The Pastor’s Piece – September 24, 2023

The Pastor’s Piece

FCFI

September 24, 2023

Who says God is dead? 

A few years ago, I’d say about 30 to be exact, there was a little white church out in the middle of nowhere in the country that was in trouble. Their pastor had just stepped down in the middle of controversy and they asked me if I’d be their new pastor. This was not an ideal situation, but I was much obliged to walk through the door God had opened for me. On my first Sunday behind the pulpit, we welcomed about 20 people to the worship service. Word soon got out that there was a new pastor in town. Mostly out of curiosity, people started coming to church to check out the new guy. Within a couple of months attendance had gone from 20 something to 90 something. A few months after that we were averaging over 100 people per week. There was excitement in the air. People had a desire to know God and to hear the Bible taught from the pulpit and in Sunday school and other Bible studies. We added services on Sunday and midweek to accommodate the crowd. We had big groups and small groups meeting each and every week to study God’s Word. We had breakfast Bible studies at church and evening Bible studies in people’s homes. These were great times to be involved. We never wavered on our Bible teaching. We found that as long as we stuck to the Bible, God would use it to change people for the better.

Then Covid. We decided not to shut our doors, not to social distance and not wear masks. Some people called us “controversial.” But we found a way to continue our services without interruption. People needed contact with other believers. Word got out and people started coming to church on a regular basis from as far as 40 or 50 miles away. We became a super spreader – of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And all of sudden we had problems – big problems. Problems like there was not enough room in the sanctuary to hold everybody. Problems like we need more Sunday school teachers. Problems like there was nowhere to park. Our attendance started growing without any sign of slowing down. We went from 12 people in Sunday school to 175. We went from 16 people at a midweek Bible study to 104. We went from 100 people on Sunday morning to over 400 with more than 500 on special occasions. We went from 4 baptisms a year, to more than two dozen. Last week, at our Sunday school kickoff, 374 people attended – both young and old and everywhere in between. God gave us perfect weather and we had our own little carnival. There was a sea of people mingling about and laughing, and eating, and jumping in the kids’ bouncy houses. Children and adults alike were riding a mechanical bull, climbing a two story air slide and descending with shouts of joy and screams of laughter. There were miniature horses and buggy rides and soft serve ice cream. Everybody was happy. Everybody was laughing. Nobody wanted to leave. Said one happy Martintownian after the event: “Yesterday was amazing!! A feast both physically and spiritually!! We loved watching the kids enjoying their activities.” 

With all this activity and growth, we needed more parking. Two years ago, we took a piece of property next to the church and added an additional parking lot.  When that lot along with our original lot filled up, people began parking along the side streets and the main highway that goes by our church. It became hazardous and dangerous for people to get to church on Sunday. So we began a new parking lot project. Bulldozers and excavators came in and began leveling more land and preparing a new space to park cars. Then the paving company arrived and when all was said and done, we more than doubled our parking spaces. This sleepy little church has gotten very busy. 

We were cautioned not to get too excited about the growth. People are fickle, we were told… they’ll come for a while then you’ll never see them again. But that hasn’t happened. The Holy Spirit isn’t fickle. When He changes someone’s heart, it’s for real. I’ve been meeting pretty much non-stop with people who want to know how they can have a relationship with God. They want their eternal destiny to be secure and sure. They want a relationship with God that is not based on fear and duty but based on peace and joy. People are praying to receive Christ and commit their lives to Him. For the first time in their lives, people are reaching out to God and finding purpose and joy in life that they never knew was possible before. Children, teens, young adults, middle agers, and elderly people – some in their 80’s and even in their 90’s are sharing what God has done to transform their lives. This is God in action.

It is a joy to be part of God’s work in all its aspects here at Martintown Community Church. You are welcome to join us. 

(Kevin Cernek is Lead Pastor of Martintown Community Church in Martintown, Wisconsin).