1
Lewes Presbyterian Church 133 Kings Highway
Lewes, DE 19958
Phone: (302) 645-5345
Fax: (302) 645-2743
Website: www.lewespresbyterianchurch.org
PNC Contact: Jim Miller, PNC Chair
Church Information Form
We are seeking to fill the position of a full-time Pastor/Head of Staff.
Portrait of Our Church
The Lewes Presbyterian congregation and leaders are guided by the mission of “Believing,
Growing and Sharing the Love of Christ.” Our vision is to worship God in spirit and in truth,
to make disciples as we study and grow in faith and faithfulness, to enjoy good fellowship, to help
each other in time of need and to reach our world with the good news of Jesus Christ by word and
deed.
Church Size:
Covenant Partners – 281 (2016)
Average worship attendance - 210
Average Sunday School Attendance:
30 children and youth 20-25 adults
Youth Group: (Grades 7-12) 14
members, 3 adult leaders
2017 Operating Budget: $458,698
2017 Mission Budget: $95,910
Total Budget $554,608
2
Leadership Structure:
Session: 12 Elders elected for up to two consecutive, three-year terms
Committees of Session: Building Maintenance, Building Utilization, Cemetery and Grounds,
Christian Education – Adult, and Christian Education – Children, Congregational Fellowship and
Community Outreach, Endowment, Finance, Mission, Nominating, Personnel, Stewardship,
Worship and Music, Youth Council
Deacons: 9 Deacons elected for up to two consecutive, three-year terms
Major activities of the Deacons include the following: assist the Pastoral Care Coordinator and
Pastoral Care Provider to offer support to members in times of need; provide financial assistance
and food to the LPC family, when called upon; assist pastor with communion at the 8:00 am service
and offer home communion to shut ins; provide receptions for funerals if requested; provide
scholarships to high school graduates
Staff Positions
Pastor, (FT) – Reverend Dr. Harry (Buz) W. Hughes (will retire 6/30/18)
Assistant Pastor/Pastoral Caregiver (PT) – Reverend Dr. John A. Gilmore
Congregational Care/Children and Youth Coordinator (PT), Denise Barnes
Office Administrator (FT) – Christina Best
Business Manager (FT) – Cathy Heronemus
Music Director/Organist (PT) – Melanie Bradley
3
THE HISTORY OF LEWES PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (LPC)
In 2017 the congregation of the Lewes Presbyterian Church celebrates its 325th anniversary as a
worshipping community. The congregation at Lewes was established under Rev. Samuel Davis
in 1692, and the first church building was constructed in the early 1700s on a land grant from
Thomas Fenwick. Rev. Davis was one of the six ministers who, in 1706, formed the first American
Presbytery. The Reverend John Thomson became the first permanent pastor of the Lewes
congregation in 1717, and was a charter member of the New Castle Presbytery, serving three terms
as its moderator and serving two terms as moderator of the newly established Synod. He might be
best known as the author of the Adopting Act of 1729 that required all candidates for the ministry
to subscribe to the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms.
Over more than three centuries of its presence in the Lewes area, the congregation persevered
through wars, financial depressions, epidemics and theological differences of our early church
leaders; yet, because of God’s grace and the faithfulness of its members throughout the years, the
Lewes Presbyterian Church has survived and thrived.
LPC’S DENOMINATIONAL AFFILIATION
The Lewes Presbyterian Church has been a member of the Covenant Order of Evangelical
Presbyterians (ECO) since early 2015. The change in denominational affiliation from the PCUSA
came after more than ten years of the congregation’s concern with the direction of the PCUSA that
culminated with a congregational decision to change denominations and begin a formal
discernment in 2012. After a period of intense negotiations, LPC’s relationship with the New
Castle Presbytery was dissolved, in exchange for a payment of more than $500,000, and LPC
established uncontested ownership of its name, building and other assets.
LPC fully embraces ECO’s vision to “Build Flourishing Churches that Make Disciples of Jesus
Christ,” the clarity of the Essential Tenets, and the covenantal expectations for sessions and
pastors. LPC is a member of the Heritage Presbytery that includes 14 churches in Delaware,
southeastern Pennsylvania, and southern New Jersey. We are committed to the successful
functioning of this volunteer-led presbytery; LPC’s pastor serves on the Ministry Partnership
Team, the Assistant Pastor is the Chair of the Permanent Judicial Commission, and an elder is the
presbytery treasurer. LPC participates in a Mission Affinity Group that includes White Clay
Creek Presbyterian Church (Newark, DE), The Christian Life Center (New London, PA), and
Pequea Presbyterian Church near Lancaster, PA. Our pastors are part of a 14-member Pastoral
Covenant Group.
OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE DIRECTION OF THE LEWES
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
For more than 20 years, the LPC congregation and its leaders have been guided by the mission
statement of “Believing, growing and sharing the love of Christ,” and our vision is to worship
God in spirit and in truth, to make disciples as we study and grow in faith and faithfulness, to
enjoy good fellowship, to help each other in time of need, and to reach our world with the good
news of Jesus Christ by word and deed. We believe that all Christians are called and gifted in
4
various ways for ministry, and we join together as a community of faith with the Holy Spirit who
guides us on our journey together as we seek the opened doors that have been put before us.
John Ortberg, author and ECO pastor of Menlo Church, quotes one of his seminary professors as
saying that an open door is symbolic of “boundless opportunities; of limitless chances to do
something worthwhile; of grand openings into new and unknown adventures of significant
living; of heretofore unimagined chances to do good, to make our lives count for eternity. An
open door is the great adventure of life because it means the possibility of being useful to God.”
In the past 25 years God has opened doors for LPC that through the vision of our pastor, leaders,
and members led us to ministries and actions that gave us possibilities of being useful to God’s
purpose. At this time of transition to a new pastor, we claim this promise and are praying that
the Holy Spirit guide us as we seek the “doors that God has opened for us that no one can close”.
As the first step in our pastoral transition process, the LPC Transition Committee hosted two
leadership retreats to identify the doors that might be opened for LPC in the next few years, and
to reflect on the current LPC programs and ministries that we see as continuing. About 40 LPC
leaders gathered for two, all-day retreats in early 2017 to review LPC’s mission of “Believing,
Growing, and Sharing the Love of Christ” in light of changes in our culture and the post
Christendom era in which we live, and to consider how our current programs and ministries help
us achieve this mission. In May 2017, about 100 congregation members attended a follow-up
congregational listening session and offered their ideas concerning the future of LPC, as well as
reactions to ideas from the leadership retreats.
The retreat and listening session participants shared the consensus that “Believing, Growing, and
Sharing the Love of Christ” remains a powerful statement of our purpose as a local church and
need not be changed. The leaders did, however, acknowledge that in the future we should move
toward being a “sending church,” rather than just a “consumer church”. The difference between
the two is that the sending church focuses on what happens on Monday morning out in the world
as much or more than what happens on Sunday morning in church.
The Pastor Nominating Committee members reviewed the results of the retreats and listening
sessions and identified a number of current programs that we consider strengths and noted open
doors for the future that we pray will help us more fully live out our mission. These present
strengths and future opportunities are described in the following sections.
Opened Doors
Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. This is the message from the
one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can
close; and what he closes, no one can open. I know all the things you do, and I have
opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my
word and did not deny me. (Revelation 3:7-8 (NLT))
5
CURRENT STRENGTHS
Worship, education, caring ministry, fellowship and mission activities are the primary way we
express our understanding of the purpose of the local church.
Worship
Sunday morning worship services are the primary expression of LPC’s vision to worship God in
spirit and in truth; all worship services offer strong, Biblically-based sermons. Over the past 20
years LPC has expanded its worship opportunities to include three Sunday morning services, and
during the retreats the leaders and congregation members felt strongly that the three styles of
service should be maintained because they provide three different doors into our worshiping
community.
8:00 am Contemplative Worship Service. This service, held in the Sanctuary, was
added in 2006 in response to the desire for a more reflective worship experience. The
service is traditional but is more limited in its liturgy and music than the 11:00 am
traditional service. Communion is offered each Sunday. The scripture readings and
sermon are the same as for the other two services. Average attendance for this service is
about 40 persons.
9:00 am Contemporary Worship Service. This service, begun in the mid-1990s, is
held in the Fellowship Hall. The atmosphere is casual, and most of our young families
attend this service since it meets at the same time as children’s Sunday School. The
Praise Band (drums, bass, guitars, electric piano) offers the contemporary music for the
service, and Communion is served on the first Sunday of each month. Average
attendance for this service is about 75 people.
11:00 am Traditional Worship Service. This worship service is held in our historic
Sanctuary with the Chancel Choir presenting a special anthem each week. Traditional
hymns are sung. Communion is served on the first Sunday of each month. Average
attendance for this service is about 85 people, including the 20-member choir.
Education/Discipleship
Over the past 20 years LPC has added and continues to offer a wide variety of learning
opportunities for both adults and children, most of which are lay led.
Sunday Morning Adult Studies
8:15-9:00 a.m. Bible Study This class follows the International Sunday School
curriculum and is designed to be convenient for persons who attend the 9:00 am service.
Average attendance for this recently established study is about 8-10 people.
