Wesleyan Life - Spring 2009 Back to Wesleyan Life Home

Miracle on East 3rd Street

By Josh Johnson

What happened on East Third Street in the sleepy little town of Fowler, Ind., on December 22, 2008, was not what most people would call a miracle; but to my family and church it certainly was.

Big Changes

I arrived to pastor Hope Wesleyan Church a little over a year ago with my family (wife Jenny and three children, ages five, three, and one). Hope Wesleyan is a small church in Fowler, a city of approximately 2,000. Both Fowler and Benton County are declining in population and lacking in hope. The local elementary school closed in 2006. Several empty storefronts sit empty, as do many vacant homes. Benton County has high suicide, alcoholism, and teen pregnancy rates.

We moved to Fowler in part because our three-year-old Timmy has heart, lung, and immune system problems and Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis is one of the best in the nation. I had been pastoring in Iowa, as well as holding a decent paying secular job to provide the bulk of my family’s income. I transferred to Indiana with the intention of serving as a pastor while earning my living through my secular job. Four months after moving to Indiana, the company restructured, eliminating my position. This area in particular offered no alternative employment other than part-time work. Jenny began working ten hours a week at a grocery store, making just above minimum wage.

Big Opportunities

Without a paying job, I had lots of free time, and I plunged into the community: serving as the chair of the Benton County Ministerial Association’s twenty-eight churches, organizing a clergy crisis response team with the suicide response and prevention task force, meeting people at the local coffee shop, speaking at events, officiating funerals, and volunteering at my daughter’s school.

At church we launched a Kids Club and youth group, adopted a retirement village, and opened a small preschool. Over time, a steady stream of people moved in. Attendance and giving increased, but of course utilities did too, with the church being open for new or revitalized programs and ministries.

My church and family had not gone without, but we had come close many times over the past year. Our washer failed. Soon after, Timmy was admitted to the hospital. We endured a twenty-four-hour power outage and three days with frozen water pipes. The upcoming holidays were looking miserable.

Big Hearts

On December 22, Pastor Justin Nierer and two men from his congregation at Schuyler Avenue Wesleyan Church stopped by. They brought several bags and boxes with them. Inside were toys for the kids, food, gift cards, and generous donations to both my family and my congregation.

After they left, my five-year-old asked if they worked for Santa, and I said with a smile, “No, they work for Jesus.”

Schuyler’s gift enabled us to get a new washer, some clothing, and household items. The food and gifts allowed us to have a wonderful Christmas. I delivered the church’s check to the treasurer and called leaders with the news. The gift to the church would keep our doors open and heat on during the week between Sundays, allowing ministries to continue.

The greatest gift was in knowing others cared. We were not alone.

We felt blessed, loved, and remembered by those who had no reason to care. Call it what you will. As for me, I know the love of Jesus through his people is nothing short of a miracle.

— Josh Johnson serves as the pastor of Hope Wesleyan Church in Fowler, Indiana

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