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Henry Church: Senior Pastor
Pastor Henry (Dr. Henry G. Church) has served the Free Methodist Church in several capacities over the years. He pastored Churches in Seattle, Washington, including a church for the deaf; Watsonville and Sacramento, California; and served as a missionary for a number of years in Africa and the Middle East.
Pastor Henry received his BA from Seattle Pacific University, MA from the University of San Francisco, and his PhD from the University of Malawi, Chancellor College. His is only the second doctorate granted by the University of Malawi Department of Theology and Religious Studies. While in Africa he supervised the work of the Free Methodist Church across the continent. There are nearly a half million adherents to the Free Methodist Church in Africa. He worked closely with national leaders and missionaries, and provided training opportunities for local pastors and leaders for the churches there. He helped found ministerial training schools in Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Mozambique, along with serving as an advisor for other programs across the continent.
Pastor Henry is married to Pastor Bonnie (also an ordained minister). They met in a church setting in California and established a life-long pattern of serving God through the church. The Churches have two sons, Eric Thomas and Evan Timothy. Eric is married to Becky Conrad, and they have brought two wonderful grandchildren into the Church family. Evan is serving in Africa. He has served the people of Africa under a variety of non-governmental agencies since his graduation from university.
The Churches have owned a home in Warsaw, IN for a number if years and it is with joy they moved back home and assumed the pastorate of the Winona Lake Free Methodist Church.
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Rick Nier: Pastor of Youth & Christian Education
Rick Nier was born and raised in Florida. He attended Central Christian College in McPherson, KS, and Spring Arbor University in Michigan, graduating with a degree in Philosophy and Religion. He has served the Free Methodist Church for 11 years and is now in his 8th year as youth pastor at Winona Lake FMC. He has been married for 13 years and loves his wife and 3 children very much. With young children at home and teenagers at the church, he is working on a book titled Teens & Toddlers: Very Different But Very Much the Same.
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Bonnie Church: Pastor of Prayer
Pastor Bonnie Church is the Pastor of Prayer Ministries at WLFMC. She comes to us with a rich and varied background. Pastor Bonnie has her university degrees in the field of education and has taught school in the US, as well as teaching missionary children in Africa. She also taught African pastors, who were in training in both Zimbabwe and Malawi, serving as a missionary with the Free Methodist Church there for nearly 30 years.
She served alongside her husband as an effective pastor's wife in Washington and California as well as in Africa. She learned the value and power of prayer in the course of these experiences. While in Zimbabwe she finished a special course of study and was ordained as a Free Methodist Minister of the Church in Zimbabwe. As such she served as an inspiration to a number of other women in both Zimbabwe and Malawi, and encouraged several to go into pastoral studies. Most of them are still serving at posts in Africa.
Rev. Bonnie is also a mother of two sons, Eric and Evan, and grandmother of two, Serena and Connor. Her children are both involved in a variety of helping ministries, Eric in Mississippi, and Evan in Africa.
Pastor Bonnie serves together with her husband on the staff of Winona Lake Free Methodist Church.
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Jennifer Nier: Kiddie Kollege Administrator
Jennifer Nier has an Associate's degree in Early Childhood Education, and a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Social Work. Jennifer is originally from Michigan and worked for a social service agency before moving to Winona Lake in 2002. She stayed home for a year with her daughter and began working at Kiddie Kollege Preschool as the administrator in 2003. She is married to the youth pastor at WLFMC and has three children, ages 8, 6, & 3.
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Lynette Merkler: Administrative Assistant
Lynette Merkler was raised in Washington State. She moved here to Indiana with her husband John and their family of critters after having lived in various places, including Germany, where her husband was stationed with the Air Force. They made the move to Indiana to be near family and get back to John's roots.
Lynette enjoys working for the Winona Lake Free Methodist Church and feels that this is her calling. She is the support staff for Pastor Henry, Pastor Rick and for Jennifer Nier the Kiddie Kollege Administrator, but feels she truly works for the whole church family.
