It has been over 40 years that I have been your Pastor here at Chestnut Ridge Church Of God. I want to thank you for such a great privilege. It has been my privilege to love you, to pray for you, to lead and to serve you, to encourage you, to baptize you as a new believer, to dedicate your children to the Lord, to counsel you when you were going through tough times, to be at your bedsides, to be at your gravesides, and to teach and preach to you.
When my wife, Missi, and I arrived here in Hubbard, I was 28 years old – Robbie (son) was 3 and Olivia (daughter) was 2. We had been ministering in Wise, VA, for the previous 4½ years – I was the Minister of Music & Youth. Hubbard was my first Senior Pastor position – what were you thinking?!
In 1982, this Church was in a period of transition. You had only recently moved from Sharon, PA, where the First Church Of God was located on South Oakland Avenue. In Sharon, you were a neighborhood Church – you had very little off-street parking and what once was the parsonage was now part of the Church facilities. But you were experiencing even greater change in your culture. This Church was once an ethnic Church ministering primarily to the Slovak people in our area. The Church was established in 1903, but it wasn’t until 1954 – my birth year – that the Church converted to all English in all of your Services. So, in 1982, you called a young Pastor to further lead in this transition whose last name was McFarland – what were you thinking!
These past 40 years have been wonderful years of growth, change, and development. Three years after my arrival we began another building project to construct our multi-purpose wing. We named the Fellowship Hall, Cerbus Hall, in honor of our first Pastor, John Cerbus, who likewise pastored this congregation for 40 years until his death in 1954. Since then, we have remodeled the ceiling and lighting in the Sanctuary, paved the parking lot, paid off our indebtedness early, purchased 2 Vans to provide for needed transportation, built the pavilion, purchased 2 John Deere tractors, built a small playground for our children, and purchased the corner property, expanding our property from 13½ acres to 18¼ acres. We are debt free, after all of these projects, except for those current projects only recently initiated. God has been good to Chestnut Ridge Church.
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But that is the physical side of the Church. More importantly is the spiritual aspect of the Church. Over the years we have seen many wonderful things as a result of our ministry together – souls saved, bodies healed, marriages restored, and lives changed. We have impacted our communities for the better – we have made a difference – this region is a better place because of the ministry of Chestnut Ridge Church. We have hosted concerts, Unity Services, Community Thanksgiving Dinners, weddings, and funerals. We have given away food, pumped hundreds of gallons of gasoline, and fitted shoes on thousands of feet – I consider it an honor to be known as the “Shoe Church”!
The Church and my family have made me the man and follower of Christ that I am today. Where would I be today without Missi, my devoted wife of 48 years? She has loved me, encouraged me, challenged me, and prayed for me. Robbie and Olivia have grown up to be wonderful adults because of the guidance given to them by their “Church family”. Their children are not only a blessing to “Grammy” and me, but they are also growing into committed followers of Jesus. For all that you have meant to and done for my family, I say thank you!
I am not sure how much longer our journey together will last. I thank God that for the last 40 years I have been able to go to my “dream job” every day. I have never regretted God’s calling to come to Hubbard, Ohio. I have never considered any invitation to go elsewhere to be their Pastor. I have been content – I have been satisfied – being your Pastor. Thank you for this great honor and privilege. Only God could love you more!
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