Port Ann Wesleyan Church

Port Ann Wesleyan Church is located at 2856 Troxelville Road, Middleburg, Pa.  The church membership is 46. We have 55 families on the church mailing list.  The average Sunday morning worship attendance is 45-60. Sunday school currently starts at 9 a.m. and our Sunday service at 10 a.m. There is currently no Sunday PM service but there is a Wednesday service with youth and Awana and their attendance is between 25 and 35.

The age makeup of the congregation is 11 under the age 12, 3 between 13-17, 22 between 18-30, 12 between 31-45, 30 between 46-60 and 30 over 60. There are six or more people with college degrees.  

The church property is located 3 miles west of the village of Penns Creek. It sits on approximately 4 acres of land.  The parsonage, which is a ranch style home located beside the church, sits on 1.25 acres.  The church is a one-story structure made up of a 3,200 square foot sanctuary, 2,650 square foot Christian ed and kitchen area and a 1,540 square foot fellowship hall.  Outside there is a 1,530 square foot pavilion, gaga pit, and playground with a volleyball area and a 2.5-acre field that provides parking for outside activities (ex. fall festival).

The parsonage is a 1,600 square foot ranch style home built in 1990, with kitchen, dining room, living room, 1½ baths, 3 bedrooms, and an office on the first floor. The basement has a finished bedroom with a full bathroom. This was added to provide housing for missionaries and evangelists. There is a 2-car garage. 

The village of Penns Creek has a population of 680 people with a mini market/gas station, two churches, two used car lots, and one Christian school.  The next closest towns are about 10 minutes from the church. Middleburg is a community of 1,300 people, has a high school and middle school, grocery store, two mini market/gas stations, two doctor’s offices, a dentist office, two banks, and a few small restaurants. Middleburg is the county seat for Snyder County. The other town is Mifflinburg which has a population of 3,400 people.  It also has a high school, middle school, and elementary school and numerous restaurants, gas stations and grocery stores and doctor’s offices.   

There are three colleges located within 30 minutes of the church. All are private schools.  Our area is a farming/agriculture area made up of dairy, hog, and chicken farms.  There are at least five home manufacturers within 35 minutes of the church, and two kitchen cabinet manufacturers within 15 minutes of the church. These factories employ close to 1,500 people.  

Two of the big community events the church promotes is a fall festival around Halloween with 400-500 in attendance and an Easter egg hunt with about 200-250 in attendance. The last three pastors here at Port Ann were Rev. Paul Sheets (17 years), Rev. James Leininger (20 years) and Rev. Richard (Dick) Williams (2-3 years). Both Pastor Sheets and Leininger retired after their service here.

Church vision

At Port Ann Wesleyan we walk in expectation and longing of the following vision:

1. Corporate worship time to be Spirit-filled and Spirit-led.

2. Worship to be a pleasing aroma to our God, the maker of the Universe.

3. Times of worship to follow scripture and instill morals, principles, and values modeled by the only perfect One – Jesus Christ.

4. A body of Christ that seeks to meet individuals at their greatest place of need.

5. Scriptural teaching and biblical standards that are taught to all ages.

6. Studies offered in various formats reaching all hearts- lost and found.

Jesus said: “Let the little children come unto me,” and we do not take this lightly. We faithfully commit our resources to reaching hearts at a tender young age. We desire to offer activities that excite and entice young children and teens to not just take part in our worship, but to grow in our worship, inviting others to join children and youth activities. We desire to create a chain effect of reaching young hearts for Christ.

It is of utmost importance to have unity in the body of Christ to us. If we remain aligned to scripture and modeling the perfect life of Christ, we will walk in humble unity. To love and forgive one another at the time of offense, and seeking restoration in our relationships is our desire as a church body. We will strive to work together, as a body of believers, with one goal for the glory of God. We believe in the gifting of all believers, and we strive to encourage all talents, all gifts, and all hearts of service to be made known, validated, and involved.

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” May we share Jesus now, and everyday – by the testimony of our daily lives, the sharing of the hope of Jesus and the Word of God. Let our Church be known by our “Love for Jesus first, and secondly our Love for each other and our community.”

