STOCKTON – On Sunday May 13, Kingwood United Methodist Church in Stockton donated $10,000 to the IGNITE ministry. Eric Drew, GNJ Director of Worship was on hand to receive the gift and speak to the congregation about the great work IGNITE is doing to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the next generation.
Rev. Peter Mantell, Pastor at Kingwood guided the congregation through a year-long discernment process to choose several United Methodist organizations to benefit from a substantial gift left to the church in 2017. Mantell said, “One of the first things I said to the congregation after receiving word of this bequest was that we cannot stop being the church simply because our bank account is suddenly enriched. In fact, we now have a greater obligation to use our resources to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
Drew shared with the congregation many stories of lives being transformed by the work of IGNITE. IGNITE is GNJ’s youth conference where 1500 students join together in Wildwood for a weekend of music, Christian fellowship and life transformation. This year’s conference is scheduled for September 28-30, 2018.
“Youth come to IGNITE weekend and then return to their home churches to lead the way,” he said.
The gift from Kingwood will be used to fund scholarships for students, extending the potential to reach students who otherwise would not have the opportunity to experience the transformative power of the youth conference.
Kingwood UMC, founded in 1816, is the oldest Methodist Church in Hunterdon County. In April, 1776, Bishop Francis Asbury preached in a field a quarter mile from where the church now stands. The spot where Asbury preached, now known as “Pulpit Rock” is still lovingly cared for and maintained by the church. From past the present, the church still seeks to make disciples for the transformation of the world.