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PastorJay'sBlog
From my heart to yours...
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Pastor Jay Fretz
I was born into a loving and strong Christian Home. My family had been involved in the Church of the Brethren for several generations. At the age of 12 the Lord impressed upon my heart that He wanted me to be a Pastor. One night at a campfire at Camp Swatara I knew that God had called me. Becoming a pastor became my goal from that time forward. At the age of 15 our family left the Church of the Brethren to become part of the start of a Grace Brethren Church. It was new and wonderful and got us more involved in church than we had ever been before. In my senior year I went to National Youth Conference representing the North Atlantic District. I believed that receiving 1st place in the Teen Challenge Speaker competition was a continued confirmation of God’s direction. I graduated from Pennridge High School in 1969 and that fall entered Grace College. The college years were great with many new friends and activities. During my junior year I fell in love with Beth Hoehne and we made our plans to be married the day after I graduated from college, May 26, 1973. That fall I enrolled in Grace Seminary. Because of the need to work almost full time I made 3 years of seminary last 5 years. They were good years. I got a job at Zimmer USA making stainless steel parts for people. In 1977 Rachel our first child was born. That next year I graduated from Seminary with a Master of Divinity Degree. Pastor Bill Smith asked me to come to Kokomo IN to help him with a Home Mission church there. We moved to Kokomo in 1978 and soon became the full time pastor at the North Kokomo GBC. During that time our son Joshua was born, a blessing to family and friends. After 5 years and some wonderful times we felt that the Lord was leading us to another ministry. That ministry was in Sebring Florida at a small Home Mission Church of 20 people. The church was 3 years old by the time we got there in 1983. Our God blessed in very special ways during the next few years. We were able to build a church building the second year and then because of our attendance going well over 200 in the winter we added a second and third building project. I was sure that I would always pastor at Sebring but God had other plans. In 1991 we were called to serve at Maranatha Brethren Church in Hagerstown, Maryland. At Maranatha I had the great pleasure of working with Ron Shank the Youth Pastor. No one could ask for a better partner in ministry or pastor for my children who were just teens when we came to Maranatha. I watched my children grow up, go off to Grace College and then come back to Maranatha and get married. More than 17 years of our lives have been wrapped up in Maranatha but now it was time to go again. The Lord made it clear that I was to become the new pastor at Brookville GBC in March of 2009. The church had just lived through a major split and was in need of a shepherd who would love them back to health. We have grown together in the last several years. Believing with all my heart that God wanted Beth and I in Brookville, we tried to sell our house and find a new job for Beth. Both of these are easy things for God but He did not allow either of these to happen. I am now excited for what God has in store for us together at Calvary.
I was born into a loving and strong Christian Home. My family had been involved in the Church of the Brethren for several generations. At the age of 12 the Lord impressed upon my heart that He wanted me to be a Pastor. One night at a campfire at Camp Swatara I knew that God had called me. Becoming a pastor became my goal from that time forward. At the age of 15 our family left the Church of the Brethren to become part of the start of a Grace Brethren Church. It was new and wonderful and got us more involved in church than we had ever been before. In my senior year I went to National Youth Conference representing the North Atlantic District. I believed that receiving 1st place in the Teen Challenge Speaker competition was a continued confirmation of God’s direction. I graduated from Pennridge High School in 1969 and that fall entered Grace College. The college years were great with many new friends and activities. During my junior year I fell in love with Beth Hoehne and we made our plans to be married the day after I graduated from college, May 26, 1973. That fall I enrolled in Grace Seminary. Because of the need to work almost full time I made 3 years of seminary last 5 years. They were good years. I got a job at Zimmer USA making stainless steel parts for people. In 1977 Rachel our first child was born. That next year I graduated from Seminary with a Master of Divinity Degree. Pastor Bill Smith asked me to come to Kokomo IN to help him with a Home Mission church there. We moved to Kokomo in 1978 and soon became the full time pastor at the North Kokomo GBC. During that time our son Joshua was born, a blessing to family and friends. After 5 years and some wonderful times we felt that the Lord was leading us to another ministry. That ministry was in Sebring Florida at a small Home Mission Church of 20 people. The church was 3 years old by the time we got there in 1983. Our God blessed in very special ways during the next few years. We were able to build a church building the second year and then because of our attendance going well over 200 in the winter we added a second and third building project. I was sure that I would always pastor at Sebring but God had other plans. In 1991 we were called to serve at Maranatha Brethren Church in Hagerstown, Maryland. At Maranatha I had the great pleasure of working with Ron Shank the Youth Pastor. No one could ask for a better partner in ministry or pastor for my children who were just teens when we came to Maranatha. I watched my children grow up, go off to Grace College and then come back to Maranatha and get married. More than 17 years of our lives have been wrapped up in Maranatha but now it was time to go again. The Lord made it clear that I was to become the new pastor at Brookville GBC in March of 2009. The church had just lived through a major split and was in need of a shepherd who would love them back to health. We have grown together in the last several years. Believing with all my heart that God wanted Beth and I in Brookville, we tried to sell our house and find a new job for Beth. Both of these are easy things for God but He did not allow either of these to happen. I am now excited for what God has in store for us together at Calvary.
