| |
 With the congregation of Redeemer’s Fellowship gratefully celebrating
in a new church home,it is fitting to reflect on the history of this church body and the Lord’s provision throughout
the years to bring us to this place and time.
The late 1980’s found Pastor Edgar Hardesty and his family living in
Michigan. In 1985, the Hardesty family had moved from their native Maryland to Michigan to pastor a church in the
Flint area. By 1989, they began praying about moving on to a new ministry, but were waiting for the Lord’s leading.
In the spring of 1990 while visiting in Maryland, the Hardestys were contacted by long-time friends Joe and Mary
Freeman to join a group of friends that were meeting in the Freeman home. Many of those in attendance had previously
sat under Ed’s teaching and, at that time, were looking for a new church home. He asked those in the group if they
were “interested in starting a Bible study, and if it developed into a church, would they be interested in being a
part of it?” Responses varied, but all were in search of a good Bible teaching church and Christian fellowship. Among
those in attendance at that meeting were Jan and Maria Bartenslager, Joe and Mary Freeman, John and Carol Freeman,Dave
and Darla Oktavec, Rocky and Cindy Sharretts, Tim and Debbie Witherite, Art and Lynn Wunner, and Tom and Kaye Yarrison.
The Hardestys returned to Michigan; all prayed for the Lord’s leading.
After much prayer, clearly this seemed the path that they should follow and the decision was made to return to
Maryland. They contacted Joe and Mary Freeman, asking for their help in finding a place for them to live. The Freemans
and Kaye Yarrison began a home search. Finally, a town house was located in Abingdon, MD. Ed and Rachel approved the
find via telephone and preparations were made for their arrival. A small army of friends thoroughly cleaned the town
house as well as stocked the home with food and other necessities. The Hardestys arrived at their new home shortly
before July 4th, 1990.
The early days of the meetings are unclear. Most recall that Bible
studies were started shortly after the Hardesty’s return, but it is undetermined as to which homes were first used as
meeting places. However, by October 1990 the group was having regular Sunday evening studies at the home of Art and
Lynn Wunner in Jarrettsville, MD. The group met there for approximately six weeks. At that time, a love offering
was taken for Ed. The decision was made to meet for Sunday morning worship services, so a more permanent location was
needed.
Tom Yarrison was a Baltimore county teacher and worked with Dan
McGuire, Community Supervisor of Baltimore County Department of Parks and Recreation. Dan and his staff were very
helpful in procuring the Paper Mill Road Recreation Center in Jacksonville, MD for church use. The rec center did
not charge groups for use of the facility; this arrangement was more than agreeable to a fledgling church with very
limited resources.
On November 15, 1990, a checking account was opened in the name of
“Redeemer’s Fellowship” at the Forest Hill State Bank with a $25 deposit. Ed Hardesty had suggested the name and the
opening of the account was its first official use. Three days later Redeemer’s Fellowship had its first Sunday morning
worship service at the rec center. At its inception, the fellowship had no piano, so hymns were sung from donated
hymnals without accompaniment. Occasionally, someone would play a keyboard, guitar, or dulcimer. The first offering,
which was collected in a cardboard box, totaled $689. Ed’s first paycheck was $375. 1990 ended with a total
offering of $2,666; out of that Pastor Hardesty received $ 2,034. In those early days, Ed worked for Feinour
Construction Company.
Once the fellowship began meeting at the rec center, the decision
was made that Redeemer’s Fellowship would become a legally recognized church. Art and Lynn Wunner donated the money
needed to begin the proceedings. The law required four trustees as the corporation officers. They were Edgar
Hardesty, Pastor and President; Tom Yarrison, Treasurer; John Freeman, Vice President; Joe Freeman, Secretary, Jan
Bartenslager, signed as witness. The signing of the Articles of Incorporation took place February 7, 1991 and became
official February 15th. The men who signed the incorporation papers were the acting deacons with Pastor Hardesty as
elder. The By-laws were also written in 1991. Redeemer’s Fellowship was to be a non-denominational body; a brochure
was created outlining their beliefs. At one point during that year, the checking balance was just 67¢, but the year
closed with $ 70.42 in the account. Offering for the year totaled $ 32,734; Pastor Ed was paid $ 28,638.
