Hicksville Mennonite Church—Hicksville, Ohio

Hicksville Mennonite Church was planted in the early 1960s with the goal of reaching the community with the gospel of Jesus Christ. For over sixty years, the congregation has sought to be faithful to that mandate in this rural, uniquely named community located amidst cornfields in the northwest corner of the state. As I reflect on the thriving church community that I’ve been a part of for almost seven years, three words of description come to mind: faithfulness, collaboration, and children.

Faithfulness
The overall trajectory of our church throughout the decades reminds me of Eugene Peterson’s description of Christian discipleship, where he used Friedrich Nietzsche’s words: “a long obedience in the same direction.”* While not particularly glitzy or glamorous, we have sought to be obedient to Jesus over the long haul.

We are blessed with a number of older church members, some of whom were a part of the initial church planting team. They have modeled consistent discipleship throughout the years while creating a welcoming atmosphere of loving hospitality. We desire to continue this tradition of a “long obedience” even as the dynamics of the church continue to change with the addition of many younger families and a changing cultural context.

Collaboration
One of the blessings of living in such a small community is the opportunity to personally know most of the other churches and town residents. We maintain great relationships with the churches in our community and collaborate on various activities. We recognize the resources and gifts inherent in the different churches and work together to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ and address the various needs of our town more effectively. Some of our shared ventures are a Bible education program in our public school, a Christmas program at the historic opera house, a community Good Friday service, free community meals, lunches for the children during the summer, a food pantry, and other events, meeting needs as they arise throughout the year.

One example of this shared passion for the community is evident in a student ministry event that was held last year. Another organization was invited to conduct an assembly at the local public school and welcomed the students to our church gym for a Christian concert that evening. The concert was well attended, and many students made commitments of faith in Jesus. Other local pastors were present and able to connect with these students for ongoing discipleship.

Children
Over the last several years, we have seen exponential growth in our children’s and youth ministry as Vacation Bible School, mid-week Kids’ Club, Upward Sports, and junior high and high school youth groups are expanding. There seems to be a growing interest in God among the youth of our town. Several of the youth who most faithfully attend junior high and high school events did not grow up going to church.

The junior high youth group recently invited me to attend their Bible study to answer some of their questions about God. One student mentioned that he has recently been entertaining thoughts of the afterlife. For most of his life, he assumed that we simply cease to exist once we die. But the longer he dwelt on this thought, the more he became convinced that life would become utterly meaningless if there was no afterlife. His search for truth led him to the junior high Bible study, where he could explore his questions with other inquisitive young minds. What a wonderful opportunity we have, to provide counsel to him and other students during this formative time and lead them to the Word of God—where they can find all truth.