I was appointed to the Oakland Free Methodist Church by the Pittsburgh Conference Stationing Committee in June of 1982 [I was thirty years old]. A very smooth transition of leadership was facilitated by Pastor John F. States. Some church statistics for the year ending 1982 were: Total Membership – 120; Morning Worship Average – 102; and Total Budget - $59,379.
During the transition period, Pastor States held a meeting including himself, myself and Debbie, and the Pastor’s Cabinet at that time: Russell Dray, Sr., Alma Kelly, Henry Muschweck, Paul Ward, Betty Heald and Martha Anderson (some spouses were involved as well). In the dialogue of this evening, the Cabinet clarified its desire in two points: 1) they wanted help in involving younger people into the leadership of the church; and 2) they wanted a strong youth ministry to be maintained.
Both of these goals have been met, but not without pain. Over the years, there has been a steady increase of involvement by a new group of people [Hal’s original copy includes the names of over 122 individuals]. However, transitions of power are never easy. My thirteen-year ministry at Oakland can best be characterized as a time of generational transition. There has been a gradual passing of the torch of leadership to a younger generation. Unfortunately, some older members have felt left out or overlooked as aa result of this change. Some, who have been discontent, have hindered the progress of the church by resisting change. One interesting note is that of the above-mentioned Cabinet, four of those are still on the 1995 Cabinet: Henry Muschweck, Alma Kelly, Betty Heald and Paul Ward.
The Oakland Church has continued to be a strong church with a desire to influence its community for Christ. There has been a steady flow of new people through the church over the years. Some have stayed for only a few weeks; some have stayed for several years and became quite involved in the life of the church; and some are still involved. At the present time the Church is made up of three fairly distinct groupings.
·
First,
there is a large group of older members who are still active in the church life
to varying degrees.
·
Second,
there is a large group of middle-aged couples/families, most of whom are active
and supportive.
·
Third,
there is an active and large group of youth under the leadership of Associate
Pastor Raeanne Thompson [now Barlow].
This reveals two needs for the future. At present, we have very few children and very few young adult couples. A young, single adult Sunday School class is to begin in June, 1995, to seek to address this challenge. The present leadership will be wise to seek to involve younger people in significant positions to facilitate a smooth, yet gradual transition of leadership.
Specific stresses have existed in East Liverpool that have had a direct effect on church growth expectations. The closing of the Crucible Steel Mill in 1982, had a devastating impact on the community! Many families were thrown into long-term unemployment situations. In addition, a long-term tension over the construction and operation of Waste Technologies Incorporated has affected the community for the same period of time. This waste incinerator is located within 500 yards of the Oakland Church. Neighborhood property values have been impacted as a result of this planned construction. Due to these and other factors, the area has been largely characterized by low self-esteem and depression., This makes East Liverpool a wonderful location for an outreaching, teaching and caring Christian community!
The youth ministry has remained strong over these years at the Oakland Church. An active Christian Youth Crusader/Christian Life Club has been maintained every year up until 1994. This has faithfully fed young people into the youth group. A number of individuals helped with the Youth Ministry through October, 1991, when Pastor Raeanne began. Some of those were: Russ Dray, Philip Kelly, Debbie Haire, Harold Haire, Rick and Regina Anderson, and Karen Kelly. Both the Youth Group and the CYC/CLC have been blessed with large numbers of kids. Parents and families do tend to come for special programs and events, but not for regular involvement in the life of the church.
We have consistently worked to become a more welcoming church. There are two areas where we have made significant gains. The first is in what could be called the personality of the church. Visitors now report that they feel very welcomed upon attending services at Oakland. This change is the result of much labor and instruction on the part of the pastor and the people. We have regularly reviewed the basics of being a friendly church. We have stressed the necessity of enfolding new people. Harold Kelly has been our inspiration in this area. He is greatly appreciated and respected by this congregation because of his love for the Lord, love for people and desire for growth in the Kingdom!
The second area of significant growth has been in worship. This church has a history of meaningful worship. In stride with other changes, the church has undergone a transformation of worship style. It began subtly with the introduction of new choruses. [This trend was aggressively moving through American churches in the 1980’s.] It evolved to be a full-fledged contemporary form. Today the Oakland congregation has an enormous range of hymns, gospel songs and praise choruses that it uses in its worship. Since 1991, a Worship Team has participated in the planning and leadership of worship: David Kelly, David Pinkerton, Bradley Cowsert, Robert Cowsert, Marilyn Kelly, Ronald Kelly, Lynn Muschweck and the pastors. The last several years have been punctuated with periodic ‘Festivals of Praise’. These gatherings have often involved other congregations and musicians from the area. They have been memorable times of participatory worship!
