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Faith
Assemblies of God
1225
Nicholson Road, Lincoln
217-735-5900
Pastor: David Andreasen
Worship: 10:30 am
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Lincoln
Christian Church
204 N. McLean St.,
Lincoln
217-732-7618
Pastor: Tom Gerdts
Worship: 8:30 & 11
am
Zion
Lutheran Church
Lutheran Church –
Missouri Synod
205 Pulaski St.,
Lincoln
217-732-3946
Pastor Mark Carnahan
Pastor Kirk Cunningham
Worship:
8:00 & 10:30
am Sunday 7 pm Wednesday
First
United Methodist Church
302 Broadway St., Lincoln
217-732-2204
Pastor: Larry Maffett
Worship:
Sept-May: 8:30 & 10 am
June-Aug: 9:00 am
Web site: www.gbgm-umc.org/
lincoln1stumc/index.html
To inquire
about listing your congregation's worship information, please e-mail us
at ldn@lincolndailynews.com
or call us at 217-732-7443. |
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There are
many other opportunities for children to attend VBS this
summer. Among them are Jefferson Street Christian
Church's VBS Aug. 6-10. |
![](http://www.lincolndailynews.com/images/062600pics/vbs445.jpg) |
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[Elizabeth Tripplett and Mollie Cunningham finish
up their
Kool-Aid and brownie sundaes at the post-VBS family picnic.]
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Vision
more important than sight at Lincoln Hill Free Methodist Church
[JULY
14, 2000] Bill
Dolan, the new pastor at Lincoln Hill Free Methodist Church in
Lincoln, does not have good eyesight, but he and his congregation have
keen insight into where their church should be going and growing.
Pastor Bill is one of the few blind pastors in the United States and
the only one in the Free Methodist movement, but his visual disability
does not hinder his spiritual and leadership ability. The future of
this church will be built on five pillars that Pastor Bill and church
leaders have set out as their vision statement. Those pillars include
God-centered worship, developing the spiritual disciplines, a
comprehensive program of Christian education, developing strong
families and evangelistic outreach into the community.
The
pastoral "call" that brought Bill Dolan and the Lincoln Hill
church together is in human terms intriguing; in Biblical terms it is
providential.
Dolan
did not become a Christian until he was 21 and a student at Lincoln
College. He was converted through the campus outreach of Lincoln
Christian Church and its youth minister Mark Post. Dolan says of his
conversion, the "Lord satisfied my needs," and made him
realize that he had "never known genuine love," until he
came to know Christ and His followers. Dolan transferred to Lincoln
Christian College and graduated with an A.A. degree in Bible in 1994.
He subsequently attended the University of Illinois, Springfield,
where he completed a B.A. degree in communications in 1996. He is
currently working on a graduate degree at Lincoln Christian Seminary.
Dolan
gained experience for ministry and pastoring through a unique avenue.
He had been involved with radio throughout his teen years, and after
he became a Christian, Dolan put his intellect and his rich, melodious
voice to use in Christian radio where he served as announcer, writer,
and producer at stations in Illinois. He also sought to be a
"radio church" planter in Illinois and Iowa. As he describes
it, he became a "pastor on the radio," long before he
considered becoming a pastor of a church. His experiences in Christian
radio led him to a "ministry in media" with an Assemblies of
God church in Springfield before returning to Lincoln in the summer of
1999 to study at the seminary.
Originally
intending to study counseling at Lincoln Christian Seminary, Dolan
felt divine leading to change his major to ministry. As part of that
leading, he began to send out resumes to churches in the Lincoln area,
but he was often cautioned about the many obstacles confronting a
blind candidate for the ministry. In late spring 2000, a family in
Rushville, who knew Dolan through his radio career, told him about a
possible opening in the Free Methodist congregation in Lincoln. Within
a few days, Dolan contacted the regional conference of the
denomination, met with regional leaders, then met with and received a
call to the pulpit of the Lincoln Hill church.
As
Dolan and church members describe this chain of events, "God was
at work in this every step of the way." According to Dolan, his
blindness was never made an issue throughout this process. When asked
if Dolan's visual impairment was a concern to the congregation, Bob
Strotheide, a member of the search committee and adult Sunday school
teacher said "maybe there were some concerns," but that
Dolan had already shown himself to be "very resourceful" in
meeting the challenges of ministry.
By
all accounts, the Lincoln Hill congregation has had some trying times
in recent years. But it is clear that great faith and a great love for
each other brought the members together and have sustained them
through the years.
