Top News

Faxon-Kenmar United Methodist Church merger with Pine Street United Methodist Church is just a beginning

Faxon-Kenmar United Methodist Church, at the corner of Clayton Avenue and Sheridan Street, has been a fixture on the Loyalsock Township landscape since the 1940s when the groundbreaking ceremony for the building, which would house a newly-formed congregation.

The first worship service was held on May 1, 1949, in the basement, or what is now called Stiner Hall. The last was held the final Sunday of June. The people who have attended there will go elsewhere and the building will be sold.

It's a scenario that is playing out for many churches across the country as congregations become older and maintenance on the buildings becomes cost prohibitive.

Beginning this week, those who choose to, will join worshippers at Pine Street United Methodist Church, 441 Pine St., as the two congregations merge into one.

Faxon-Kenmar began exploring merger options in March last year. Also at that time, the United Methodist denomination was going through a time of change as some congregations were choosing to disaffiliate over the issues of ordaining members of the LGBTQ community and pastors performing same-sex marriages.

Neither of the churches decided to disaffiliate from the denomination.

In May last year, the Loyalsock church reached out to Pine Street United Methodist to see if they would be open to a merger. Throughout the process, members of Faxon-Kenmar were informed about what the next steps would be and asked to pray for wisdom and discernment.

Then on June 2, this year, the two churches voted to merge.

The final service at Faxon-Kenmar United Methodist Church was more of a celebration than a burial.

In fact, the sermon and songs sung and music played matched the message and sermon by the Rev. Susan Halverstadt, as she bid goodbye but also described the congregation as "resurrection people."

She encouraged the flock by telling them they would be pastored by the Rev. James Wooster Jr. as the church and Pine Street United Methodist merged congregations.

Among the poignant portions of the sermon at the Loyalsock Township church was Halverstadt's allegory of a butterfly's life cycle, which, she said, is representative of the life of Jesus and could be thought of as the direction and path for the church merger.

It begins at a caterpillar stage, which stands for Christ's life on the Earth, followed by a cocoon which portrays Christ's death at the cross and burial.

However, she said, the end or third stage, which is the most important, is the rebirth after three days, in which a colorful butterfly emerges to flutter freely and go about the business set forth by God's rule of creation.

"There is always hope," Halverstadt said. "Always the possibility to rise from the ashes. Always always a second chance."

The pastor reminded the congregation that the joining together of the two congregations this summer "is a powerful witness to living a life of faith."

"Such a witness will bring the healing power of Jesus to our community here in Williamsport," she said. That will be done through fellowship and through the Bible, in which "we hear of God leading his people through the flood, out of bondage in the Exodus and to the ministry of Jesus.

Halverstadt also used the Apostle John's Revelation on the Island of Patmos, and Revelations 21 of how God will make all things new.

"Our God is a God of new beginnings and walks with us here and now," she said.

She encouraged the congregation to continue to bring light to the darkness, healing to the broken and the broken hearted.

"We are glad you are here to celebrate and recognize this holy time of our congregation," she said to the Faxon-Kenmar guests, including members of Pine Street UMC.

She also recognized some of her own family from Wellsboro, Ohio and the outskirts of Williamsport.

"From the moment I was appointed to serve at Faxon-Kenmar, I sensed God's peace and presence," she said of her 2018 assignment at the church.

"I'm thankful for the parts that each of you here at Faxon-Kenmar have played to grant God's love and light to our world,"she said.

"As resurrection people...the power and mystery of God's presence pops up when two congregations that had not thought of or were expected to merge come together with the purpose of bringing the way of Jesus to the people of Williamsport."

"Since last August, our movement has been to explore merger. Today we move forward with a merger to be God's hands and feet in Williamsport and around the world."

When Faxon-Kenmar approached Pine Street about possibly merging the two congregations, it was not on the city church's radar, according to Pastor James Wooster, who will serve as pastor of the newly-merged church

"It was not something that we were thinking about in any way, shape or form," he added.

But when Faxon-Kenmar asked if Pine Street would be willing to have a conversation about a possible merger Wooster said in that moment, "we saw an opportunity we had not anticipated, but maybe one that God was giving us."

"Then shortly, we felt this was an opportunity and while it may not be one we were looking for it was an opportunity to live out what God is calling us to and this merger brings new people, new resources, and new opportunities to partner together in bringing God's kingdom to Williamsport," Wooster said.

Moving forward the merged congregations will continue as one church under the Pine Street name.

"It is a merged congregation, so we have worked to create space for Faxon-Kenmar people to join Pine Street as full members of the Pine Street family. That means that going forward, there will be members of the Faxon-Kenmar congregation that are added to our leadership team. We'll be looking to add folks from Faxon-Kenmar to our Sunday morning hospitality team," he said.

"We want folks from Faxon-Kenmar to join our choir, to volunteer in our nursery, so that we're really one family in ministry moving forward," he said.

Nothing has been decided definitively about what will happen with the Loyalsock real estate property, although there will be other property and assets that will need to find a new home, Wooster noted.

"It's kind of like when you have been living on your own and you get married and you merge your households and you find out we have two toasters and two microwaves. There's a lot of things that we'll need to look at. Our hope is to keep what is best from both congregations," he said.

"So, while there are things that we will probably need to get rid of, our hope is rather than throwing them out or selling them to the highest bidder, we can find a way to get those things to other churches, other ministries, other nonprofits," he said.

In his most recent newsletter to the merged congregation, Wooster acknowledged the bittersweet nature of the moment.

"While it's an exciting time it must be acknowledged that this new beginning comes with great grief for those from Faxon-Kenmar," he wrote.

"While there may be grief, 'we do not grieve as those with no hope.' I believe God is drawing us more deeply into the mystery of Jesus Christ. In John 17, Jesus prayed, 'may they be one just as We are one, I in them, and You in Me, that they may be made perfect.'"

"This is an opportunity for all of us to move forward together, with the hope that God is at work bringing new life and providing us with new opportunities, new partners and new resources to further His Kingdom," Wooster said.