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Henry Church: Senior Pastor
Pastor Henry (Dr. Henry G. Church) has served the Free Methodist Church in several capacities over the years. He pastored Churches in Seattle, Washington, including a church for the deaf; Watsonville and Sacramento, California; and served as a missionary for a number of years in Africa and the Middle East.
Pastor Henry received his BA from Seattle Pacific University, MA from the University of San Francisco, and his PhD from the University of Malawi, Chancellor College. His is only the second doctorate granted by the University of Malawi Department of Theology and Religious Studies. While in Africa he supervised the work of the Free Methodist Church across the continent. There are nearly a half million adherents to the Free Methodist Church in Africa. He worked closely with national leaders and missionaries, and provided training opportunities for local pastors and leaders for the churches there. He helped found ministerial training schools in Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Mozambique, along with serving as an advisor for other programs across the continent.
Pastor Henry is married to Pastor Bonnie (also an ordained minister). They met in a church setting in California and established a life-long pattern of serving God through the church. The Churches have two sons, Eric Thomas and Evan Timothy. Eric is married to Becky Conrad, and they have brought two wonderful grandchildren into the Church family. Evan is serving in Africa. He has served the people of Africa under a variety of non-governmental agencies since his graduation from university.
The Churches have owned a home in Warsaw, IN for a number if years and it is with joy they moved back home and assumed the pastorate of the Winona Lake Free Methodist Church.
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Rick Nier: Pastor of Youth & Christian Education
Rick Nier was born and raised in Florida. He attended Central Christian College in McPherson, KS, and Spring Arbor University in Michigan, graduating with a degree in Philosophy and Religion. He has served the Free Methodist Church for 11 years and is now in his 8th year as youth pastor at Winona Lake FMC. He has been married for 13 years and loves his wife and 3 children very much. With young children at home and teenagers at the church, he is working on a book titled Teens & Toddlers: Very Different But Very Much the Same.
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Bonnie Church: Pastor of Prayer
Pastor Bonnie Church is the Pastor of Prayer Ministries at WLFMC. She comes to us with a rich and varied background. Pastor Bonnie has her university degrees in the field of education and has taught school in the US, as well as teaching missionary children in Africa. She also taught African pastors, who were in training in both Zimbabwe and Malawi, serving as a missionary with the Free Methodist Church there for nearly 30 years.
She served alongside her husband as an effective pastor's wife in Washington and California as well as in Africa. She learned the value and power of prayer in the course of these experiences. While in Zimbabwe she finished a special course of study and was ordained as a Free Methodist Minister of the Church in Zimbabwe. As such she served as an inspiration to a number of other women in both Zimbabwe and Malawi, and encouraged several to go into pastoral studies. Most of them are still serving at posts in Africa.
Rev. Bonnie is also a mother of two sons, Eric and Evan, and grandmother of two, Serena and Connor. Her children are both involved in a variety of helping ministries, Eric in Mississippi, and Evan in Africa.
Pastor Bonnie serves together with her husband on the staff of Winona Lake Free Methodist Church.
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Jennifer Nier: Kiddie Kollege Administrator
Jennifer Nier has an Associate's degree in Early Childhood Education, and a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Social Work. Jennifer is originally from Michigan and worked for a social service agency before moving to Winona Lake in 2002. She stayed home for a year with her daughter and began working at Kiddie Kollege Preschool as the administrator in 2003. She is married to the youth pastor at WLFMC and has three children, ages 8, 6, & 3.
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Lynette Merkler: Administrative Assistant
Lynette Merkler was raised in Washington State. She moved here to Indiana with her husband John and their family of critters after having lived in various places, including Germany, where her husband was stationed with the Air Force. They made the move to Indiana to be near family and get back to John's roots.
Lynette enjoys working for the Winona Lake Free Methodist Church and feels that this is her calling. She is the support staff for Pastor Henry, Pastor Rick and for Jennifer Nier the Kiddie Kollege Administrator, but feels she truly works for the whole church family.
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