 Thessalonians 2:8. VICTORY – We are praising God that He does provide for His people. We have an on-going project to install a dehumidification unit in the Fellowship Hall that has already been financially provided for before installation has started. Also, mission giving is over 15% of our budget. We also had a very successful VBS with an average of 40 children attending. JimmieRuth Caughran provided us with several wonderful musical events. SUTERSVILLE – “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation” Psalm 85:6,7. With prayer for revival of our spiritual lives and not for numbers, we have sought a new understanding of God’s love. Pastor Matt Sigler has preached God’s Word as the perfect treasure for reviving the discouraged and sick, giving wisdom to the student, and filling the believer with joy. We have learned that human words and worship cannot sufficiently praise Jesus, but the best praise is doing what the Word teaches. God answers prayer and will sustain us in times of plenty and difficulty. ZION, GRATZTOWN – 2005 was a difficult year for our church. In September we lost our beloved minister Doug Slater in a tragic accident. We held our September Music Fest that was started by Pastor Doug each September, two weeks after his death. We gave all the proceeds to help his family. It was a huge success. Fortunately, we were able to fill our pulpit with a close friend and fellow minister, Rev. William McGill, who has helped us heal and also grow spiritually. GLENWOOD – God has led us through a year of much growth. We have grown spiritually, numerically and practically. Spiritually we have seen many people grow in their faith and increasingly give over areas of their lives to the Lord’s control. This has had a profound effect on our numerical growth; both Sunday worship and our Children’s program have almost doubled over last year. Practically we have seen the addition of a drummer and guitarist to our praise team, projection system for our worship, as well as many new worship services and events to promote spiritual growth. CARNEGIE – We praise God for His faithfulness as we continue to see the blessings He has bestowed on our church. Our Kids Club and Wednesday night Bible study and Prayer Meeting are well attended. We had a great VBS focused around the Lord’s Prayer, with our average attendance being approximately 25. Our mission work continues through the local Meals on Wheels, Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank and Operation Christmas Child. We continue our community outreach with Christmas caroling and community activities. Our choir presented their Christmas cantata to four nursing homes. Our focus continues to be to reach Carnegie for Christ. NEW HOPE, HOUTZDALE – This past year brought new challenges and opportunities to New Hope. We were saddened when long-time faithful members Willie and Lorraine Dinant moved away to be with their children, we continue to pray for them and wish them the best. Perhaps the highlight of the year was our first Back to School Bash, with food, games, horse rides and free haircuts, over 150 visitors attended. The year also resulted in 4 making first-time professions of faith, 2 adults received into membership and 7 baptisms at our annual church picnic. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen FAITH COMMUNITY, STRONGSVILLE – Praise the Lord for 2 new converts. One was almost 98 and rehabbing from a stroke. The other was a college freshman raised in a Jehovah Witness home. Her parents attended church the day she was baptized and became a member. Her older brother now attends our Young Adult meetings. 11 regular attendees became member with her. Prayerfully the remaining 15 will join in 2006 along with 2 new couples. Most prayerfully we will see more conversions. God has given our pastor a vision to reach our neighbors. Please pray that the vision becomes a reality. Praise the Lord! BEAVER FALLS – We as a church have been blessed this past year with a precious fellowship with the Lord and with each other. On June 12 we honored Mrs. Virginia Dodds for her many years of faithful service as our musical director. Oct. 1 found us hosting District Missionary Convention. In addition to our regular mission giving our Trustee Board designates the first 5% of our monthly income to missions. Our missionary projects have been many and varied. In the near future we will be taking in new members. Rev. & Mrs. Merle Wilson continue to be active in our church. FROST ROAD, STREETSBORO – 2005 was a challenging year financially be the work of the Lord continues here at Frost Road Chapel. We believe the church remains on track and while we cannot claim great numbers, we are growing spiritually and numerically. Examples: Three new