Site
Contents
 |
General Information about the Area Office
North Indiana Conference Office
South Indiana Conference Office
Prayer Guides
(Courtesy of the NIC Prayer Team)
Area United Methodist
Foundation
For resources to assist your congregation in welcoming guests,
click here
Seashore District Volunteer Center VIM project -- Completed
Hoosier United Methodist News Archives
| Hoosier United Methodist News |
January 2002 |
Country
Church:
Happy New Year, Leesville!
By Matthew Oates
- Leesville UMC, Bloomington District
- Pastor: The Rev. Rob Kirts
- Members: 54
- Average Attendance: 62
- Location: Across from Leesville Town Cemetery on Williams Street, 2.2 miles south from U.S. 50
LEESVILLE, Ind. -- This little Lawrence County town is filled with history. The B & D Market, Emmanuel Lutheran Church, a community center and Leesville UMC. All are a stone's throw away from each other.
About a block from the historical plaque proclaiming the town's contributions is Leesville UMC.
The church is built into a hill that faces the town cemetery. It sits in paradise: high on a hill that rolls into a valley, complete with a creek and wooded hills. Paradise hostas, petunias, coneflowers and other flora flourish underneath the stained glass windows.
Inside this simple building is a fellowship hall, classrooms and kitchens in the basement. The sanctuary is on the main floor, complete with an eternal candle located in the middle of the aisle.
The Rev. Rob Kirts doesn't preach behind the pulpit. He moves around the sanctuary and is conversational with the members during the sermon. "There's hardly a Sunday that goes by where we haven't laughed and cried with each other."
According to Kirts, the church has undergone a transformation. When he started preaching there six years ago, average attendance was in the 20s. But when the church started mixing outreach, new types of music and community-wide youth events, a recipe for rebirth was created.
Kirts began as a certified lay speaker and was sent to Leesville as a supply pastor (substitute). "I wanted to preach a revival every Sunday," recalls Kirts, who also works at NTN Driveshaft in Columbus.
And the recipe for rebirth and growth continues to be formed. History was made when they did something that most small churches wouldn't even think of doing: adding another service.
Their schedule starts with Sunday school at 10 a.m. and then a relaxed, blended service at 11 a.m. Some members wanted a free-flowing class where people could come and ask questions about the Christian faith and have a discussion with the pastor. That eventually turned into a second service on Sundays at 6:30 p.m. "We have a lot of people that are new Christians," says Kirts. "To me Sunday morning is just not enough."
As we enter 2002, the church is making sure the town knows about their open hearts, minds and doors. The church is using the start of the year to help people keep resolutions on getting God and the church back in the center of people's lives. To do that, the church will be inviting the community to participate with a variety of events and chances to learn. "That's what we're really looking for again," says Kirts.
Last updated on January 14, 2004