9:00-10:00 a.m. Sunday School. This long-standing Sunday School class of about 20-
24 persons explores four to five topical studies each year, many of which have
accompanying video lessons, from authors such as Tim Keller, John Ortberg, N. T.
Wright, Kenneth Bailey, Ravi Zacharias, Philip Yancey, C. S. Lewis, J. I. Packer, and
Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
6
12:30-1:30 p.m. Bible Project. The Bible Project, a non-profit animation studio in
Portland, Oregon, produces short videos that provide overviews of each book of the
Bible, key word studies, and major biblical themes. The 10-12 members of this class
view and discuss these videos as a way of gaining a richer understanding of the big
picture of the Bible.
Weekday Adult Studies
Men’s Monday Morning Bible Study
About 10-12 men get together to study the Sermon on the Mount sermons by the great
British Pastor, D. Martyn Lloyd Jones.
Men/Women’s and Women’s-Only Bible Study
For the past 18 years, a dedicated lay person has taught a Bible Study class at three
different times each week. The class is offered on Monday evenings for men and
women, and then twice on Tuesday afternoons for women. For the fall of 2017 the study
is using Ephesians: Live Abundantly, by Lenya Heitzig & Penny Rose. A total of about
60-70 people participate in these three classes each year, and about a third of them are
from outside of LPC.
Crosswalk—Study & Fellowship Group for Young Families
This group for couples with young families meets once a month on Monday evenings for
dinner and study. The current study is It Starts at Home by Matt Chandler, Gerry
Thomas, and Kurt & Olivia Bruner. The group of 10-16 people includes a number of
non-LPC members.
Whole Congregation Sermon-Based Study Series
In recent years LPC has offered several congregation-wide, sermon-based studies. The
most recent, in 2016-17 was the Believe series by Randy Frazee, that included 30 weeks
of sermons and weekly discussion-group study. The Story by Max Lucado was the
content for a similar sermon/small group study in 2012. Attendance for the small group
gatherings ranged from 8 – 20 persons and included both LPC and non-LPC members.
Non-LPC Sponsored Bible Studies
LPC members actively participate in the Bible Study Fellowship programs for both men
and women that are hosted by other churches; about 10 LPC women travel to Milford,
DE, and about 8-10 men travel to Georgetown, DE for these weekly meetings.
Children’s Sunday School
Each week of the school year six dedicated teachers provide Christian nurture to four classes,
covering from three years of age through high school. Average attendance during the fall –
spring is 27-30 children and youth,
Kids for Christ (KFC)
7
KFC meets the second and fourth Friday of each month of the school year and is open to Pre-K,
and K-6th graders. This gathering includes dinner, learning about and building faith in Jesus
Christ through music, drama, Bible stories, crafts, and game time. The average attendance is
about 55 kids who are about equally divided between Lewes After School Program students,
LPC church members and kids from the community. Twenty-five leaders and helpers prepare
the dinner, teach, and help with the other activities.
Vacation Bible School (VBS)
LPC hosts a week-long Vacation Bible School in the evenings of the last week of July or first
week of August. About 40 leaders and helpers teach and provide activities for about 70, three to
twelve-year-old children. VBS is a major outreach program; only about a third of the
participants are LPC members’ children; two thirds are from the community including about
eight students of the Lewes After School Program.
Youth Group
The Youth Group meets two Sundays a month during the school year and about 15 students
participate, led by three leaders. The L:PC youth, plus a number of non LPC students, attend a
major youth rally in January of each year in Ocean City, MD. In addition, in 2016 a number of
the students and leaders attended a mission trip to the Kayenta Bible Church in Arizona where
they conducted a Vacation Bible School program for approximately 50 young members of the
Navajo Nation. The youth also help out with many other LPC programs including stocking the
food pantry, and assisting with the Operation Christmas Child program in the fall.
Library and Online Video Resources
The John Vessels Memorial Library provides a variety of Christian resources including
commentaries, videos, fiction and non-fiction books, and children’s materials. LPC subscribes to
two online video library resources, RightNow Media and Study Gateway, that are available
free to the LPC family. These video resources are used by both adult and children’s Sunday
School and small groups, as well as for individual study and growth. Over 100 members and
friends have registered to access RightNow Media, and about 30 have done so for Study
Gateway.
Deacons’ Caring Ministry
Our mission of sharing the love of Christ includes our local church body and extends to our
community and the world. We care about and support each other within the congregation
through our Deacons’ Caring Ministry efforts and our fellowship activities.
The nine-member Deacon board plus past-serving Deacons work together to reach out to the
sick, the friendless, and to any who may be in distress, both within and beyond the community of
faith. The Deacons’ Caring Ministry coordinates several prayer ministries, including a weekly
Intercessory Prayer Group, a Prayer Chain, Moms in Prayer small group. It also coordinates
several support groups, including Mothers Are Always Mothers, and Heart to Heart.
