I SERVE ONE OF THE TRULY GREAT CHURCHES

Part of the group at our All Church Family Retreat

My day job is serving as the Lead Pastor of the Church of God of Landisville in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  I have had this privilege since September 2001.  I hope that God will allow it to be my final pastorate (even though I am a good ten years from "retiring" as a lead pastor). The reason for this sentiment is that I serve a great church that serves a Great God.

Waiting to receive the offering on Children's Sunday

Landisville has been in existence since 1833, but in the last eight years has been on an initial journey of following the leadership of the Holy Spirit to become an outward-focused church with a commitment to outreach by being the best church it can be for the community.  We are not a mega-church, but what Lyle Schaller calls a "middle-sized" one. There are about 350 persons from infants to "ancients" in our core congregation. Many of these people have a gift of hospitality and more than the usual number have a powerful passion for simply living as Christ's authentic disciples.

Kids from our BURN student ministry at See You at the Pole

We operate two significant community outreach programs: the Christian Flow Center for the senior adults of Landisville and the surrounding community, and the Agape Youth Center, which provides an afterschool drop-in center for middle school and high school kids. (We are just across the street from the Hempfield School's main campuses).  And many of our people work regularly with the Lancaster County Council of Churches by providing meals in the city among the poor at Christ Lutheran of Lancaster.  Our Ignite the Day worship and Bible study attracts over 75 kids at Hempfield High School and we do all we can to be supportive of  the good our schools are trying to do for the community.

Our Adult Choir at our Traditional Service. We also have a Contemporary Service and a Wednesday evening Youth Worship Service.

We are blessed to be an intergenerational church where people of all ages matter to God and contribute to our vision for serving Him.  We have families that are drawing close to God and growing in spiritual maturity.

Mother and daughter praying before school

 There's a lot more to our story, but I will be sharing it in the weeks to come.  I love these people deeply.

This is part 1 in a series " A Great Church Following a Great Commission from a Great God"