Clergyman loves boxing, spreading the Gospel
8:15 AM
Posted: Thursday, March 22, 2007
By TAMMY REAL-MCKEIGHAN
Fremont Tribune
FREMONT, Neb. (AP) -- If the apostle Paul were alive today, he might be a scholar and a boxer.
And he might ride a motorcycle.
He might be something like the Rev. William A. Lewis, pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Fremont.
The apostle, who wrote several books of the Bible, was a well-traveled scholar, who talked about boxing. Lewis is a boxer and a clergyman with many accomplishments.
And like the apostle, he's spread the Gospel to people in many different places.
For the past 18 months, Lewis has been senior pastor at the Fremont church. Since his arrival, the church has launched a 9 a.m. contemporary worship service with a band, formed small groups and worked to enhance its children's ministry.
Lewis has been enjoying his latest adventure as a pastor.
"I like Fremont, because the people are genuinely kind, and having been in big cities, it's refreshing to be around sincere people," he said.
Lewis traces his roots to California where he was a boxer and football player.
"I grew up in a tough part of Los Angeles ... boxing was an easy choice," he said.
He still boxes.
"People say, 'How can you do this violent sport?' ... I'm just following in the apostle Paul's footsteps," said Lewis, citing a Bible verse in which the saint says, "When I box, I don't merely beat at the air."
The apostle was talking about being focused in his ministry and goal of spreading the Gospel.
That's been a focus for Lewis, too.
Following graduation from the University of Colorado in Boulder, he earned a master's from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena. He then went to Princeton Seminary and McCormick Seminary, where he earned his doctorate.
Lewis said he has served congregations in Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles. He's had ghetto ministries as well as those to affluent congregations. He's served various sizes of churches with liberal and conservative viewpoints.
He served First Presbyterian Church in Aurora, Ill., before coming to Fremont.
"I asked the Lord to place me where I might be most useful to him, and through the process of looking, everything just jelled with this pastoral nominating committee," he said. "I liked their vision. They wanted to grow personally and wanted to find new ways to reach out.
"That's one of the big problems in the denominational church," he said. "We've been using old models of ministry that are no longer relevant."
The Presbyterian Church still has a traditional 10:30 a.m. Sunday service.
But it also has an earlier, contemporary service, too.
The church sanctuary has two 62-inch plasma screens, and there is a plasma screen in the fellowship hall as well. Modern choruses are displayed on the screens for contemporary services, but the words to hymns also appear on the screens for traditional services.
"Now they (members of the congregation) can lift their faces to worship God without having to bury them in a book," he said.
For contemporary services, Christian musician Paul Valla Jr. and a worship band lead parishioners in four songs.
Lewis sits on a stool while opening the Scriptures for his listeners, who can relax at tables, eat breakfast and drink coffee. Currently, the pastor is delving into the Gospel of Mark.
Between 60 and 100 people attend this service, which is still being launched while a couple hundred go to the traditional service, he said.
Ministry to young people is evolving as well.
"We're trying to make our children's ministry more attune to the way children today process information," he said. "We're building an ark in the middle of the nursery so they can come in and have class in the middle of the ark.
"It's a big priority to make the children and youth ministry more progressive and experiential," he said.
Lewis enjoys the young members of his congregation, adding that some of his most touching moments occur when a "4-year-old blurts out your name in the middle of Hy-Vee and comes up and throws their arms around you ... that always makes you feel like a million dollars."
He also found it touching when a child parked his bicycle next to Lewis' motorcycle at the church.
Lewis and his wife, Michele, have two of their own children, Elijah, 13, and Taylor Grace, 11.
As for the future, Lewis plans to continue "trying to introduce people to the living God, who really loves them and really wants to make a difference in their lives."
"Every time I ride to work on Sunday, I see all the cars parked in their driveways. I know it hurts God's heart that they (people) choose to live without him."