8
The Kelly Class, a women’s group that started as a Sunday School class in the 1920-30s,
continues today as a group of up to 35 women who share monthly luncheons and fellowship.
The group, and also sponsors an annual rummage sale and Christmas Bazaar. The proceeds from
these fund raisers are used to purchase items for the church and to support local and national
missions.
For the past three years we have been fortunate to employ a part-time retired pastor and lay
person to coordinate and provide care for the LPC family. The church leaders, at the retreats,
reaffirmed their commitment to make funding of these positions a high priority in the future. We
feel our church’s commitment to care is fulfilling one of the goals of God’s Church.
Congregational Fellowship
The activities of the Congregational Fellowship Committee are also important contributors to the
loving sense of belonging, and the community feeling, and support evident within the
congregation. The committee encourages and supports our members to actively participate by
leading groups and programs, as the Spirit leads them. This fun-loving committee organizes four
or more lunches or dinners for the congregation each year, including an annual church picnic, a
strawberry social to recognize confirmands and graduates, an Advent dinner and a dinner for the
January Annual Meeting. In addition, the committee has also sponsored at least two pizza and
movie nights that are advertised within the community and well attended by non-members and
members alike. In the past two years, the movies shown included follow-up small group studies
also sponsored by the committee. This committee also oversees the welcoming of visitors,
Mission and Outreach
We accomplish our mission of sharing the love of Christ though our mission and outreach
activities that help us to reach our world with the good news of Jesus Christ by word and deed.
Our long tradition of sharing resources with persons in need, both locally and throughout the
world, is evidenced by our practice of separately pledging to mission and to operations so that
individuals intentionally commit to mission activities rather than limiting mission funding to
what is left over after internal operating needs are met. Mission giving represented about 20
percent of LPC’s total giving in 2016. If mission giving from special offerings, the endowment
fund, and the Kelly Class are included, LPC contributed about 25 percent of its total giving to
mission.
The Mission Committee recommends to the Session the allocation of the mission pledges to
various organizations and also approves all special offerings. In recent years, the allocation of
pledge giving was about equally divided between world mission and local causes.
Organizations and individuals receiving financial support in 2016 include the following:
World Mission Causes
• The Congo -- Bob and Kristi Rice, John and Gwenda Fletcher, IMCK Hospital,
Lungandu Congo School
• Korea – Art and Sue Kistler, Christian Friends of Korea
• Middle East – U.A.E. Project
9
• Other – Emily and Jesse Ciccotti (Asia), Bill and Gale Johnson (France and Africa),
Witnessing Ministry of Christ (India), Mission Aviation Fellowship, Samaritan’s Purse
(Operation Christmas Child), Doctors Without Borders
Local Mission Causes
• Helping Organizations – Community Resource Center, New Coverdale Outreach Mission
• Nutrition – LPC Soup Ministry, Meals on Wheels, Lewes Senior Center, Cape Henlopen
Food Basket
• Housing – Sussex County Habitat for Humanity
• Evangelism – Solid Ground Church (Lewes), ECO Church Plant (New Jersey), ECO
Church Plant (Boston), Gideons, Chosen Peoples Ministry
• Prison Ministries – The Way Home, Alternatives to Violence
• Crisis Assistance – Sussex Pregnancy Care Center, Crisis House
• Substance Abuse – Delmarva Teen Challenge
• Education – Lewes After School Program
We feel that our relationship with the Lungandu Church in the Congo, the Lewes After School
Program, and our Soup Ministry represent our strongest and most sustained efforts to share
God’s love with the world.
Congo
More than ten years ago, LPC started our journey of partnering with our Presbyterian friends in
Lungandu Church. During these ten years we have exchanged visits to learn more about each
other and to share our faith. With the financial contributions from us, the Congo church labored
to build a school where about 9,000 children have received a primary education. Many of those
have continued on to secondary schools. The women received a grant to build a business center
for their sewing business which in turn allowed them to earn an income. Local labor was used to
construct the building. We know they have often had twenty-four-hour prayer vigils to
strengthen our partnership as well as for special needs we have shared with them. We have also
prayed for those who were sick and in need in their church. Our friends in the Congo truly
believe that God has brought us together for a special purpose. This personal relationship is what
has kept this partnership strong.
