Pastor to retire following 30 years of service
Pastor David Lewis of New Hanover United Methodist Church in New Hanover Township will be retiring at the end of June; his last sermon will be on Sunday, June 25.
Lewis has been with New Hanover church since its start, having been appointed to the church by the bishop 30 years ago on July 1, 1987. He said the Bishop saw a need in the area to establish a new church and they bought the land for it.
“Then they look around for who’s the right person to organize the congregation – and they asked me,” said Lewis. “It’s something I was thrilled about.”
From 1987 until now, and in addition to the church physically expanding, he has watched the congregation grow from zero to 1,300.
“The community was so welcoming.” He said to start the church, they used telemarketing methods. “We actually called our neighbors; we made about 10,000 calls just telling people we were a new church. The first thing we’d ask is if they were actively involved in a church, and if they were we’d say ‘thank you for your time or we’re looking for people that don’t have a church.’”
From there, he said they gathered about 800 names on the mailing list interested in additional information about the church. They had about 250 people in attendance for the first weekend and grew steadily from there.
“I love being a pastor. I think a pastor’s primary job is to keep the church healthy. If the church is healthy, then it grows, and it serves and it gives generously. You’re like a doctor, not for the body but for the Body of Christ.”
He said he enjoys working in the church.
“You make some mistakes but you keep trying, and I enjoy that. It’s a leadership but it’s a different kind of leadership.”
He commented on how important the church community is and has been, historically, to the area.
“You need schools and hospitals, fire and police; the spiritual community is just as much a community that people need. I don’t think we talk about that enough.”
Lewis will be leading all of the services on Sunday. As last sermon approaches, he says it will be hard and has mixed feelings.
“On the one hand, I’m looking forward to retirement, but on the other hand, I’m feeling really grateful to everybody. I know it’s going to be hard to say goodbye.” He explained how he’s baptized, confirmed, and married many of the congregation members. He knows them and their families well. “You’re not acquaintances. You’re close to people.”
Lewis will soon be going on a mission trip to Africa. And in retirement, he looks forward to spending time with family and traveling. He said it’s been an honor and privilege to help organize NHUMC and to be a part of its community.
Sunday morning services at NHUMC are held at 9 and 10:30 a.m., there is also a simple service at 8 a.m.