Rejuvenation

It’s the warm formality of a traditional setting that lets everyone feel right at home at Warrensburg FMC (NY) in the New England Conference — or so says Dick Leonard, the church’s “un-retired” pastor. Founded in 1883, with a building that partially dates back to 1933, Warrensburg ought to be a case study of what’s possible for small churches when someone with a pastoral heart and skills is willing to invest time, prayer and energy.

Since Dick and Ruth Leonard’s arrival seven years ago, the congregation has raised and spent some $145,000 for a new spire, refurbished narthex and paved parking area. Another project will soon add a Christian education wing and elevator, expand the kitchen and enlarge the fellowship area — where members and visitors can readily connect.

The just-completed new parsonage, a mile away, is a three-bedroom, ranch-style modular home with an attached garage. Its proximity to the church is a real plus for the Leonards, who have been commuting 80 miles round-trip to pastor this congregation since taking the helm in 1997. It also puts the church one step closer to attracting its next pastor, whenever Leonard retires again.

When the Leonards first returned to Warrensburg — where they were married in 1948 and where Ruth grew up — they found eight people and a fairly large debt. By December 2003, however, they held a note-burning ceremony to celebrate becoming debt free. Renovations since then, as noted earlier, have been carefully planned and paid for. Attendance is growing and has been as high as 112.

Warrensburg’s new facilities provide a perfect home for a variety of outreach ministries, including the creation and distribution of harvest baskets with turkeys (17 this past year) and Christmas fruit baskets (42 distributed according to need). The church throws showers for expectant moms, sends flowers to the hospitalized and bereaved, and has given away hundreds of loaves of bread.

For Leonard, the excitement of pastoring continues to grow. His desire to find something to do for people in his retirement years is certainly being realized. And this centenarian church is showing every sign of being rejuvenated as well.