Living Hope Church: A Turn Around Church By Guest Writer Lynn Whitely In the heart of West Unity, Ohio, lies Living Hope church. 1051 West Jackson Street is where it is found, but this story doesn’t start there. It starts just a few blocks away with Pastor David Mathis.
Our story begins at 603 West Jackson Street in West Unity, where the first service was held in December of 1953. The primary objective of Living Hope was not only to meet the needs of its members, but to reach out to the community with friendship, care and love. David Mathis was eight years old when he was stricken with polio and placed in an iron lung. He made a promise to God that if he lived he would go wherever God wanted him to go and be whatever God wanted him to be. After high school, David enlisted in the Army Reserves and worked as a chaplain assistant. Later, he went on to become a teacher, teaching government for 30 years.
Between the ages of 55 and 65, Pastor David, with the help of Pastor Eric Perry, began taking pastoral classes in Spring Arbor. He eventually earned an Elders degree. Former superintendent Pastor Thomas Ramundo, recognized David’s drive for the Lord and how much he wanted to help the lost. He said that David requested to be appointed to a church that was small and struggling. Living Hope fit that criteria perfectly.
When Pastor David first arrived at Living Hope, it had approximately 27 members. The Michigan Conference had planned to close the church not only for low membership, but the building itself was falling apart. Instead of being discouraged, Pastor David reached out to the members. He lived 65 miles away but still always made time to visit members and their families to encourage them in the Lord. Membership began to grow. Eventually they outgrew