The Lewes After School Program
The Lewes After School Program (LASP) is a highly effective 14-year partnership between the
Lewes Presbyterian Church and the Shields Elementary School in the Cape Henlopen School
District. LASP specifically targets at-risk children, and the goal is to provide a high-quality,
after school program for these children to help them achieve success in school and life. Thirty
children participate in the program each year at no cost to the student. Slightly over half of the
funding is provided by a federal grant. The balance of the approximately $100,000 annual budget
is provided by LPC’s Endowment Fund, the proceeds of the special Easter Offering, the Cape
Henlopen School District, the Lewes-Rehoboth Association of Churches, the Lewes Lions Club
and the Greater Lewes Foundation. The program consistently receives outstanding evaluations
10
from its funding partners as it meets and exceeds the program goals learning and behavior. LPC
also supports the program by providing leadership, classroom space, financial recordkeeping,
secretarial assistance and indirect overhead costs. In addition to four paid staff, the LASP is
supported by 45 volunteers who help with homework, crafts, and other activities. About half of
the volunteers are LPC members, and the balance are from the community at large.
Soup Ministry
Since 2005 LPC has operated a weekly soup ministry from October through May that serves an
average of about 80 people each Tuesday from the church’s modern commercial kitchen. LPC
provides the space, the leadership, and many of the volunteers who help each week. About half
of the volunteers are LPC members; the other half are from other churches and the community.
These volunteers have formed a dedicated, caring small group that is committed to showing
God’s love to others through their efforts. Freewill donations from meal recipients, contributions
from other supporters, and LPC funds cover the cost of this program. This ministry provides
more than a meal for lower income members of the Lewes community; it provides support, and
friendship. In addition, LPC members attend the lunch for this same support and sense of
community.
Community Thanksgiving Dinner
For the past 14 years LPC has organized and hosted a community-wide Thanksgiving Dinner and
Coat Ministry on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. In recent years, we have served more than
1,300 meals, including about 900 meals served in the church’s Fellowship Hall, and 400 take-out
meals. We also distribute annually 300-400 warm winter coats to children and adults in need.
Over 190 volunteers help prepare and serve the meals, including LPC members, the Delaware
Seashore Parrotheads, and the Knights of Columbus from St. Jude and St. Edmonds Roman
Catholic churches as well as individuals from other churches in the community. Funding is
provided by community organizations, LPC, and by donations received from patrons of the
dinner.
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
The previous sections have described the programs and activities of our church that are tangible
signs of God’s love and care for his people here in Lewes. The robust worship schedule, the
large offering of study opportunities for adults and youth, and the variety and scope of mission
activities attest to a church that has walked through many opened doors that God has put before
it in the past years. As we have prepared for the pastoral transition before us, the leaders and the
congregation have sought to discern God’s will for LPC in the next few years so that we can call
a pastor that can partner with us on that journey. Three initiatives that build on existing
programs and ministries, and that we trust will help us with our mission as a church, are
described below.
1. Revamp and Restructure the 9:00 am Contemporary Service One recurring comment
during the retreats we held in the spring of 2017 was that the current “contemporary” service is
11
only partially contemporary. Several participants called it “Contemporary Lite” because it
includes the same sermon and much of the liturgy of the traditional services; only the music and
the casual atmosphere is contemporary. Since a contemporary worship service is more likely to
provide a positive worshipful experience for younger individuals and families than would a
traditional one, and since we are committed to offer a separate contemporary format, we should
seek to maximize its impact by changing our contemporary. Three of the ways to revise the
service include less of the traditional liturgy, a different, probably longer, more applied/relational
message, and better use of technology to enhance the message, the singing, and the overall
experience.
2. Build a discipleship culture at LPC through increased small-group ministries. LPC
offers a wide variety of small group studies to grow in our faith and promotes groups for
fellowship and support as well. However, participation in small groups that include Bible study,
accountability and other aspects of discipleship is disappointing. Only about 30 percent of
LPC’s members and regular attenders take advantage of the many studies we offer; some people
participate in as many as four or five groups, but 70 percent of the members do not enjoy the
benefits of small-group study and discipleship. Our new pastor can help us design an effective
small-group ministry, coach and train the small-group leaders, and teach or provide the content
for some of the studies. We might consider setting a goal within two years of having half the
congregation participate in some type of discipleship small group.
3. Become more of a “sending” church by providing encouragement and opportunities for
members to be involved in mission outside of the church. LPC has an excellent record of
financial contributions to both worldwide and local mission; however, we can have a greater
impact in sharing the love of Christ in the world by hands-on involvement in our local missions.
Pastoral leadership, teaching, and encouragement can guide us to this new understanding of
mission so that the church is the place from which we go out to help bring God’s Kingdom to the
world.
