Bethany Presbyterian Church embraces enthusiastic pastor from Naigeria

Minister from comes ‘home’ t

Eager to grow, Bethany Presbyterian Church embraces enthusiastic pastor from Nigeria

By Natalie Smith Contributing Writer

It takes faith, love and determination to maintain a local church for more than a century. Members of Bethany Presbyterian Church surely possess those qualities, because the church in the tiny Mendenhall section of Kennett Township will be marking its 125th anniversary in the fall of 2024.

“We emphasize the three Ms – ministry, music and missions,” said 50-year member Robert Schirmer, a church elder in charge of Bethany’s Christian Education and of Evangelism & Outreach. “For a small church, we’ve had about eight missions.”

Since 1899, more than 20 pastors have served the congregation for varying periods in both full- and part-time capacities.

The newest pastor is Mwat Asedeh, a Nigerian native who officially started in August. Bringing in the 35-year-old Asedeh full time is part of a greater plan to breathe new life into the church.

In recent years, Bethany Presbyterian’s membership – like many Christian houses of worship across the country – is growing older and getting smaller. According to the 2020 study Faith Communities Today, conducted by the multifaith group Cooperative Congregational Studies Partnership, in a quarter of Christian communities, half or more of their participants are aged 65 or older.

Photos courtesy of Double S Media

Pastor Mwat Asedeh along with senior member Robert Schirmer of the Bethany Presbyterian Church.

distant land to Mendenhall

A sign greeting Pastor Mwat Asedeh and his family graces the entrance to the Bethany Presbyterian Church chapel. The front of the Bethany Presbyterian Church in the Mendenhall section of Kennett Township. The chapel was constructed in 1899.

“The average age of our congregation is about 70, but we have three young people under 40 years old and then three young families who want to participate,” Schirmer said. “All told, we have about 50 regular members and probably about 15 who are not members but attend.”

And while some might be content to let the church eventually fade away, Schirmer and like-minded members of Bethany are resolute about keeping viable the church they love so much.

“We are looking for ways to bring in the community and stress our care for our fellow men and women,” the church elder said.

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Enter Asedeh, who all but radiates his love and enthusiasm for his new flock.

Part of his September bulletin message to the congregation stated, “The first time I worshiped with you, I was captivated by the friendship I observed among you; openness and willingness to explore different avenues of growth.”

He said later, “They wooed me here with their friendship. They’re really wonderful people.”

The journey of Pastor Mwat, as he is called, “is a long one,” he said. In 2014 he graduated with a degree in missions and evangelism from JETS – Jos Evangelical Theological Seminary in Nigeria.

“I was posted to go to a rural setting, where I learned a lot of things about tough times and about how to reach people,” he said.

Asedeh founded and ran Ambul Industries, with the goal to provide schooling for children in rural areas and economic freedom for youths.

“I got moved around a bit,” he explained. “I was then transferred for [my] first international cross-cultural mission.”

Continued on Page 30

The church’s front sign.

His assignment took him more than 2000 miles to the West African country of The Gambia. The trip was an eye-opening one for him.

“When I was in The Gambia, I felt there was this sense that the Christian ministry is more global,” he said. “It is no longer just one way of seeing it.”

Asedeh ended up coming to the United States in 2019 and attending Lancaster Theological Seminary, from which he graduated with a master’s of divinity degree this May. The seminary took a more ecumenical view of Christianity than the conservative way in which Asedeh had been raised and educated.

“I chose the path that I thought would be more challenging,” he said, “one that would really open me up to see where I’m wrong. I believe it’s something that will help me to really be able to have conversations with people that I don’t know, people that I have not heard of before or have not seen before.

“It’s provided me with a really, really rich environment of getting to learn people; to meet a transgender person for the first time and have a conversation. I’ve asked questions and not feel as though I’m insulting, but I’m trying to understand. That goal was achieved for me. I am not where I used to be.”

Continued on Page 32 Numerous message stones with positive thoughts are placed in various locations around the church property.

A portion of Bethany Presbyterian Church’s property from inside the meditation gazebo, adjacent to the prayer garden.

While going to school in Lancaster, Asedeh attended nearby Wheatland Presbyterian Church and did an internship there. A bonus was the “very vibrant” ESL (English as a Second Language) program the church offered, which sometimes had more than 100 students. Asedeh would sometimes pray with those in attendance before or during class; he’d also find out what they needed, like food or clothing or help with their utility bills.