In 1992, the men in leadership were officially presented to and
approved by the body for the Biblical offices of Elder and Deacon. Ed Hardesty was approved as Elder, while Tom
Yarrison and John Freeman were approved as Deacons.
Redeemer’s Fellowship faced many challenges. Space and time were
always limited as the rec building was shared with numerous groups. In spite of the difficulties, church experienced
growth. By the time Redeemer’s marked its 10th anniversary in late 2000, the average attendance was 80-100 people on
Sunday mornings. Sunday school classes for all ages were available. A choir had been organized. The financial
situation had gone from less than $1 in the checking account to an annual budget of over $70,000 and a regular salary
for the pastor. The fellowship supported several missionaries and ministries on a regular basis, and was preparing
to send Linda Spencer, the first member to serve on a mission trip, to Haiti.
In the late 1990’s, Redeemer’s Fellowship began researching the
possibility of purchasing property on which to construct a church home. During 2000, a suitable parcel was located
west of Jarrettsville and purchased in full from a private party. Despite the debt-free status of the church,
progress was painfully slow in proceeding to the next step of construction. Unforeseen complications with the
property put the project on hold. Over the course of several years, the church sought the Lord’s will, but the
answer was always “Wait”. From a human perspective, waiting at times was more than frustrating as the group
continued meeting year after year at the Rec Center. One consolation was that the church continued meeting without
charge at the facility, thus enabling savings to grow for the future.
In early March 2006, members Dave and Darla Oktavec shared with
the church leadership an advertisement they had seen regarding a church building and adjoining property for sale in
Shrewsbury, PA. The leadership made an inquiry and visited the property. On Sunday, March 19, the information of
the building and property were brought before the body. An open house was held Saturday, March 25, giving members
the opportunity to see first-hand the building and adjoining parcel for sale. The next day following the worship
service, a meeting was held for the purpose of continued discussion and a vote on whether the purchase of the
Shrewsbury property should be pursued. An overwhelming majority of the membership voted in favor of the purchase and
on March 31, Redeemer’s Fellowship signed a contract to purchase the property at 17031 Mount Airy Road in Shrewsbury
for $ 375,000. This included a 7200 square foot structure and a one-acre parcel adjacent to the church building.
Within a few weeks, the original owners of the Jarrettsville
property agreed not only to buy back that parcel, but also to reimburse the church for incurred expenses plus
interest. With that transaction, Redeemer’s Fellowship was able to remain completely debt-free. Settlement for the
Shrewsbury property occurred in late May. Immediately after settlement, a contractor was hired to upgrade the
heating/air-conditioning system. Members within the fellowship carried out the rest of the most needed renovations
for occupancy, enabling the church to work within its means and remain debt- free.
Looking back over the years, the Lord’s hand has been evident in
innumerable events and circumstances. The years of waiting and “closed doors” had a purpose. The church met for 16
years in a facility rent- free. If the fellowship had paid an average rental fee of $2,000 to $2,500 per month to
meet in a facility over that period, the total expenditure would have exceeded $ 400,000. The Lord saved our rent
money in order to purchase a church home, paid in full! With the Jarrettsville parcel, the proposed plans involved a
3600 square foot building with a minimum expense of $800,000. Instead, the Lord directed us to a ready-built home
with twice the space for less than half of the price! As James 1: 2-4 states “ Consider it all joy, my
brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let
endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
Redeemer’s Fellowship held the first worship service at its new
church home November 19, 2006, followed by a congregational Thanksgiving covered-dish luncheon. There is abundance
for which to celebrate and give thanks! Without a doubt, God has brought us thus far, and we look with great
anticipation to the future. We can concur with the psalmist.. “ Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which Thou
hast done, And Thy thoughts towards us; There is none to compare with Thee; If I would declare and speak of them,
They would be too numerous to count.” Psalm 40: 5
|
|
