Christ s Mission in New Carlisle A report by Elder Monte Sahlin Director of Research & Special Projects Ohio Conference May 30, 2009
Background n 1931 organized with 15 members and F. P. Rowe as lay pastor n R. S. Schoonard, a literature evangelist worked here in 1932; he joined Rowe in a second evangelism campaign with six baptisms n 1933 moved out of town hall into the abandoned Mount Pleasant Community Church building
Background n 1943 starts daily 6:45 a.m. radio broadcast on WING 1410 AM by Calvin Osborn, district pastor n Big campaigns in Dayton and Piqua n Old church building remodeled n 1955 Fall evangelism campaign n 1959 Fall evangelism campaign
Background n March 6, 1961 Groundbreaking for a new building n Fall 1962 11 in Pathfinder Club gathering food to help the poor n 1963 New Carlisle has the highest per capita Ingathering in Ohio and Francis Phelps preaches for a Fall evangelism campaign
Background n May 7-8, 1965 New building is dedicated debt free n Speakers n Theodore Carcich, vice president of the General Conference n Neal C. Wilson, Columbia Union Conference president n 1994 opening of Good Neighbor House
Membership & Attendance 120 100 Membership Attendance 80 60 40 20 0 1931 1932 1956 1963 1965 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Goals of this Study n Understand the people who live in the New Carlisle community n Identify the needs in the community n Suggest some opportunities for missional involvement by the New Carlisle Adventist Church n Ask, What is God doing in New Carlisle?
New Carlisle as a Mission Field n Clark County has a population of 140,000 n Town of New Carlisle, Bethel Township and Mad River Township have a combined population of 27,500 n Zip Codes 45344, 45341 and 45323 n Includes Park Layne, Crystal Lake, Medway, Enon and Donnelsville n All of these communities are suburbs in the Dayton metropolitan area
Adventist Presence n Clark County has 1 Adventist per each 476 population n Ghana 1 per 73 n Fiji 1 per 37 n New Guinea 1 per 23 n Rwanda 1 per 21 n U.S. 1 per 305 n World 1 per 450 n Jamaica 1 per 14 n Belize 1 per 10
n At least 32 Adventists live in Zip Code 45344, but only 16 of these are members at New Carlisle n Two Adventists live in Medway (Zip 45341); neither of them are members at New Carlisle n Two Adventists live in Enon n One is a New Carlisle member
Clark County Towns & Townships
Zip Code 45344
Zip Code 45341
Zip Code 45323
Age Groups 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% New Carlisle National 5% 0% Under 5 Under 18 65 and over
Ethnic Minorities 16% 14% 12% 10% 8% 6% New Carlisle National 4% 2% 0% Asian Black Hispanic Other
Immigrants 20% 18% 16% 14% 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% 2% 0% Foreign born Speak another language at home New Carlisle National
Housing 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% New Carlisle National 20% 10% 0% Owner-occupied Renter-occupied
Education 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% New Carlisle National 20% 10% 0% Secondary diploma College degree
Married 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% New Carlisle National 20% 10% 0% Men Women
Special Needs 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% New Carlisle National 5% 0% Disabled Veterans
Median Income $45,000 $41,994 New Carlisle National All households
Poverty 14% 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% New Carlisle National 2% 0% Individuals below poverty line Families below poverty line
Religious Profile of Clark County Catholic 8% Protestant 13% Unchurched 66% Evangelical* 12% Other 1% *Includes Adventists
Church Attendance n 17.5% of the total population goes to church on a typical weekend n 9.5% in Evangelical churches n 4.3% in Mainline Protestant churches n 3.6% in Catholic churches n Between 1990 and 2000, this percentage increased by 1.9% n So did Miami & Montgomery counties, while most of the state did not
United Way Community Assessment: Key Needs n Basic social services: food, clothing, emergency shelter n Stable, healthy families n Helping people gain selfsufficiency n Healthy neighborhoods
Population Per Doctor 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 Clark County State of Ohio 500 0 Physicians Dentists
Mortality Rate per 100,000 Population 250 200 150 100 Clark County State of Ohio 50 0 Heart Disease Cancer Stroke Accident Suicide
Children s Health 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Infant Mortality Teen Pregnancy Clark County State of Ohio
Analysis n Research has shown that growth in Adventist churches comes from: n Community involvement n Rich spirituality n Intentionality (goals, planning) n A positive atmosphere in congregation n Activities for the unchurched on Sabbath
Recommendations n Continue the food pantry and hot meals n Continue the booths at fairs, etc. and strengthen the health screening offered n Conduct a Heartbeat Community Coronary Risk program or CHIP program n Use direct mail to advertize these programs and the local newspaper, radio n Collaborate with the Impact Bethel community coalition
Recommendations n Get a student missionary from CUC or Andrews to come for a year and establish a youth outreach n Pathfinder Club for the community n Find a location in downtown New Carlisle for an outreach center that will be more visible
n Elder Monte Sahlin n (937) 748-9075 n (800) 272-4664 (answering service) n montessahlin@gmail.com n 2009, Ohio Conference & Center for Creative Ministry