members; larger VBS with parents attending Sunday morning closing service; tremendous spiritual growth in the Youth Group; 8 women attended Conference Retreat; Men’s Prayer Breakfast is growing with men from outside the church attending; Elder’s Training and Women’s Ministries going strong; Strong Christian education program including Sunday School and Pioneer Clubs. We praise the Lord for everything. GLEN RICHEY – We thank the Lord for His continued blessings on our church. We had 3 accept Christ this year. What an inspiration. Ladies Aid did sunshine boxes for shut-ins and made award cards for missionaries. We sent 27 boxes to Operation Christmas Child ministry. We sent 4 boxes of donations from the church to our service people in Iraq. Youth Group has grown under the guidance of Pastor Stiner and Terry Stiles. Many youth have accepted Christ. We ask to remain in the care of the district and ask the return of Pastor Stiner to our church. Return to Index at the Top of This Page WESTERN DISTRICT: ALBION PRAIRIE/BUSSEYVILLE CIRCUIT – The members of the Albion Prairie and Busseyville churches praise God for the many manifestations of His presence with us throughout this Conference year. Albion Prairie and Busseyville Churches meet together in worship on Christmas Eve and Easter. Several union services are held during the summer. Albion Prairie has a monthly Men’s Prayer Breakfast. We praise the Lord for providing the money for needed repairs through the generous contributions by the Congregation. We ask the Lord’s continual blessing and guidance for the coming year. BENTON BIBLE CHURCH – This year BBC received a new pastor, moved into a new sanctuary, welcomed new families and renewed some ministries. Remodeling the gymnasium as our sanctuary is exciting. The midweek Kids Bible Club was reinstated. We have started three small-group Bible studies while maintaining our regular Midweek and Sunday Night services. All are well attended. The Youth Group is preparing for an exciting, upcoming trip to the Dominican Republic. BBC continues a healthy mission program and many community-based ministries. We are thankful for the Lord’s provision and grace as well as the opportunities we have to minister in His Kingdom. LEADMINE – The Leadmine Church continues as Christ’s beacon of life to its community, and in spite of its small size continues a ministry of compassion and love to its members and neighbors. The members are faithful in their support, in their witness, and in their trust that the Lord and His work will persevere. The Word is preached, souls are prayed for earnestly and with empathy, and the Lord blesses us as we seek to touch others with God’s love. We know He will continue to use us as we continue to serve Him in the name of Jesus the Christ. NEW DIGGINGS – We had a very good year in 2005. Our Bible School was a big success. We averaged 30 students a day and had a lot of compliments on the decorations. Pastor Ron and Marion Fladseth did a great job preparing and getting everyone involved. We also had a ladies’ luncheon once a month with good response from the area. We are looking forward to this coming year in spreading the word of our Lord and enjoying being in His care and guidance. PLEASANT VIEW – Our church has seen both additions and losses this past year. Three members had funerals and Pastor Mark used the opportunity to present the Gospel to the local community, bringing good to sad occasions. Several new babies were born and soon we’ll need a nursery class. Summer Bible School enrolled 35 children with 2 decisions for Christ. Pastor Mark emphasized continuing involvement for these children, including a Wednesday night Pioneer Club. Adult spiritual emphasis has been “Growth to Maturity” in the Pastor’s sermons and Bible studies. In addition to our on-going support of PM missions, we supported both the Darlington Hispanic and Portage churches. The curbside appearance was improved with new steps and worship services have been enhanced with a new organ. STANDART – The Lord is still looking favorably on our little country church. We had one new member, though two of our members moved away. Rev. Bennett has led us down many paths of knowledge that have enriched all our lives. We are growing in the knowledge each of us has a use in the world. The Women’s Missionary Group is a vital part of our church family. With their support they are sponsoring two children in Guatemala, along with supporting Rev. Bill Vasey’s Bible translation and printing. May the work of our church be a sign to our community that we are more than a white building in the country, but actually a group of people making a difference which they can be a part of. WESTVIEW – This has been a busy year for Westview. The ladies’ Bible