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Pastor Jerry Wenger stands at a podium at a previous occasion in his Ohio State Freeway Patrol chaplain gear.
ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Pastor Jerry Wenger, 70, devoted greater than 30 years of his life to his church, being a chaplain for various organizations, operating males’s Bible research and growing a ministry to offer meals for kids.
Now, he’s shifting on to the subsequent chapter of his life. Wenger retired from his ministry at East Richland Evangelical Pals Church in St. Clairsville on June 30 after 36 years of service.
“The whole role of a pastor is to be a servant, a servant of Christ to the people,” Wenger mentioned. “That’s who we are. And we are just blessed to have been a part of that great church.”
The church bestowed many alternative titles on Wenger all through his ministry, together with assistant pastor, affiliate pastor, govt pastor and eventually senior pastor. Whereas Wenger served the church, it accomplished a number of constructing tasks, together with a sanctuary, youngsters’s wing and household life heart.
He ran two males’s Bible research for greater than 30 years in his time on the church. Wenger has additionally been a chaplain for the Union Native soccer staff for a few years, offering encouragement to the gamers and instructing character traits by means of a ministry of presence.
Volunteering by means of the chaplains at Belmont Correctional Establishment, Wenger taught incarcerated people anger administration and different philosophies.
Whereas Wenger served the church, the congregation took mission journeys to locations, primarily Jamaica, to do short-term mission work. The congregation additionally carried out catastrophe service work, offering aid to locations that wanted it.
For kids who weren’t in a position to eat, the congregation developed a backpack ministry that was in a position to feed over 150 youngsters on weekends, with meals being distributed by means of their faculties. Individuals generously gave, he mentioned, and the congregation helped ship the meals to those that wanted it.
Each Sunday he preached to the congregation, glorifying Christ.
“Our goal was to help people have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ,” Wenger mentioned. “It wasn’t about religion. It was about a relationship. We want them to have a relationship with Christ.”
Earlier than pastoring at East Richland Evangelical Pals Church, Wenger pastored at a church in Gahanna for seven years. He has two children who’re each in ministry as nicely, one in all which is in West Palm Seaside in Florida, and the opposite is in Willoughby Hills.
Though his ministry with the church has ended, Wenger nonetheless plans to proceed along with his different ministries throughout his retirement, equivalent to being a district chaplain for the Ohio State Freeway Patrol and Belmont County Sheriff’s Workplace. In that position, he offers help and encouragement to officers, often after a troubling expertise equivalent to coping with a taking pictures or an accident. He typically additionally offers help to the victims’ households, staying behind the scenes however being there if wanted.
Wenger doesn’t know what’s going to occur with this huge change, however he’ll proceed to do ministries and pray about his subsequent adventures, he mentioned.
“I think it’s going to be, you know, it’s going to be a whole new excitement about the possibilities that are ahead for us,” he mentioned. “You know, I’m going to keep busy — keep busy trying to help churches and help Christians grow in their faith.”
Wenger has completed a tremendous job, based on his workers, giving his coronary heart to the church. And though the congregation is sorry to see him go, it’s excited for the subsequent season of his life, mentioned Pam Skivolocke, govt director of East Richland Evangelical Pals Church.
“We want to honor Jerry in the fact he has just done a really good job,” she mentioned. “Jerry’s favorite scripture is John 3:30, and it’s just more of him, less of me. It’s just where he wants to glorify God and make it more about God than Jerry.”
Wenger expressed his gratitude for the church, saying the congregation and management staff have been a number of the best individuals he’s ever been round. Describing its members as loving, supportive and inspiring, he mentioned the congregation loves the Phrase of God.
Wenger has been serving to Pastor Aaron Szloboda, the brand new pastor on the church, for the previous six months, giving him steerage and instructing him. Szloboda got here from Southern California, the place he pastored at a megachurch. His new position is his first senior pastor place.
“Well bless their hearts.”
