John Winebrenner came back to the land of the living to give a brief history lesson at the 125th celebration service of New Cumberland First Church of God. While dressed up like CGGC founder John Winebrenner, Pastor Ed Rosenberry (and prior Executive Director of the CGGC) spoke about the history of the New Cumberland Church and the Churches of God, connecting their history to the Second Great Awakening and early American religion, calling the church “the granddaughter of the church.” The impersonated John Winebrenner also reminded the congregation of their ties to the larger body of Christ, saying that, in 1830, “it seemed clear that God wanted us to organize. That he wanted us to come together, believing that when we work together we can accomplish more than anyone of us can individually.”
Pastor Ed Rosenberry dresses up like John Winebrenner
The next speaker, current Executive Director Lance Finely, also referenced back to the powerful sense of calling that early New Cumberland Christians felt. Referencing the initial 18 people who founded the church, Lance implored the congregation to, “think of the generations that have been impacted, the countless lives, because a small group of people said, ‘we’re willing to try.’” Lance also challenged the church dare to invest in the future in the same way that the founders of the church did.
It didn’t just stick to history though, and the line between John Winebrenner and Pastor Ed blurred a little when he mentioned some of his own pet peeves. Namely, the idea of a building being called ‘the church.’ “Never refer to this building as the church,” he said, in no uncertain terms. “Do not confuse a building with the people. God’s house is a house not made of human hands. God’s house is one made in the hearts of all people.”
Pastor Ed also proceeded to congratulate the New Cumberland body of believers on successfully carrying out the great commission for 125 years, while encouraging them to continue transforming the community they are in. “The gospel has a social consequence. The community should be changed and transformed because you are here. And I’ve heard good things about you,” Pastor Ed said. He called upon the church to be transformed, both individually, and as a community. He reminded New Cumberland believers of something all churches need to be reminded of; "Our churches do not exist to only gather on Sunday morning, but rather to go out and celebrate Jesus all the rest of the weeklong. So, you can carry forth Jesus Christ wherever you may be.”
The mayor of New Cumberland, Thaddeus Eisenhower, was also at the service and said a few words, proclaiming loudly, “My heart is for saving people, turning people’s lives over to Jesus so he can do his great work.” It was a bold claim, rarely heard from public servants, but certainly welcome. Mayor Eisenhower shared a little of his own journey to Christ, and how deeply he values the work that churches like New Cumberland do in the community, mentioning how essential they are for the city. “Although there is 125 years of work done, there is more work to do, and the work now is urgent or more urgent then what came before.” Mayor Eisenhower targeted the homelessness problem in the greater Harrisburg area, including New Cumberland, and thanked the church for their role in helping solve this acutely felt issue.
An old postcard of the church
We reached out to Pastor Charlie Zahora, who's been the lead Pastor at New Cumberland for 15 years, and he spoke candidly about the homelessness problem and how the church is making a difference. The church owns 5 houses that they rent out at affordable prices. According to Pastor Charlie, Harrisburg area has one of the worst national averages when it comes to affordable housing availability. Likewise, rent is relatively high in the area, with single bedroom apartments going for over $1,000. Many residents resort to living in motels; places where drug abuse, prostitution, and human trafficking is high. This can leave desperate families and their children quite vulnerable.
With more than 100 children in homeless families in the area, it can seem like an unconquerable problem, but as Pastor Charlie said, “If you can’t feed everyone, you just feed one person.” So, New Cumberland Church partnered with Family Promise, a local non-profit that works with homeless families to put them in temporary housing, finding them jobs, assistance, skill training, and transportation. The goal is to see these families become self-sufficient. The church made one of their homes available for a family they were connected with due to Family Promise, and after more than 6 months, the family (a single father with two children) are getting back on their feet, and Pastor Charlie was very positive about the situation.
It's an experimental ministry, and neither Pastor Charlie, nor the rest of the church is quite sure where it will go from here. But that’s often the way of faithful ministry. With 4 other rental houses, the church is interested in converting more of them to affordable housing for non-profits like Family Promise to use for their work. They see this as a way to fulfill the very exhortation that they received from the revived Winebrenner; transforming their community.
Will you join us in congratulating New Cumberland First Church of God on their 125th Celebration? Leave some kind comments below and we’ll send them off to the congregation, or find the church on Facebook, where you can watch the celebration livestream here.
Just like in Bangladesh, we pray and hope for 125 more years of faithful ministry from New Cumberland First Church!
CGGC eNews—Vol. 27, No. 45
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