study group finished studying “The Power of a Praying Woman” and are now studyi9ng women of the Bible. The men continue Thursday morning prayer meetings. Pastor & Bob Bennett minister at local nursing homes. We had a one day revival last summer with evangelist Henry Vanderbush, a spiritual emphasis weekend with Bill Vasey, concerts by Larry Dodds last fall and the University Gospel Choir this spring. We’ve had several different missionaries come through this year and 5 people just returned from a missions trip to Guatemala. We join the other evangelical churches quarterly for a concert of prayer. The Movies in the Parking Lot were successful for a 3^rd year. Many of our people attended the district family growth seminar and ladies’ retreat. Nereida Burkard was hired as children’s worker. She teaches children’s Spanish classes in the church as a new outreach and they’re well attended. We greatly miss Bernadine George and Lela McReynolds, who both went to Heaven in December, but God has raised others to work in their places. We look forward to His blessings another year. BIG PATCH – We’ve seen a few more visitors in Sunday morning services. We were happy to help send our pastor to Guatemala with a work team; hosted the District Praise Gathering; and several Sunday evening services. Members are involved with Meals at Home, Platteville Thrift Shop, and the Oasis Concert ministry. Christmas Eve again brought a full house. As a group we went out to a new subdivision to pray for the Lord’s direction in the lives of those who move into our area. We have stopped by some of the new neighbors to welcome them. Our mission giving remains strong and we regularly included the Darlington Hispanic Church as our national mission project. STREATOR – Greetings. Pastor Brian Beck resigned from the church, leaving in October. Then with much prayer and the help of Rev. LeRoy Pearce we were led to Mr. Jim Walker. He has been a real blessing to us. Although we were in a bit of confusion, things have fallen into place. Our attendance has remained steady and Kids Club has increased to about 25-29 weekly. Our people have been faithful, with many stepping up to help. Through it all, Praise God!!! BRIDGE COMMUNITY, PORTAGE – On March 28, 2006 the Bridge Community Church will have been open for two years. WOW! Many things have changed since those early days, and God is truly the God of every good thing and blessing. We have made a steady campaign of reclaiming and restoring the property, and upgrading the infrastructure of the facility; and God has shown this neighborhood that we are not leaving and are here to be a guiding force in this section of Portage and beyond. Many from area churches are attending our times of teaching and Bible study. God is moving in wondrous ways. We have been meeting and surpassing our attendance goals and our very young Christian group is giving to the ministry very well. We do need to grow and keep growing in order to be truly self-supporting for the long-term and to have money available for ministries in the community. Leadership is now rising up and taking over some of the duties of the church. We have a new blooming youth group of about 8-10 youth from Jr. through Sr. high. All in all we are showing signs of steady advancement in teaching, attendance and giving. Please continue to pray for our teachers existing and those God is sending, and pray for the wisdom of our leadership team. DARLINGTON IGLESIA HISPANIA EVANGELICA – Thanks be to God for His blessings and to all who have given, prayed and helped in any way to support IHE. We have seen God’s hand at work as the congregation has remained steadfast. They are tithing (usually from all working members of the family). We have heard God speak through our pastor and several visiting pastors. And in addition, missionaries Bill Vasey and Paul Lewis. Pastor Mario’s ministry is being felt within the community as he assists any who seek his help. Four Hispanics in a small Wisconsin town have come to know the Lord because there is a church here that speaks their language. Return to Index at the Top of This Page EASTERN DISTRICT: MATTHEWS MEMORIAL – The main thing that 2005 brought us was vision. God has given us a vision through our new pastor Ryan Reveley to actively communicate Jesus Christ in a relevant way through fellowship, worship, discipleship and ministry. Because of this vision, we at Matthews have seen some good things happen. We have a men’s breakfast that meets consistently every other week. We have a Wednesday night Bible study that has grown from 6-8 people to 15-20 people. We still have things to work on such as discipleship and ministry, but we know that God has given this vision as an outline for what is to come. LIGHTHOUSE OF