There have been quite a number of special events over these years. I’m sure I’ll omit some, but let me mention a few.
In the Spring of 1984, a large group worked hard under Ron Kelly’s direction to learn and deliver Bill Gaither’s ALLELUJAH: a Praise Gathering for Believers on Pentecost Sunday! Later that summer we chartered a bus and took our whole Sunday evening service to Warren, Ohio - where John States was leading the church – to share the musical with their congregation!
In April of 1985,we held a revival with five other area Free Methodist Churches participating: Oakland, First FMC, Beechwood, Ohioville, Wellsville and Hookstown. Former Bishop Paul N. Ellis was the speaker. In his illness, Reverend James Bischoff preached for the first two nights. The week was well attended and marked with times of meaningful worship.
November of 1988, saw Trygvar and Anne Brauteseth come to Oakland for an evening of sharing about their ministry in South Africa. The crowd was not large but the blessing of the Spirit was! He told of a witch doctor who dedicated his life to Christ. This man brought all the tools of his trade together for a fire to give testimony tohis changed life. They couldn’t get the items to burn. Trygvar sensed the opposition of Satan; he prayed for God’s intervention. Fire fell from heaven and burned up all of the man’s belongings. At the end of the service the congregation committed to purchasing a $1,500 tent for evangelism in South Africa. David Kelly led us in this vision. Later, unknown0of money came through from his late grandmother to help with this purchase. A fellowship time was held at David and Karen’s home afterward. Trygvar shared stories with the men in one room while Anne shared with the ladies in another.
In September, 1989, we held a gret weekend called HOMECOMING ’89. We rented a huge carnival tent for shade. We served a meal at the Tri-State Campground and held an afternoon of remembering with former pastors and superintendents sharing. The Sunday morning worship was a highlight with a procession of choir and pastors. It was a very well-attended event. The camp dining hall got a last minute coat of paint to spruce it up for our guests. A video was made of the weekend by Bob Cowsert which is kept in the church office!
On December 29, 1991, we held a Festival of Praise, led by Jim and Tammy Bean. It was a wonderful time of animated worship. This was to be the first of many gatherings. During this period we were receiving much teaching in the area of biblical finances from past and Ron Kelly. That night, Alma Kelly and Ron Kelly led the congregation in a ‘Wave Offering’ in which the entire debt of the church was eliminated ($26,000)!! Praise the Lord!
From the end of October, 1992, through January, 1993, we enjoyed the teaching of Reverend James Crawley of the New Hope Baptist Church. Sunday evening after Sunday evening he bathed us in his insights into The Song of Solomon. It was during this period that Shirley Kelly committed her life to Christ and started attending regularly. Pulpit exchanges with New Hope were held every year with affirming responses and rich fellowship.
Three different ‘Life in the Spirit’ weekends were held. The first was in April, 1988, and Reverend Christina Ferris brought a series of messages. The next was in the Spring of 1992. Reverend W. P. Jones and his wife, Virginia, came to share with us. The Lord blessed in a great way as Reverend Jones brought messages to challenge the church. On Saturday evening we had a special time for blessing the children. Beginning at one end and moving toward the other end of the altar, Reverend Jones laid his hands on each child and gave them a spiritual blessing. Many parents were amazed at the accuracy of his words and prayers; it was apparent that he was being led by the Holy Spirit.
In November of 1993, Reverend Lucie Behar came to share with the congregation in a ‘Life in the Spirit’ week. Lucien had been with us twice before; the Oakland congregation loves this evangelist! He returned to East Liverpool in July, 1994, to serve as evangelist for the Tri-State Family Camp – another tremendous time of spiritual refreshment.
Also in November of 1993, we enjoyed another special evening with a retired missionary couple: Reverend and Mrs. Clarence and Betty Owsley. They had served as career missionaries to Brazil and were travelling again due to a shortage of missionaries stateside. Once again, we were blessed by their wisdom, enthusiasm and heart for the lost. Brother Owsley sat on the front seat during worship and vigorously sang the contemporary praise choruses selected for that evening. He and Betty provided a wonderful example of Christian grace in retirement. Even as I leave Oakland, I am sharing a recent letter from the Owsley’s who are planning to return to Brazil (at age 75) for a six-month VISA tour to cover for Clancy and Doris Thompson while they are on furlough. Brother Owsley’s new motto: “Come Alive in ‘95”!