Information from: Fremont Tribune, http://www.fremontneb.com
AP-CS-03-21-07 2033EDT
Fremont Tribune
FREMONT, Neb. (AP) -- If the apostle Paul were alive today, he might be a scholar and a boxer.
And he might ride a motorcycle.
He might be something like the Rev. William A. Lewis, pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Fremont.
The apostle, who wrote several books of the Bible, was a well-traveled scholar, who talked about boxing. Lewis is a boxer and a clergyman with many accomplishments.
And like the apostle, he's spread the Gospel to people in many different places.
For the past 18 months, Lewis has been senior pastor at the Fremont church. Since his arrival, the church has launched a 9 a.m. contemporary worship service with a band, formed small groups and worked to enhance its children's ministry.
Lewis has been enjoying his latest adventure as a pastor.
"I like Fremont, because the people are genuinely kind, and having been in big cities, it's refreshing to be around sincere people," he said.
Lewis traces his roots to California where he was a boxer and football player.
"I grew up in a tough part of Los Angeles ... boxing was an easy choice," he said.
He still boxes.
"People say, 'How can you do this violent sport?' ... I'm just following in the apostle Paul's footsteps," said Lewis, citing a Bible verse in which the saint says, "When I box, I don't merely beat at the air."
The apostle was talking about being focused in his ministry and goal of spreading the Gospel.
That's been a focus for Lewis, too.
Following graduation from the University of Colorado in Boulder, he earned a master's from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena. He then went to Princeton Seminary and McCormick Seminary, where he earned his doctorate.
Lewis said he has served congregations in Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles. He's had ghetto ministries as well as those to affluent congregations. He's served various sizes of churches with liberal and conservative viewpoints.
He served First Presbyterian Church in Aurora, Ill., before coming to Fremont.
"I asked the Lord to place me where I might be most useful to him, and through the process of looking, everything just jelled with this pastoral nominating committee," he said. "I liked their vision. They wanted to grow personally and wanted to find new ways to reach out.
"That's one of the big problems in the denominational church," he said. "We've been using old models of ministry that are no longer relevant."
The Presbyterian Church still has a traditional 10:30 a.m. Sunday service.
But it also has an earlier, contemporary service, too.
The church sanctuary has two 62-inch plasma screens, and there is a plasma screen in the fellowship hall as well. Modern choruses are displayed on the screens for contemporary services, but the words to hymns also appear on the screens for traditional services.
"Now they (members of the congregation) can lift their faces to worship God without having to bury them in a book," he said.
For contemporary services, Christian musician Paul Valla Jr. and a worship band lead parishioners in four songs.
Lewis sits on a stool while opening the Scriptures for his listeners, who can relax at tables, eat breakfast and drink coffee. Currently, the pastor is delving into the Gospel of Mark.
Between 60 and 100 people attend this service, which is still being launched while a couple hundred go to the traditional service, he said.
Ministry to young people is evolving as well.
"We're trying to make our children's ministry more attune to the way children today process information," he said. "We're building an ark in the middle of the nursery so they can come in and have class in the middle of the ark.
"It's a big priority to make the children and youth ministry more progressive and experiential," he said.
Lewis enjoys the young members of his congregation, adding that some of his most touching moments occur when a "4-year-old blurts out your name in the middle of Hy-Vee and comes up and throws their arms around you ... that always makes you feel like a million dollars."
He also found it touching when a child parked his bicycle next to Lewis' motorcycle at the church.
Lewis and his wife, Michele, have two of their own children, Elijah, 13, and Taylor Grace, 11.
As for the future, Lewis plans to continue "trying to introduce people to the living God, who really loves them and really wants to make a difference in their lives."
"Every time I ride to work on Sunday, I see all the cars parked in their driveways. I know it hurts God's heart that they (people) choose to live without him."
Information from: Fremont Tribune, http://www.fremontneb.com
AP-CS-03-21-07 2033EDT
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