LPC Membership
The graph below, indicates LPC’s membership declining for the past ten years, while average
worship attendance, after an initial drop, has been fairly stable for the past five years; however, it
is still declining. The 1990s and early 2000s period was a time of growth and expansion in the
Lewes region that attracted retired individuals who joined LPC and provided strong leadership
along with the new pastor, Buz Hughes. The major building expansion in 2001-2002, and the
new opportunities for worship, study, and fellowship, combined with the call of an Associate
Pastor in 2004, led to membership growth and the startup of a number of ministries, such as the
Lewes After School Program, Soup Ministry, and Community Thanksgiving Dinner, that
continue to the present.
The decline in membership starting in 2007 can largely be attributed to the denominational
anxieties caused by the PCUSA’s drift away from its confessional roots. By 2012, when the
LPC Session declared its intention to change denominations, several families and individuals
loyal to the PCUSA also left the church. Offsetting these departures was the addition of a
number of new members who joined because of the prospect of LPC changing to a more
12
evangelical denomination. Some of the losses were also due to “cleaning up” the rolls in
anticipation of a dismissal vote.
Worship attendance, on the other hand has remained relatively stable over the past ten years, and
the ratio of attendance to membership of 71 percent is favorable. One reason for this high ratio
is that LPC offers three different-style worship services each Sunday. The 8:00 am
contemplative service has an average attendance of about 40 persons; the 9:00 am contemporary
worship attracts about 75 worshippers each week, and the 11:00 am traditional service 85
worshipers. The 8:00 am service attendance has been declining slightly over the past few years,
while the 9:00 am service attendance has been growing slightly. The 11:00 am traditional
service attendance has remained relatively constant.
The map below shows LPC’s location; the blue circle indicates a nine-mile radius around the
church. A plot of member and regular-attendee addresses indicates that about 30 percent of the
members live within three miles of the church, while 20 percent live more than 10 miles from the
church. Several active families live 25-30 miles from the church.
229235
257
286280
299
317
335 336329
324
310303 306 305
291 293 291284 281
180185
195
209
226235
230
244 246
205213 212 212 208
202208 206 208
199
100
150
200
250
300
350
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Lewes Presbyterian Church Membership and Attendance Trends 1997-2016
Members
Worship Attendance
13
Today, the average age of nearly all denominations of church members is usually higher than the
overall population, and LPC’s situation is no different; however, given the retirement community
character of the Lewes region, this difference is not as great as in other areas. As the table below
indicates, just under half of LPC’s members are 65 years of age or older; however, this statistic is
not significantly higher than the nearly 44 percent of the City of Lewes population that is over 65
years of age. On the other hand, it is significantly higher than the age distribution within the
nine-mile radius of the church, and of Sussex County as a whole. LPC’s proportion of youth
under 18 years of age is about the same as the nine-mile radius, but the proportion of working-
age persons is significantly lower for LPC’s membership as compared to the surrounding area.
LPC 2016 Data for Lewes, Sussex County and Nine-Mile Radius of LPC
Age LPC 9-mile Radius City of Lewes Sussex County
0-4 3.43% 4.25% 2.29% 5.83%
5-17 10.00% 10.52% 7.06% 14.62%
18-64 38.57% 51.37% 47.00% 58.72%
65+ 48.00% 33.86% 43.65% 20.83%
Total 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
14
LPC Property and Buildings
The congregation of the Lewes Presbyterian Church has worshiped at the same location on Kings
Highway in the heart of Historic Lewes since Thomas Fenwick granted land “for use of the
Presbyterian Professors,” recorded in the Sussex County courthouse on May 13, 1707, for a
meeting house, school and burial grounds. Over the years, LPC acquired additional land
surrounding the original land grant so that the church building, manse, and cemetery occupy 3.28
acres. The current sanctuary, built in 1832, is the third one on the site. The building has
benefited from many additions and improvements over the years including the addition of the
Sunday School wing in 1914, and the 13,750 square-foot multipurpose activities building in
2002. The historic Sanctuary was fully restored in 2008/2009 and seats approximately 220
worshipers including 20 in the choir loft and 20 in the balcony. The Fellowship Hall in the
Multipurpose Activities building can seat more than 200 people for group meals, and about 200
worshipers for the contemporary service. The main church building now includes over 22,300
sq. ft. of usable space and is fully accessible to persons with mobility disabilities. The church
building is surrounded by a cemetery, and the balance of the land is used to provide 72 parking
spaces.
In addition to Sunday morning worship services, and education, the building is heavily used
throughout the week for Bible Studies, meetings, support groups, and major mission activities of
the church including the Lewes After School Program and the Soup Ministry. The building is
also available for rent to groups whose purposes and activities are compatible with LPC’s
beliefs, such as three 12-step programs, civic meetings, arts and craft groups, and others. In
addition, LPC makes its parking lot available for community activities since it is close to the
center of town, as long as they do not conflict with previously scheduled church activities.
