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Chippewa Methodists Pastor

By Gayle Foster (Reprinted from The Post  - July 2006 Issue)

Oddly enough, one day while passing by the Church at the Lake on their way to The Oaks Restaurant in Chippewa Lake, Pastor John Lawrence told his wife, Joyce, he envisioned them “living here one day”. Today, three years later, it is a reality. Lawrence was recently appointed by the Methodist church to fill the pulpit formerly occupied by Pastor Jeff Lanzer. Pastor Lawrence comes to Chippewa from a small church in West Lebanon, Ohio. Prior to that, the 48-year-old served as an associate pastor to youth and college age young people in a much larger church in Cincinnati.

His wife was working for Proctor & Gamble in Cincinnati and had an opportunity to move to the Smucker operation in Orrville so the family relocated to Wooster. They have three children, Rachel, 23, is married and doing social work for The Boys and Girls Club of Cincinnati; Jessica, 21, is a senior at Miami of Ohio majoring in Interior Design and son Andy, 18, works at The Oaks in Chippewa.

Lawrence grew up a “preacher’s kid” in the Wesleyan Church where his father and grandfather before him were in the ministry in the Wellsboro, PA area. He did undergraduate work at Houghton College in Houghton, NY, graduating from the Wesleyan college in 1992 with a dual degree in music and Bible Studies. He earned his Master of Divinity degree in 1996 from the United Theological Seminary in Dayton.

He brings a breath of fresh air to the small Chippewa Methodist congregation and anticipates the number of worshippers will grow. Pastor John brings energy and enthusiasm in the form of music, playing his guitar each Sunday morning. He plays the trumpet as well as other brass instruments and the piano. He also writes music. He was in a 14-piece “Chicago”-style band while in college.

Lawrence is a professional photographer specializing in beauty queens, weddings and underwater photography as well as studio portrait work. He has three books of his photos in the works, one featuring strictly “redheads”, one underwater shots and one concentrating on “dark beauty”.

He calls himself “a visionary” and that attitude has served him well as owner of his own insurance company, as a successful car salesman and finally answering God’s persistent call to the ministry. With full confidence, Lawrence believes the number of worshippers at Church at the Lake can double once he “gets to know what makes this church tick” and to “learn the flavor and history of the church”, he said. “Our mission from Jesus is very clear, to be fishers of men. It’s all about evangelism, The Great Commission.” He cites18th century England and John Wesley’s efforts to meet people where they were by preaching outside of the church. Lawrence said, “We need to adapt or die. We need to see what’s working around the country. People have needs and God can meet those needs. If the church would just get back to what it’s supposed to do, we’d grow.”

The congregation at Chippewa warmly welcomes visitors to experience Pastor John’s unique style at 10:30 on Sunday mornings.

Our Heritage

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