Reviving an Ohio Church

By Andrew Mcchesney

Financial planner Vince Waln credits the Holy Spirit and a pipe organ for transforming a declining church of 15 people into a vibrant congregation of about 85 in three years in the U.S. state of Ohio.

Image © Pacific Press

The miracles started when Vince preached at various small churches, including at the Hamilton Seventh-day Adventist Church, where he had worshipped as a child. “Attendance had really fallen off”, Vince said. “There was no one to play the piano. My wife sang special music with a CD”.

One evening, his wife, Darla, returned from a bridal shower at the Hamilton church and announced that the church pastor was leaving.

“You could be their pastor”, she said, jokingly.

For the next two weeks, Vince couldn’t forget the church. He awoke at night with his wife’s words ringing in his ears, “You could be the pastor”.

Finally, Vince volunteered to assist the Hamilton church for six months. The next thing he knew, the Hamilton church’s six board members told him that they had been praying for him to be their lay pastor.

“Those prayers had gone on for the two weeks that I had been waking up in the middle of the night”, Vince said. “It was definitely the Holy Spirit working”.

In the new role, Vince invited a retired professional organist, Jerry Taylor, to assist as music director. One day Jerry excitedly called Vince to say an upscale retirement community in Cincinnati was selling a pipe organ for $75,000.

“We can’t afford that!” Vince said. “Even $5,000 would be too much”.

“Let’s go look at it anyway”, Jerry said.

The retirement community’s chaplain was fascinated to hear about the Hamilton church. He excused himself for a moment and, returning, said, “I spoke with the director just now. We have been looking for a church to donate this pipe organ to. The only requirement is to open the doors to the community”.

The Hamilton church received the pipe organ for free.

The miracles continued. Construction workers remodeled the sanctuary for the pipe organ at cost. Engineers helped the church, whose cistern-drawn water was undrinkable, connect to the city water supply. Christians from many denominations joined the church’s new choir.

A thrilling moment came when two women walked into the church on a Sabbath morning and announced that they wanted to keep the biblical Sabbath after studying the Bible on their own. One woman and her husband were later baptized.

The pipe organ, however, appears to be the main instrument that God has used to attract people to church, said Vince, 65. “We are just drawing in the people”, he said.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org

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