The property also includes A 2,200 square-foot, four-bedroom, two-bath home, built in 1957 on
the northeast corner of the property for use as the church manse. In recent years this home has
been rented, and the rental income has been applied to the pastor’s housing allowance for his
own home.
The church building and manse are in good repair with no known deferred maintenance;
however, the activities building is now more than 15 years old and has required major upgrades
to a portion of the HVAC systems. The total value of the property, based on a 2013 appraisal
was $3.4 million.
Financial Information
God has blessed the LPC congregation with financial resources because the members and
visitors have been extremely generous in their giving, and God has met our needs even at times
when the needs seemed to be too great for us. Over the past 20 years, LPC has completed two
major construction/ renovation projects at a total cost of nearly $4 million, and paid over
$500,000 to settle the “trust clause” claim on our property by the New Castle Presbytery as a
condition of our transfer to ECO. LPC is debt free!
LPC has financial assets of just over $1 million; however, 90 percent of our assets are held in the
general church endowment fund or in an endowment and investment fund to meet our perpetual
care obligations for the cemetery. The income (about $25,000 per year) generated by the general
15
church endowment fund of approximately $500,000, is used to fund outside mission requests and
one-time requests from within the church. By guidelines of the Session, the endowment funds
cannot be used for recurring operating expenses. The cemetery also has a nearly $300,000
endowment resulting from a recent, very generous bequest, and the income is used to offset the
maintenance costs of the cemetery, and for no other purpose.
As seen on the graph below, LPC’s income and expenditures have increased slightly over the
past five years, and income has exceeded expenses in every year. The table below provides more
detail on giving and expense patterns over the past five years. Note that the giving amounts
reflect giving to the operating budget, and do not reflect giving to the separate mission budget.
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Total Operating Income $422,714 $404,657 $428,254 $440,689 $460,866
Total Operating Expense $383,426 $402,201 $423,266 $440,014 $425,408
Excess Income over Expenses $39,288 $2,456 $4,988 $675 $35,458
Pledge and Other Giving for Operations $396,371 $380,111 $398,256 $411,799 $435,923
Pledge and Special Offerings for Mission $112,021 $116,064 $106,309 $109,012 $114,857
Total Giving $508,392 $496,175 $504,565 $520,811 $550,780
Number of Members 291 293 291 284 281
Average Attendance 202 208 206 208 200
Giving/Member $1,747 $1,693 $1,734 $1,834 $1,960
Giving/Attendee $2,517 $2,385 $2,449 $2,504 $2,754
Portrait of Our Local Community
The Lewes Presbyterian Church is located in the heart of the City of Lewes, a small (2010
Census population 2,747), historic community located on the Atlantic coast at the mouth of the
Delaware Bay in Sussex County Delaware. Founded in 1631, Lewes has a rich maritime and
fishing industry heritage. The population of the City of Lewes is about the same today as it was
$0
$100,000
$200,000
$300,000
$400,000
$500,000
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
LPC Income and Expenses 2012-2016
Total Operating Income Total Operating Expense
16
in 1950; however, it declined in the 1960s through the 1980s with the decline of the menhaden
fishing industry that employed many Lewes residents before closing down in the late 1950s and
early 1960s
Beginning in the late 1960s and continuing today, Lewes is in the heart of a rapidly growing
tourism and retirement community. The population of the city of Lewes will not likely change
much in the future because the city is fully built out; however, it may increase gradually as
retirees become year-round residents in their second homes, and the city grows slightly through
annexation of adjacent land. However, the population of Sussex County doubled between 1970
and 2000 with most of that growth occurring on the eastern edge of the county where the
majority of LPC members live. Continued rapid growth has been forecast for the next 10 or
more years. The population of the area within a nine-mile radius of the church was about
28,800 in 2000 and is estimated to be 48,000 in 2016, a 66 percent increase. The same area is
projected to grow by another 25 percent to about 60,600 population by 2026. This rapid growth
is primarily fueled by retirees moving to the area to enjoy its natural resources, the vibrant,
historic community, low taxes, and proximity to major metropolitan areas. Approximately two-
thirds of LPC’s new members in the past five years have been retirees moving to the area.
The explosive growth in eastern Sussex County over the past twenty years has brought with it
concerns about congestion, growth management and the ability of government to keep up with
the infrastructure needs. Residents and visitors complain about congestion on Rt.1, the eight-
lane highway that provides access to and through the area, and parking downtown on busy
weekends.
