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March 2006 |
Genesis
God's spirit moving in North Indiana
By Ed Fenstermacher
Paula Shrock, a member of our conference prayer team, recently received an interesting e-mail. It said God was bringing revival to Indiana and that it would start in the northeast corner of the state.
Could it be? Will The United Methodist Church be a part of such a revival? A look at what's happening in United Methodist congregations on the south side of Fort Wayne suggests that the UMC is in the middle of the action.
By the end of 2004, Christ United Methodist Church, once a thriving suburban church averaging nearly 300 worshippers, was in the heart of Fort Wayne's south side, with a worship attendance of fewer than 100 people.
Its pastor, the Rev. Jill Wright, and a few lay people have been praying for a year and a half that the church would be open to the leading of God and would be brought visitors from God.
First a couple, Sergio and Janie Reyes, who had planted a fledging Hispanic church that was in need of a new home, came to Christ UMC and was adopted by the congregation. (See the March 2005 Vital Signs article online at www.nicumc.org.)
Since then, both have joined the church where they continue to lead the church's Spanish-language service, which recently had 90 people in attendance - as many people as the whole church averaged the prior year.
Come as you are
Last fall, Wright and the Reyes launched a third "Come as You Are" Sunday service. A worship team of Hispanics, African Americans and Anglos initially led this high-energy, praise service, but God appeared to have a different plan.
A few months ago, God once again answered the prayers of the church and brought Jeff Thomas, an African-America pastor. Thomas, who still leads his own Apostolic congregation, says that he was driving past Christ UMC when the Holy Spirit told him to stop, that he needed to be a part of the ministry going on there.
Like the Reyes, he too was embraced by the church. His mantra: "If we do anything that doesn't attract one person, we need to question continuing to do it," has become the Rev. Wright's mantra as well. The two of them canvass the church's neighborhood inviting people to try the life-changing "Come as Your Are" worship service.
After being approved by the Rev. Lamar Imes, Fort Wayne District Superintendent, Thomas is now doing most of the preaching at the Sunday 11 a.m. service.
What are the results of all of this? The service is averaging 40 to 50 people each week and is attracting unchurched, unemployed, alcoholics and people who have spent time in prison - real people, in search of a real God.
Open Arms
The story is similar two miles away at Open Arms, a second ministry site of Good Shepherd UMC. This site, located in a former United Methodist church that was closed, now has a thriving congregation made up of a similar group of formerly unchurched, hard-living people. It, too, has three weekly worship services.
Its original service is led by Donovan Coley, a Jamaican Presbyterian missionary. Soon after Good Shepherd had launched Open Arms, Coley was driving past the church, saw the sign "Open Arms," and felt God calling him to be a part of the ministry. He and his family have been there ever since. Now the service he helps lead has people worshiping from seven different countries. (See July 2004 Vital Signs online www.nicumc.org.)
Like Christ UMC, Open Arms has a Sunday afternoon Spanish-language service, that is led by Leonardo Flores. Open Arms has added recently its third Sunday worship service - a high-energy, praise service. This new congregation is partially composed of members from a displaced black Assemblies of God congregation.
In the past month, the Holy Spirit has moved again, this time at Hope UMC, an open-country church located several miles south of Open Arms. This predominately Anglo congregation lead by the Rev. John Randall, voted to launch a Hispanic congregation. Once again, God has brought the most unexpected leader in a man named Crecendio Barahona.
Barahona, already leads a Spanish-language church on Fort Wayne's south side, but felt called to start another one toward Decatur. Already he has gathered a half-dozen Hispanic families, has begun a new worship service in the church and prayer a group at Hope.
No doubt, God's spirit is moving. Praise God!
Ed Fenstermacher serves as Associate Director for Church Development and Revitalization in the North Indiana Conference of The United Methodist Church. (ed@nicumc.org).
Last updated on 25 Apr 2008