FAITH, TIVERTON – We want to give Glory to God for the great things He has done. In September 2005 God has opened a new door of opportunity for us. We believe that God is doing a new thing and because of that, we’ve changed the name of our church to “The Lighthouse of Faith.” We’ve also had a new change of leadership and now we have on board with us, Rev. Carlos Rodriguez, a pastor with a heart for God and a vision for the area. Our Food pantry was able to bless over 100 families with food baskets last year. We have monthly community suppers, a gospel worship team ministering to the homeless, and we have recently started a Coffee House inviting all churches to join together, so that we may freely give away this contagious love of God. LAWRENCE STREET – Our outreach efforts for 2005 include weekly Youth Group, teen retreats, literacy center, food pantry, quilting, scrapbooking, VBS, Missionary Society Food & Craft Fairs for missionaries, Red Cross Blood Drives, care packages to military personnel in Iraq & elsewhere, Sunday School-sponsored support of orphans in Haiti and weekly Bible study. We began to add praise music to our Sunday morning worship experience in addition to our Adult and Youth choirs. We report 4 conversions this year. CUMBERLAND – Though we are made up of peoples of multiple backgrounds, ethnic differences, social and economic layers, diverse religious heritages, yet all of us form one body. We come from different communities and walks of life, yet there is a oneness that exists through God’s Holy Spirit. We are learning to walk the Walk of Faith – together. We have a great group of young people who are growing in the Christian faith, and an active Sunday school program and Junior Church. World missions is a priority – this year we gave over $28,000 to Home and International missions. We have a good choir and junior choir, VBS and a midweek Bible study. In June we held a worship service outdoors at one of the local parks. We continue to plan a Work Team project – we thank God for our people and pastor. NEW HOPE – Praise the Lord for His faithfulness and love for His people! We have seen an increase in missions giving to around $10,000, and held a special dinner to raise funds for survivors of Katrina ($1,500). During the summer we held “movie nights” featuring films like “Finding Nemo” and “Casa Blanca” to reach non-church people with a Bible devotion presented at each movie. Our Youth supported “Operation Christmas Child” again, filling 110 shoe boxes. We held special Sunday like “Family Sunday” and “Pack a Pew Sunday” to invite friends and family to our services. Our Women’s Guild had a very successful bakeless bake sale in January, and served their 35^th luncheon to the Carvel Chapel for the Blind in April. We support the food bank for greater Lawrence. NEW BEDFORD SOUTH – Our church continues to be n the care of the district. We are continually blessed with the messages from four pastors, each taking their separate Sunday. However, our church attendance has dwindled down to a precious few. We have lost six members and friends by death, three from the nursing homes and three from our active list. We have also lost the attendance of four of our faithful members due to health reasons. We try not to be discouraged but can’t help but feel saddened as we remember the days when we had a thriving church congregation and Sunday school Our church members and friends continue to be led by the Lord and have dedicated themselves to strive to keep the work going at our church. We look to God for guidance as He shows us the way! LUZ Y ESPERANZA (Light and Hope) PAWTUCKET – We give thanks to the Lord that despite hard times we have had victory! Though our pastor receives treatment for prostate cancer and other members are going through health problems, and we have suffered the home-going of Domingo Garcia, Nelson Torres and Flor Carnval, we have seen the Lord add 10 new adult members and 3 teens. We have seen 20 come to Christ for salvation, and have 3 new evangelization and discipling cell groups. We are reaching out to Prospect Heights. We are meeting our budget goals and praying for guidance as we consider moving to a larger building. EVANGELICAL OF LAWRENCE – We thank the Lord for all His blessings in 2005. We focused on evangelism this year, celebrating 6 services every Tuesday night simultaneously. We received 21 new members, baptized 10 and have 24 conversions to report. We had “40 days with purpose” (Adoration, Brotherhood, Discipleship, Ministry and Evangelism) with great blessing and growth. The Clinical Ministry – free health care, medical attention, dental exams, basic prescriptions, clothing, food, medicine and salvation message for the 300 who attended the last meeting of the year was