Adjacent to the City of Lewes is Cape Henlopen State Park, a former Army and Navy
installation at the mouth of the Delaware Bay where it joins the Atlantic Ocean. The park,
located on over 5,000 acres of a former military base, offers outstanding swimming beaches,
sport fishing, camping, a nature center, hiking, biking, and youth camp facilities. Nearby is the
southern terminus of the Cape May – Lewes Ferry that provides year-round auto and passenger
ferry service to connect to southern New Jersey.
With over 1,900 employees, Beebe Healthcare, a level III trauma facility with 210 beds, is the
largest employer in the region. The main hospital is located in the City of Lewes, but Beebe
Healthcare also operates a major outpatient facility about four miles from Lewes, as well as a
number of lab, imaging and walk-in clinics.
The Cape Henlopen School District serves the Lewes, Rehoboth, and Milton communities where
most LPC members live. The high school is in Lewes, as is Shields Elementary School. Other
education providers in Lewes include the University of Delaware’s Hugh R. Sharp Campus that
serves as the research and teaching base for faculty in marine biosciences and oceanography. The
62-acre campus comprises offices, classrooms, two primary laboratories, a meeting and
conference facility, a fully equipped modern library, and electronic meeting facilities. The harbor
is home to state-of-the-art research vessels, including our 146-foot flagship, the R/V Hugh R.
Sharp. Beebe Healthcare also operates the Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing a 33-month
program which enrolls more than 50 students, and is the only hospital-based nursing program in
Delaware.
17
Job Description for Our Next Pastor
Lewes Presbyterian Church is a strong, vital member of the body of Christ. We are capable and
creative. We seek a pastor who will feed us biblically, and partner with us in seeking God’s
direction and carrying out His will for us.
Qualifications
Denominational Affiliation: ECO pastor or ordained by a reformed denomination and eligible
for ECO ordination
Education: Master of Divinity
Experience:
• Prior experience as Senior or Associate Pastor with major preaching responsibilities
• Prior church administrative experience
Compensation:
• Salary negotiable based on experience and qualifications, and within ECO guidelines
• Housing allowance provided
Desired Attributes of Our Next Pastor
We seek a candidate who is theologically evangelical and reformed, personable and
approachable, family-oriented, exhibits a positive attitude, and loves the Lord Jesus Christ.
The ideal candidate will have a proven history in the following specific areas:
Emotional and Relationship Intelligence
• Invests in the lives of the congregation
• Positive team building with both staff and boards
• Engages and becomes involved in the community as a representative of the
church
Preaching/Teaching
• Preaches truth of God’s Word with clarity and application for daily living
• Preaches the fullness of the gospel that all are born with a sinful nature, and that
eternal life and forgiveness of sins are provided by God’s grace alone.
• Uses preaching styles (expository and/or topical) necessary to help us grow as
disciples of Jesus Christ.
• Uses passionate, effective, preaching and teaching skills that exhibit a depth of
scriptural knowledge guided by the Spirit of God
18
Leadership
• Will construct a clear and compelling vision for the congregation that aligns with our core values
• Has a passion for leading this congregation
• Will recruit, motivate, and build up leaders in the church
Primary Duties and Responsibilities
• Provide a solid, biblically-based preaching and teaching ministry to meet the needs of the
multi-generational congregation and attract new members
• Plan and lead all worship services, including developing the order of service; selection of
music, administering the sacraments, development of seasonal events and services
• Encourage and nurture the spiritual development and beliefs of the congregation through
regular Bible teaching
• Ensure that adequate pastoral care is provided for members in times of crisis
• Develop and communicate the vision for the church to staff, leadership and laity
• Conduct weddings and funerals, providing appropriate preparation and support
• Instruct new members’ class and facilitate the assimilation of new members into the life
of the church
• Stimulate the creativity of lay leaders, working with them to develop a well-rounded
ministry for spiritual growth, fellowship, evangelism and mission
• Administer the program of the church by leading, directing and supervising staff
members and lay leaders
• Lead regular staff meetings and retreats for team-building, sharing, planning and
communication purposes
• Work with the Personnel Committee to develop job descriptions, personnel policies and
procedures and performance evaluations
• Work with the appropriate committee(s) in selecting officers and leaders in the church,
based on their gifts and skills
• Moderate the Session, developing reasonable goals, communicating a clear sense of
direction and equipping the leadership for ministry
• Assist in developing and administering the budget and lead financial drives and giving
programs, as needed
• Represent the church by serving on appropriate committees of ECO
• Represent the church by serving in leadership roles of organizations in the community,
especially the Lewes-Rehoboth Association of Churches (LRAC)
• Schedule extended periods of time for study, preparation and planning to develop and
maintain a deep level of spiritual growth
• Actively participate in ECO Pastor Covenant Groups
• Other duties as required
19