Life in CCCC Churches of Eastern Ohio

by Bob Barber, Area Rep for Eastern Ohio
pastor of Huntsburg Congregational Church, Huntsburg, Ohio

New starts and revitalization are in the works for the Eastern Ohio Area. We are seeing some of the CCCC Seven Guiding Values — like healthy church multiplication, a culture of believing prayer and intercession and a culture of peacemaking and reconciliation — take a definite foothold. In short, God is working and His kingdom is growing

Pastor Matt Reed is working on a new church plant near Canton, Ohio, that has been meeting in his home in Jackson Township since the end of September. Matt has designed the meeting to be a cross and combination of Bible study and worship. The group, called “Mosaic,” meets every Sunday night and includes a children’s ministry.

Huntsburg Congregational Church

Salem Evangelical Church in Marion, Ohio is experiencing excitement. Rev. Pat Street, pastor at Salem and head of the CCCC Spiritual Life Committee, has recently printed a booklet, Daring… Definite… Deliberate… Prayer. The title conveys the kind of prayer Pat and Salem see both as needed and possible in our churches. Pat has just led a Prayer Seminar based upon his study at the Fluvanna Community Church in Jamestown, New York.

Further, Salem Evangelical is embarking on a new road and has plans to plant a new church. A neighboring church in Green Camp is “handing the keys” to the Salem church. Salem Evangelical will be given buildings, property and furnishings. There are many plans and details ahead for the new All Souls Church; and the Holy Spirit is leading. Things begin on March 1.

Huntsburg Congregational Church in Huntsburg, Ohio has covenanted with our CCCC Church Development Team to walk through the stages of the LifeFlow Process. Congregational and pastoral assessments have been completed and unpacked. And John Kimball and Todd Venman brought the Peacemakers Seminar to Huntsburg. The church will send a leadership team to the LifeFlow Infusion Hub in Zelienople, Pennsylvania in late March.

Meanwhile our regional gatherings continue with the Fall Pastors’ gathering held in Huntsburg and our Winter Banquet for pastors, spouses and church leaders at Malone University in Canton on February 27. The Winter Banquet features speaker Bill Quigley, Assistant Professor for Youth Ministry in the Department of Theology at Malone.

By God’s grace and leading things are and will be happening in Eastern Ohio. The Conference’s guiding values are taking shape. Would you please pray for our walk down God’s road?