We were also blessed in November of 1993 and 1994! Both years our evangelism committee involved us in the Annual East Liverpool Christmas Parade. Free hot chocolate was distributed in the name of Jesus from David and Karen Kelly’s home (200 West Sixth Street). A float was also entered in the parade, something that had been done each year for several years by the Christian Life Club. Candy [attached to tracts] was passed out by prayerful parishioners among the crowd. All in all, 40-50 Oaklanders were involved each year! A spirit of goodwill was communicated and seeds were sown for the glory of the Lord!
Finally, during the winters of 1994 and 1995, we enjoyed the teaching of Debbie’s father, Mr. Ken Whippo of the Rochester, PA Free Methodist Church. The first year Ken taught an excellent study of the ‘End Times’. The discussion was rich and an average of over forty was maintained. Food and fellowship also characterized these evenings. The second year his topic was ‘Creation Verses Evolution’.
There were many others who preached [at least once] over this thirteen-year period:
James McMasters
Maxine Smith
Lee Spear
Howard Canon
R.D. Merkle
R.A. Neal
Roy Perkins
E.L. Daugherty
Greg Bengry
Eric Nulph
David Stout
Gordon Aiken
John Kelley
James Crowley
David Peterson
R. T. Singleton
S.H. Estel
Milo Smith
Wilmer Olszewski
Bishop Gerald Bates
Bishop Richard Snyder
Violet Turner
Kenneth Campbell
Ronald Kelly
Russell Dray, Sr.
Tilman Houser
John States
D. Edward Bailey
V. J. Mannoia
Fred Thomas
Lucien Behar
Tom Johnston
W.P Jones
Charles Parry
Christina Ferris
Tom Roush
Chris Baker
Lloyd Arnett
Dean McElroy
Wayne Standley
Dean Beguhl
Raeanne Thompson [Barlow]
David B. Kelly
Donald Davis
We enjoyed
wonderful missionary meetings with Elaine Williamson (Fall, 1994) and Ken Leech
(February 1994). There was a great week of training in personal evangelism by
the Reverend Tom Johnston (May, 1990). In
addition, there were Bishop’s Rallies, Family Camps, Community Worship
Services, precious times of Holy Communion, baptism services (several One
observation is noteworthy:), 45-Club Celebrations [regarding faithful
attendance in Sunday School], Sunday-Evenings-at-the-Campground, Super Bowl
Sundays, and even Mid-Winter Cook-outs!
Events like these are great, but what is truly important is the effect of the church on its community and the spiritual growth of its adherents. There is evidence that our church is becoming more outreaching in evangelism. The Annual Reports from 1982-1994 indicate that seventy-five individuals have come to faith in Christ. [A record of these names is in Pastor Hal’s original document.] Many of these have been through pastoral ministry, many others have also been through the ministry of the CYC/CLC/VBS. Many more have been through the youth group – especially in the latter years under Pastor Raeanne Thompson [Barlow’s] leadership!
Present statistics for the year ending 1994 were:
·
Total
Membership – 102
·
Morning
Worship Average – 93 [This fails to
reflect the fact that we had many Sundays with an attendance of over 200.]
·
Total
Budget - $119,094
·
I
recorded [in my original document] the names of 75 individuals who made a
first-time commitment to Christ!
One observation is noteworthy:
In 1990, the church family became embroiled in a division
over whether or not to have a cable television hooked up in the church. This
issue seemed to have been a culmination of a long-term, gradually –growing dispute
between traditional verses contemporary forms of worship and ministry.
The end result: no converts in 1990. It is obvious that our enemy distracted us from our mission!
On the other hand, spiritual growth has been very evident in much of the congregation. Oakland attenders have become more Bible-oriented. There is a great emphasis on worship. The gifts of the Spirit are discerned and employed in the “Body of Christ”. Sunday School classes, prayer groups and fellowship times are characterized by love and joy. However, complete unity has been difficult to attain.
In about 1986, a small group of folks began to meet on Monday nights for prayer, study and praise. These gatherings sometimes included as many as thirty people. [As of my departure, the groups continued to meet, although with smaller attendances]. The emergence of this group seems to coincide with the rising of a theological divergence in the Oakland Church. These theological tensions exist mainly in the understanding of healing/health, and in the area of prosperity or God’s provision for the believer. At times these differing opinions have been defended vigorously in public. However, most of the time these differences are not addressed in open forum. My role has been critical in maintaining balance in this church. A free-flow of interaction would be the desirable route to address these concerns and find resolution.
