People Met = 8
Due to downpours, thunderstorms and tornado watches we took a rest day, spent mainly at the Peebles Public Library. In the evening we stayed at the United Methodist Community Church in Sinking Spring. The pastor there, Greg Seamen, was contagiously dynamic. He is one reason why this church in a town of a couple hundred has grown from 18 members to 175.
Pastor Greg
After attending their Bible study that evening I recorded Pastor Greg for a podcast. Perhaps someday I’ll put one together, but some time spent in reflection about the incredible growth of this church reveals how it fits the ingredients I’ve observed for vibrant community initiatives in general.
Bible Study
Passionate Catalyst – Pastor Greg has a full time job …. with GE. He is not an ordained minister but rather a special type of Methodist minister created to fill the need of small churches. He accepts a small stipend from the church upon their insistence, but he serves out of pure love for his faith and what he does.
Shared Responsibility/No Heroes – Pastor Greg shared that he once had great hopes for “his” ministry, only to find it going nowhere. Also consider that he has a full time job elsewhere. Things started to pick up once he “got out of the way of God” and his parishioners. He encouraged any type of ministry that anyone in the congregation wanted to do, no matter how seemingly insignificant, such as free hair cuts for students before going back to school.
Autonomy – The church and pastor do things their way. In addition to a regular service they have a contemporary service Sunday evening. The ministries are a testimony to this as well. They fit the mold of a grassroots community church more than one beholding to a hierarchical structure.
Everyone Benefits – Between the nineteen or so ministries that they have going on there is at least some type of benefit for anyone involved in the church.
Everyone Serves – The same rationale for “Everyone Benefits” applies here. Pastor Greg shared a story about a person who, on one hand, someone in the church ministered to by buying him socks that he seemed to need. That same person once gave Pastor Greg a check for $25 one year to buy Christmas presents to some child in need.
Pastor Greg shared several stories to the effect that in defiance of those who worried about budgets, the more they gave away to help the community the more income they received for whatever they needed. An important thing to add is that there are no strings attached to their giving and various ministries, no evangelizing if you will. They help because they believe they are called to help, not to gain membership. Yet in the process they attract a great many members beyond the borders of Sinking Spring. They are a model to behold for community involvement.