I
do not recall talking to any members who grew up in the Free Methodist
tradition. Most joined the congregation because of the fellowship and
caring evidenced by the church. Midge Woodard, a member for 50-plus
years, became involved because the Lincoln Hill pastor called on her
when she moved to Lincoln, and he encouraged her to get involved.
During Sunday school, Geraldine Heinzel described her belief that she
was "led by the Holy Spirit" to this body. She later told
how the congregation has cared for her and her family during time of
need. Dean and Bernice Rock echoed her sentiments when they said they
were there because of the "love and concern of the members."
They said that "the church was there for them" through some
major medical problems. "Everybody prays" in this church,
said Clarence Spurgeon, who, like the Rocks, had been nurtured by the
church family while he experienced medical problems.
Several
members and leaders noted that until recently, both the attendance and
the self-confidence of the congregation had been challenged during the
transition in leadership. It is evident that there is now a spirit of
enthusiasm and expectation of great things for the future. Pastor Bill
and the church leadership have sought to freshen the worship service
by blending praise choruses with traditional hymns. According to
church leaders, the worship time has been extended and has been made
flexible to the leading of the Holy Spirit. One of the highlights of
the service I attended on July 9 was the time set aside for the
testimonies and praises of the members during the worship.
Several
members noted the immediate impact of their new pastor on the church
and its worship. According to Bob Strotheide, there are conscious
efforts to make sure the worship service "ministers to the young
and inspires the young" members and visitors to the church. He
also added that Dolan is an "excellent preacher" who has
brought positive changes to the congregation.
Pastor
Dolan is a spiritual leader who "helps us be more
spiritual," says Midge Woodard. She and several others noted the
great blessing of the Thursday morning prayer time (7 to 8 a.m.),
which is enriching the church.
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The
emphasis on prayer and spiritual growth in the Lincoln Hill
congregation is part of a long tradition in the Free Methodist
denomination. Free Methodism traces its origins to the classic
Methodist and Wesleyan traditions and the Holiness movement, which
emphasized deep personal piety and the perfection of the individual.
The founder of Free Methodism, Benjamin Titus Roberts, helped organize
the denomination in New York state in 1860, and sought to create a
body which was "free" from the institution of slavery and
which promoted freedom and simplicity in worship. Free Methodists
provided free pews for all who came to worship, in an era when many
churches charged "pew rents" for the pews which were near
the front and center of the sanctuary. The best pews were often
controlled by those who were rich, powerful and who were sometimes
impious members of the community.
The
Lincoln Hill Free Methodist congregation was organized in 1939, and
the present building at 201 S. College was erected in 1945.
Sunday
school meets at 9:30 a.m., with worship starting at 10:30 a.m. The
church phone is 732-6722. Pastor Dolan's e-mail address is pabd@juno.com.
[John
Welter]
Group
from Zion Lutheran participated in weeklong "Servant
Event" in Indiana
A
week of hard work turned out to be an enriching experience for a
group of six youth and two adults from Zion Lutheran Church in
Lincoln who recently returned from a "Servant Event" in
Indiana.
The
Habitat for Hoosier Hysteria week in Lafayette brought together 30
young people from across the country to assist with a basketball
camp for underprivileged kids. Ryan Berning, former Purdue
University basketball star, ran the camp.
The
basketball camp, attended by more than 140 kids, was a "total
package" basketball camp, stressing that for an athlete to be a
complete individual, he or she must be sound not only physically but
also mentally and spiritually.
The
high schoolers also assisted with local Habitat for Humanity
projects during the week. The Servant Event group helped the local
Habitat organization get back on schedule by preparing for upcoming
construction through clearing weed-covered lots and other site
preparation.
"We
did a lot of work. We didn’t get a lot of sleep. But everyone who
participated agreed it was wonderful," explained Pastor Kirk
Cunningham who attended with the group. "It was a faith-growing
and Christian life-enriching experience," he added.
Dave
Howard, Zion’s youth group advisor, attended along with students
Laura Baker, Ben Dahmm,
TJ Rogers and Stanton Schumacher of Lincoln
and John Klemm of Waynesville. Alex Schmidt, a German foreign
exchange student who lived with Ben Dahmm and his family last year,
also attended.
Gospel
music program to be presented at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on
July 26
The
2000 Ambassadors of the Association Free Lutheran Bible School will
be presenting a program of gospel music at Good Shepherd Lutheran
Church on Wednesday, July 26, at 7:30 p.m. The team will travel over
10,000 miles this summer singing at various churches and camps. The
group is formed from students of the Association Free Lutheran Bible
School of Minneapolis, Minn. The school offers a college-equivalent,
two-year study of the Bible and other related subjects. The public
is cordially invited.
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