One of the truly great endeavors of our church has been its vigorous leadership in the area of employing pastoral apprentice interns. We began this practice in 1987, by cooperating with the Pittsburgh Conference Student Summer Intern Program (SSIP). Mr. D. Edward Bailey came that year to be our full time, summer, pastoral assistant. When he returned in 1988, we ran the program without outside financial assistance. We did so again in 1989, and 1990, with Miss Raeanne Thomson serving as the pastoral assistant. This was especially beneficial since she would later come to Oakland as Associate Pastor. Then, in 1992, we enjoyed having our own Mr. Chris Baker as summer intern. He is now studying for the full-time Free Methodist ministry at Asbury Theological Seminary.
These last several years have been a time of real stretching for the Oakland congregation. In the Fall of 1991, with some financial assistance from the Pittsburgh Conference, we brought Raeanne Thompson on as a full time, Associate Pastor with major responsibility in the youth area. Her contributions are of inestimable value. She has led many to faith in Christ. The youth group has continually shown signs of life and vitality. Her influence has been felt widely through the church family and also throughout the community. This year she will be ordained ‘Deacon’ at the second sitting of the annual conference. Her youth have a positive influence on the worship and ministry outreach of this church. The congregation has really had to be flexible to allow for the activity that comes with a growing youth group; however, the payoff has been well worthwhile!
The financial growth of the church is something that must be addressed. Ron Kelly has played a major role in this area through the years. Our teaching and emphasis on biblical principles of finance have been a catalyst to some great things happening. Gradually we saw a willingness develop to ‘sow’ money into the lives and ministry of others (rather than trying to keep it all for use at Oakland). This began by sowing into the lives of several minister friends: Olvers, Hetzers, Babels, and others. The Lord seems to have been leading us to this ministry clear back with the Brauteseth’s tent! Over the years we saw one after another exciting things happen. Financial testimonies became part of the regular course of events.
A major point of turning seems to have been the 1991 Festival of Praise ($26,000 debt elimination)! This led to the 1993 formulation of a $100,000 Global Outreach Challenge. Although originally formulated time frames were not realized, the congregation continues to pray and give believing that God wants to use this congregation in a strategic manner to accomplish His worldwide outreach. As of the present date, over $18,000 has been given for this purpose since September, 1993. Most of this has gone toward the support of Dr, Dan and Dean Snyder and their family. They are [at the time of writing] in language studies in Canada with plans to eventually return to Central Africa!
A careful transition has been planned as the congregation prepares to receive a newly appointed pastor in June. The Haires are being appointed to the Spencerville, Maryland Free Methodist Church [Maryland/Virginia Conference]. With Travis having recently entered the Navy (and stationed in Florida), it will be just Harold, Debbie, Troy (14) and Tracie (13) moving to the D.C. area. We consider it a blessing to have raised our family in a progressive setting such as Oakland. I have deeply appreciated the caring affirmation and support I have so consistently received here. I will always be appreciative of the Oakland Church for facilitating the attaining of my Master of Divinity degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (1987) and my Master of Arts in Counseling degree from the Franciscan University of Steubenville (1992).
My major regret is that I seem to have alienated a group of older members who eventually withdrew from active involvement in the church. This, coupled with spiritual, personal and family concerns contributed to the motivation for a change. It is insightful to note that the Spring, 1995 pastoral vote was almost unanimous to have a continuation of leadership!
We will always reflect on Oakland Church as a place of fond memories. We have enjoyed and benefitted from many rich times of meaningful worship and praise here. We will continue to pray that this congregation will always hold hands with God as they move into the future. We shall watch from a distance, expecting to hear great things from East Liverpool.
CAPITAL IMPORVEMENTS/ADDITIONS MADE FROM 1982-1995:
1983 – New piano for the Light and Life room.
1987 – Trusses and shingle roof on the educational wing. Also re-shingled the sanctuary.
1988 – Sound room constructed at the back of the sanctuary. Sound system installed.
Olympia Es-95 typewriter purchased.
Large-screen television and video
cassette recorder purchased.
Mita DC-1435 copier purchased.
Garage begun (finished in 1993).
Resource tables added.
