Pastorate of Larry Light and Jack Steele

On August 10, 2000, while still in West Palm Beach, Pastor Larry took a day off from his work.  On a sheet of paper he wrote:  “What does God want to do in Walton?”  He read three O.T. books:  Zechariah, Ezra  and Haggai.  God gave him the following promise for the Walton ministry:

The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew.  I will give all these things as an inheritance to the remnant of this people.   …let your hands be strong so that the temple may be built.  Zecharach 8:12, 9b

On October 8, 2000, on a Sunday afternoon, a brainstorming/vision meeting was held in the sanctuary.  An overhead projector was used during the meeting. There was discussion about what the future could look like.  Dreams for the future were recorded.  What was about to happen was the result of years of faithful intercession, years of seed sowing and hard work.

Movements of God are built upon the shoulders and prayers of the people, pastors and lay leaders, who have gone before us.  God was about to bring to reality the prayers of many people.

On August 30, 2001, the name of The First Free Methodist Church of Walton, N.Y. (incorporated on March 4, 1898), was changed to New Hope Community Church for more outreach to the community.

During the early 2000s, God blessed the people with a sense of unity.  There was love with respect to one another.  Like in Nehemiah’s time, there was spiritual development as well as physical labor going on at the same time.  Outreach was emphasized.  Discipleship was happening.  The church family embraced needs in the community.  One example is the Mommy and Me Ministry (taking gift baskets to mothers of new babies at Delaware Valley Hospital).  Jesus said “You are the light of the world.” -Matthew 5:14   The church family saw the needs of the world around them and took action.  God was preparing them for the next step.

Ministry to children became a priority.  The church was following the words of Jesus set forth in Matthew 19:14:  “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”  Children’s Day and VBS became a springboard to reach families.