He felt a special affinity for those learning English; Asedeh grew up in Offa, in southwest Nigeria. He speaks four languages.

“My parents are from a minority group in Nigeria called Kulere and that was always spoken at home,” he said. “My dad worked in the southwest region of the country where they speak Yoruba; it’s a very popular language. So that was what we spoke with kids when we went outside to play. The North as a whole has a common language, which is Hausa language. And that is what most Northerners speak as a common language. When we went to church. that was the language we spoke because we had a church there.

“So, when I met with Hausa kids, I spoke Hausa. When I played with Yoruba kids, I spoke Yoruba. At home, I spoke Kulere. And I started to learn English when I was about 4.

“I think, well, I wouldn’t say I could speak English well until I grew much older,” he said, laughing, “but then I thought, ‘Well if I could share that story with people who are trying to learn as a second language, it would be encouraging for them’.”

Many of the people in the ESL classes came from Spanish-speaking countries, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Asedeh said it was a delight to meet so many people from all over the world.

A bit of humor accompanies a hand sanitizer dispenser.

Schirmer said the amiable Asedeh is a good fit for Bethany.

“This is a Presbyterian church that is more liberal than some of the other sects in the Presbyterian Church,” he said.

The Presbytery of Donegal, which is the Lancaster-based Presbyterian administrative body, told the church’s committee that a full-time minister was needed, despite the congregation’s small size.

“Otherwise, we’d just be marking time,” said Schirmer. “We wanted to increase.”

The committee headed by Doug Cranage sought a new pastor and chose Asedeh.

The members have a three-year program during which the aim is to increase membership by at least 25 percent. “We want to attract young people,” Schirmer said.

Nearby non-denominational chapels are behind the idea. Schirmer said a youth minister at Willowdale Chapel told members of Bethany that they “weren’t in competition” for

Continued on Page 34 Robert Schirmer is a senior church member at Bethany Presbyterian.

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members and “we need to work with you to see if some local youngsters might be able to help us get started.”

Expanding and contemporizing Bethany’s music is another way the church is going to appeal to younger potential congregants. New music director Adrianna McCaw started in September.

“When our music director left, we luckily found someone that was 25 years old, that is a writer of music and of church music,” Schirmer said. “She works for the music studio two houses down from here, she teaches and she wants to start contemporary music programs.

“Since she came, the choir has improved. We’ve almost doubled the number. Sometimes there are more people in the choir than in the congregation.”

More changes as part of the three-year plan include the purchase of the two open acres behind the church.

“We’re going to convert it into something for environmental or nature studies,” Schirmer said. The church members are also deciding how they can make it available for community activities.

Other future plans include contemporary mid-week services; pastor’s Bible class; a Spanish-language assistance program; Sunday School for all ages; an expanded musical church program; and concerts celebrating diversity and ethnic heritage.

The pastor said the group is considering ways to improve the church’s appearance on social media.

Continued on Page 36 Pastor Mwat Asedeh, originally from Nigeria, offi cially came to lead Bethany Presbyterian Church in August.

Jump

Continued from Page 36 “Maybe a teaser or something that will spark curiosity and make you want to learn more [about Bethany and Christianity],” said Asedeh. “Just a one-minute video or 30-second something, because that is what is really moving as far as TikTok is concerned. Using WhatsApp, maybe. Make it really short, short. Things people wouldn’t want to stay online watching you for 15-20 minutes talking about. We thought that would be a tool that we could use as a teaser to get people to be curious.

“You could come to the website or join us online or come to a service. We hope to use it as a way to get people into having conversation about Scripture and principles that we can use for living.”

Currently, in addition to weekly 10:30 a.m. Sunday services, Bethany programs include a men’s discussion group; women’s Bible classes; Sunday School for primary students; a nursery; adult Sunday Bible class; and a prayer garden.

Pastor Mwat, his wife Achsah and their two young children, Dariah and Dominic Jr. are adjusting to life in Kennett, he said. Preaching to the congregation in May twice before he was offered the job, search committee leader Doug

A sign greeting Pastor Mwat Asedeh and his family graces the entrance to the Bethany Presbyterian Church chapel.

Cranage asked Asedeh what his plans were.

“I said, ‘Wherever God leads me, that is where I shall go.’”

It looks as if he was led to Chester County.

Natalie Smith may be contacted at Natalie@DoubleSMedia. com. Continued on Page 36

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