May we always invite Jesus to take the lead.

What it's like living in the area

Our area is great for hunting and fishing, rails to trails cycling, and is part of the Appalachian Trail in Eastern Pennsylvania for those who are into hiking and biking. 

The church and adjacent parsonage are located at the foot of Jack's Mountain, offering natural beauty throughout each season. The mountain runs to the Tall Timbers and Snyder-Middleswarth Natural Area, which is home to picnic spots and a 3.4-mile hiking loop to an extensive stand of old-growth hemlock, along Swift Run in Bald Eagle State forest. 

Check out our full community profile with listing of links to the local school, grocery stores, attractions and other community resources as provided by our local visitor bureau.

Pastor Profile

* The congregants of Port Ann Wesleyan were asked in late October 2022 to prayerfully fill out a survey of qualities they felt were essential in an incoming pastor and his/her family. Their responses were incorporated into many of the following points. While we know that no one candidate will embody every one of these qualities, we feel they provide a good benchmark and vision for an ideal applicant.

Personal qualities

• Someone who pursues a deeper relationship with God through daily devotions, prayer and studying of the Bible.
• Demonstrates a personal passion and commitment for evangelism, outreach and discipleship through his/her daily actions, setting the example for others.
• Dedicated to his/her family, maintaining healthy boundaries and mindfully building up those closest to him/her.
• Someone who values our rural setting and the shared interests of our congregants and those in the community.
• Commitment to our church for the long haul is also important. We aren’t looking for someone who only looks at our church as a stepping stone to a bigger opportunity elsewhere, but can see the value of our church and our small local communities as a great place to raise a family and build a life within.

Professional qualities

• Alignment with God’s word and the Wesleyan theology.
• Has a sound theological education with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.
• Must be ordained by the Wesleyan church or an acceptable denomination as approved by the LBA and District Superintendent.
• Excellent record of leadership and character in previous ministerial roles.
• Demonstrates a commitment to biblical truths even when pressured by outside societal norms or expectations.

Pastoral qualities and roles

• Effective preacher and teacher. Must fully embrace the Bible as the Word of God. The pastor should be able to clearly and passionately communicate biblical truths through sermons that connect to the believers and non-believers.
• Create and cultivate relationships with congregants and the community. Our church desires someone who truly cares about our families and make efforts to connect with them and shepherd them intentionally. Beyond work at the church and through events, we welcome a pastoral family that is open to visiting and interacting beyond the church walls. This include visitation for those who are home-bound, in the hospital or in need of special time of prayer and encouragement.
• Present and engaging. One of our church’s strengths is holding events that draw in large numbers of people from the community. We are seeking a pastor/family that is willing to work alongside our other ministry leaders and volunteers during these events, using them as valuable seed-planting opportunities and helping us engage new people in a way that brings them back for services and become more active in our church’s regular programming.
• Creatively collaborative. We seek a pastor who is a relational leader who is willing to actively and collaboratively work with other churches and ministerial opportunities in the greater community. He/she will have a natural gift for networking and communicating the vision of our church to the community while investing with and building partnerships with other local churches, businesses, schools and community leadership.

Leadership qualities and roles

• Leading by example. First things first, we hope to find a pastor who models biblical truths in his/her daily living and attitude toward others. This should be someone who inspires those around them to live in a similar fashion.
• Effective team builder. We seek a pastor who embodies the essence of Ephesians 4:29 – someone who uses his/her words to intentionally build up those around him/her, especially those who share in ministry leadership roles within the church. Ideally, this is someone who is organized and intentional about lifting up others in a way to encourage their participation and step out of their comfort zone to serve God through our church.
• Quality communicator. Ideally, a candidate is one who speaks to and with people – not at them or down to them. He/she should be able to speak clearly and passionately, communicating in a way that is timely and informative and helps people feel valued and a part of the bigger workings of God and the church.
• Visionary. We seek a pastor who is forward-thinking, seeking God’s guidance in helping our LBA and other church leaders develop a clear vision for the future of our church, and then to effectively communicate that vision to the church and our community in a way that helps everyone have a vested interest in the success of our ministry in winning souls for God’s Kingdom.