It was a bittersweet Sunday morning church service at CrossRoads Community Church in Kenton, on Feb. 12. The church celebrated 23 years (24 years in April) of ministry knowing their church was closing. This was one of their last times together under the ministry of Pastor Jason Hodson. He and his wife Barb are stepping back from pastoring the congregation. Hodson knew it was coming. He’d been seeking a replacement for the evangelical church.
“This last year has been very difficult,” said Hodson, of the closing of CrossRoads. He explained that the church board had tried to find a qualified pastor, posting a job ad across the country, and they tried working with other churches but no feasible arrangement came about.
The board of directors of CrossRoads Community Church, made the decision to dissolve the church with the last service being February 12, 2023.
Reflecting upon the Hodson’s years of ministry, Kenton resident and longtime board member Paulette Wiens is grappling with the closing of CrossRoads. With emotion in her voice, she said plainly, “We were spoiled.”
Marvin Wiens and Paulette were among the many who appreciated their pastor and the Hodson family. Paulette said Marvin used to attend church only on special occasions, but some years ago he began coming regularly after hearing Jason preach. Paulette recalled Marvin’s words, “You know why I like him as a pastor? He says it from here, from the heart.” No lists of dos and don’ts.
She said there were extra fellowship events beyond Sunday morning. “We had movie nights on Friday nights… there were lots of memories. “We were small, but we were mighty. We were just like family. We started out with about 50 – 55 people.” After the pandemic she said the numbers dwindled.
At the final celebration service previous board members Richard Stevenson and Everett Gurr spoke about their years of appreciation.
It was Stevenson’s words that brought Wiens back from sorrow to thankfulness. He quoted a saying attributed to Dr. Seuss, “Don’t be sad that it’s ending, be glad that you had it.”
Hamiota families also attended the Kenton Church. Everett and Audrey Gurr were among them.
Everett couldn’t say enough good about Hodson’s ministry. “We really appreciated them for everything they did. The life they lived, the way they represented the Christian faith in everyday living, they really ministered to us.”
A Lenore farmer, Hodson had a down to earth approach and cared for his church and his community.
Gurr said, “They had a tremendous outreach in the community. The [church] leadership conducted VBS (vacation Bible school) for a lot of years. There were a lot of good seeds sown.”
Hodson’s final sermon included an acknowledgment of the many people who had attended CrossRoads Community Church. He said, “As a church, we have had fun together, we have shared tears together.”
Barb and Jason were a team. Jason commended his wife Barb for being his sounding board, for her work with vacation school and for her ministry, Growing Great Girls.
Satisfaction in the journey
During an interview, Hodson reflected on some highpoints, saying, “My strongest memories from the 23 plus years are from the early years when I did object lessons for the kids before they went off to Sunday school. Those were fun and the kids were always so entertaining.
“Being a part of Bill Turner’s (Ask the Pastor) radio program on CKLQ for many years was very rewarding and enjoyable.”
“Seeing individuals trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior… watching people trust God despite very difficult times in their lives was inspiring. Witnessing people change their life behaviours in order to honour and glorify God and His Word was touching.”
“Conducting the funerals for members of our church and for others in the community was very sobering. Presiding over child dedications and coming of age ceremonies for the young in our church was exciting. Celebrating communion and baptism with new believers was always joyful.”
Before moving to Kenton Community Hall, the Hodson’s ministry began in answer to a call to fill in preaching in Kenton and Shiloh United Church when they needed a minister. After six months, Hodson had attracted a core group who wanted to start a new church. That led them to Harding Community Hall and then to Kenton Hall.
Over two decades later, Barb and Jason are taking a rest from ministry, holding a steady course with their day-to-day farm life and wondering what God has for them next.
