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Small Church - Big Impact on Ministry
PORT ALLEGANY, PA (March 21, 2006) - The Evangelical Covenant Church here has
a congregation of some 70 people – and three of them are in seminary,
two of them from the same family.
Nicole Robinson is a first-year student at North Park Theological
Seminary with a goal of working in youth ministry. She will serve part
of her internship at the Port Allegany church this summer.
Her brother, Nathan Robinson, is completing his studies at Boston
University School of Theology in May. He is preparing for pastoral ministry.
Matthew Guncheon is in his final year at North Park Theological Seminary
and hopes to become a U.S. Army chaplain upon graduation.
Nicole says attending a small church has been instrumental in helping
the three be nurtured in the faith. "Due to the small numbers, we have a
very close church family who support each other and are active in one
another's lives."
Role modeling has been a major factor in the three attending seminary,
Guncheon believes. "I think for my part, we had and have a ton of
positive older mentors at that church – all of them lay people heavily
involved in the work of that church. They have given us living examples
of what it's like to live daily as a faithful Christian and reasonably
good human beings."
Guncheon adds, "I think our families and the church family as a whole
let us grow in faith while we were there, and gave us space to find our
call. I know it took me some time to find mine."
Guncheon says he sensed his call to ministry while serving in the Army.
"I just looked around my unit of cavalry scouts and felt that those
folks needed someone around like a chaplain, and that was something I
felt I could do in the Army," Guncheon says. "I also was rather tired of
fixing my HMMV every five seconds, usually in the mud and rain."
It was in the city that Nicole discerned her call while a high school
freshman. "I decided to go into ministry, specifically youth ministry
because of a senior high fall retreat with the Great Lakes Conference at
the Pittsburg Project. The project brought students into the inner city
to do ministry. "God truly met me here and convicted me about my future."
Attending seminary with another Port Allegany church member has
instilled confidence in Guncheon. "It gives me hope to know that when
I'm off in the Army, someone with a small-town heart will be here to
keep these city folks on their toes."
(Editor's note: the accompanying photo shows, from left: Nathan
Robinson, Matt Guncheon, interim pastor Arnold Bolin, and Nicole
Robinson.)
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