Church Life: Regional Ministry - September 2008
New Ottumwa Church Still Playing Catch-up
“Why are we waiting until the fall of 2008? I wonder if God isn’t calling us to do this in September of 2007,” said Bev Brand, a member of the brainstorming church plant team of Third Reformed Church in Pella, Iowa.
And so it was decided on May 8, 2006, to plant a church in Ottumwa, Iowa, in one year. My wife and I left the meeting filled with excitement, wonder, and lots of questions; yet there was no doubt this was what God had called us to be about.
My family was one of five from Pella that relocated to Ottumwa that first year.
It would be easy for me to unpack what transpired the next year as far as training, tactics, and strategies, but none of those things has served as the foundation of how thebridge started or who we are as a church. Although those things are important, it has become obvious that there is not one way to start a church. But the one thing that has to come first is God. Over and over again, even before our first public worship on September 9, 2007, we have marveled at how God has clearly gone before us, and we are doing our best to catch up. This has been made apparent in everything from the name of the church and where we meet to the vision of thebridge and the partnership we have with Third Church.
One of the stories I like to share is that we chose the name thebridge before we even went to Ottumwa, only to find the tag line of the city is “city of bridges.” It just so happens that we meet in a brand new building right on the river that is called the Bridgeview Center. Both the Bridgeview Center and our office are located on Church Street. At some point you just can’t make up this stuff.
As fun as those stories are, though, our passion has always been to be an Acts 1:8 church coupled with prayer. Through the stories borne out of this passion and vision, we see the kingdom of God being impacted, including:
- When we get a phone call from an elementary school requesting another backpack with school supplies for a student, giving away deodorant, shampoo, and toothbrushes, as well as shoes, underwear, and prom dresses.
- When we capitalize on what God has given us and choose to invest it in building a homeless shelter.
- When Bryan, Veronica, or John lingers longer because of wanting to know more about this Jesus we keep talking about.
These are times it gets fun, and these are places where we see how God has been at work far in advance of us even deciding to move up the date a year.
We currently average about 140 in worship, which includes our core team (twenty-two families that committed to attend regularly for a year and serve in worship day ministries).
In our first month of worship a year ago, we also averaged about 140. The difference is that 90 percent of those first month attenders were from Pella. Today that number is less than 10 percent.
To learn more about thebridge and the ways its people are serving in the community of Ottumwa, visit www.martyschmidt.wordpress.com.
—Marty Schmidt
Pella, Iowa
Regional Reports
Albany: Some thirty percent of the installed ministers in Albany Synod have served in their current parishes for ten or more years. Research shows that a church with a long-tenured pastor can be a healthier congregation than one with frequent pastoral transitions. What makes a long-term pastorate work well? Albany Synod’s long-term pastors are gathering in late September at Camp Fowler in Speculator, New York, to share stories about their ministry experiences. The Rev. Jon Norton, synod executive for New York Synod and a long-term pastor himself, is facilitating discussion about church and clergy health in a long-term ministry. (albany.rca.org)
Canada: Eight persons from Canada attended “Thrive,” the RCA church-planters conference in July. The group reflected the diversity of the Canadian churches, with individuals from a variety of nations and backgrounds uniting in mission. Attendees included Jose (Hispanic) and Arlett (African Canadian originally from Trinidad and Tobago) Garreton, who are starting a new church in Toronto; Adriana Borges (Portugese-speaking, Brazilian-born), starting another new work in Mississauga, Ontario, under the Vida Nova church; Paul and Sharon Menacinen (Caucasian couple from Forestview Reformed in Ontario), who are preparing and studying to plant a church; Meine Veldmen (Dutch background), contracted for the Laval, Quebec North Shores ministry; and Norman (Cree) and Maria (Caucasian) McCallum of Calling Lake, Alberta. (www.reformed-church.com)
Far West: For the last several years, Rancho Community Reformed Church in Temecula, California, has hosted twice-yearly blood drives held on Sunday mornings. “We set up right outside our Family Life Center where we worship,” said Kimi Sturgess, impact ministry coordinator for the church. “People can donate between or after [worship] services.” Staff from area blood banks conduct the drives, although the church supplements with occasional volunteers. Sturgess said they net nearly fifty pints per session. “It’s an important service as blood saves lives,” says Sturgess. ”And we can all help out if we just give a little time…and blood.” (www.rcawest.org)
Great Lakes: Synod leaders have been wondering how to achieve a more equitable balance of church planting in the eastern Michigan and Ohio part of the region, where a shortage of strong RCA parent churches had become a roadblock. But a conversation with a large non-denominational church in Troy, Michigan, started things clicking. Kensington Community Church offered to welcome an RCA planter onto its staff for a year to raise up a core group for a church start. “Paired with classis and regional financial support, it becomes a win-win for the kingdom,” said Great Lakes multiplication consultant the Rev. Ben Ingebretson. (www.rcagl.org)
Mid-America: Camp Manitoqua, an RCA camp in Frankfort, Illinois (www.manitoqua.org), launched its summer camping season May 31 by hosting its first “Spring into Summer” event. Families with children coming to camp for the first time or considering sending kids to camp, as well as families familiar with Manitoqua, turned out to enjoy a breezy but warm day that included swimming, food, and fun activities for kids. The event set the stage for Manitoqua’s successful summer season. This annual gathering will celebrate spring and afford the opportunity for the community to see how the camp presents Christ to kids every day. (www.midamericasynod.org).
Mid-Atlantics: A group of Korean RCA pastors and churches from Greater Palisades Classis has sent a gift of $2,000 to the Myanmar mission of the RCA, designated for work in that southeast Asian nation. According to the Rev. En Young Kim, Korean church coordinator for the classis, each year the offerings from Korean church Easter sunrise services are designated for a mission project. The coordinator meets monthly with the pastors. Kim is also copastor (with the Rev. John Hiemstra) of the Reformed Church of Closter, a multicultural church in Closter, New Jersey. (www.rsmat.org)
New York: A new venture took place on June 20 when a group of seven pastors and elders from the Regional Synod of New York met with a delegation of pastors representing fifteen Dominican Republic churches from the Providence, Rhode Island, area. These Dominican church leaders are very interested in the RCA, its strong theology, and sure way of governing itself. They say they appreciate the RCA’s problem-solving ability, its acceptance of diversity, and its decision to reach out to those who do not know Christ, with both a strong desire to bring the gospel and care and concern for physical needs. (www.nysynod.org)
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