a blessing to us. We modernized our sound equipment and purchased translation equipment. VBS was directed by the Youth assisted by a team of adults – 92 children attended. Finances have increased and we held training for our Tuesday night cell groups, so we are now working with 11 different groups. PROVIDENCE – We thank God for another year to extend the kingdom of God. The Lord has given us strength and spiritual growth in several of our families, and the growth in the faith of our leaders and the unconditional support of our congregation of our vision to reach Rhode Island for Christ. We have received several new families, we have strengthened our education ministry through Sunday School, we have maintained our eagerness to evangelize, developed new strategies to get to know our community and reach them. New leaders have developed along with new ministries. LOWELL MISSION – On July 10, 2005 the first service was conducted in Spanish at the Lawrence Street PM Church in Lowell, Massachusetts. We started to work for the glory of God and to reach the Hispanic Community in the area with support from family members and friends from Lawrence Evangelical PM Church. We participated in Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree, bringing Christmas presents to 10 families. Our main goal is to let people know about Christ and what He can do in their lives with Bible studies, prayer meetings and helping in any way with needs that arise in their lives. So far we have received 4 new members and 1 preparing for baptism. There are 8 members in full communion, with an average attendance of 20-30 on Sunday, and a program for children. On Fridays we have small groups in homes, and prayer meetings on Tuesday. Return to Index at the Top of This Page SOUTHERN DISTRICT: NEW RIVER – We praise God as He continues to bless our efforts. Our attendance continues to increase. We had to add a third Sunday service from January to March, and have added new members. Midweek and Youth and children’s programs are doing well. We restarted our men’s ministry, have two wonderful worship teams and increased missions giving. We collected 136 pairs of shoes for Buckner shoe drive and filled 198 shoe boxes for Samaritan’s Purse. We have 3 conversions. We expanded New River Academy, and have several small groups – couples, new believers and seniors. We have an active hospitality ministry and dozens of dedicated volunteers to make New River Church function effectively. BOWLING GREEN CHRISTIAN BIBLE FELLOWSHIP – We continue to pursue the Headship of Christ as we seek to fulfill our calling as a church. We continue to pursue the development of home Bible studies in our affected communities while teaching applied discipleship. KATHLEEN EVANGELICAL CHAPEL – Despite some physical setbacks in the life of our pastor, we maintain a full schedule of services and activities. Under the direction of Jonathan our music ministry brings inspiration to every service. We are delighted to report that our Hispanic Ministry now has an operational base of 25-30 people. What a delight it is seeing the two groups mix in friendship and fellowship. We covet your prayers for our youth programs, Sunday School and evangelistic efforts. We want to see souls saved! LA GRAN COMISION METHODISTA PRIMITIVA, MARION OAKS – We praise the Lord for all He has done with us this blessed year. Attendance increased to average 62 for Sunday services. We had 36 conversions, 11 baptisms. We purchased a church van which has helped grow our youth attendance. We praise the Lord for the radio ministry we use to evangelize our community. The church has been able to support IMB and NMB ministries. Our community is growing and we expect to grow with them this year. A special thanks to Rev. Fred Perkins for his counseling throughout the year. God bless you, Rev. David and Maria Gonzalez.
Return to Index at the Top of This Page





Back to the Top

[ Home ] [ History ] [ Ministry ] [ Bible Readings ] [ Calendar of Meetings ] [ Organization ] [ Creed ] [ Insignia ] [ Discipline ] [ Notes and News ] [ Yearbook ] [ Links to Primitive Methodism ]
[ MISSIONS ] :: [ International Mission Board ] [ National Mission Board ] [ The Gleanings ] [ La Gleanings en Español ]
[ DIRECTORY ] :: [ Eastern District ] [ Pittsburgh District ] [ Schuylkill District ] [ Southern District ] [ Western District ] [ Wyoming District ] [ Hispanic Ministries ] [ Chaplains ] [ Special Ministries ] [ Youth Ministries ] [ Retired Ministers ] [ Ministerial Widows ]
[ CAMP ] :: [ Camp Facilities ] [ Camp Program ] [ Camp Retreats ] [ Camp Directions ] [ Camp Schedules ]
[ School of Theology ] [ Board of Christian Ministries ] [ Special Events ] [ General Information ] [ Contact Us ]

CHURCH REMARKS$2006 YEARBOOK