ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF FAITH AND RESILIENCE

Ellington Township, Michigan is simply four corners in the country just outside of the big city of Caro (population 4,200).  It had a post office from 1862 until 1905 but now is mainly soy bean, sugar beat, and corn fields.  Good, hard working folks call this area in the "thumb" of Michigan home and many of them find their way to church at the Ellington Church of the Nazarene.

This local church will celebrate its' centennial birthday in the next year or so.  It has been a church characterised by resilience and faithfulness.  For nine decades it sat on the corner with little or no room for growth or improvement.  A good church with wonderful members but hindered by earthly factors from being all that the Lord intended for it to be.  Recent pastors began to pray and challenge the small congregation to trust the Lord and believe for something big.  And something big is exactly what the Lord provided!  An unexpected property exchange was offered and today the Ellington church is located on a beautiful hillside overlooking the main artery running north/south in and out of Caro.

They just needed a new building.  The local banks wouldn't loan them the needed funds necessary to build and it would have seemed like the dream would die.  But, then God......!  Word began to spread about the needs of the little country church and funds began to flow in.  No big fund raising effort, just prayer, yet the money kept coming.  It came from current members, past members, and people who had been touched by the church throughout the years.  They built as the resources came available until finally a local bank said; "I guess we were wrong.  How much more do you need to finish!"  Today they are housed in one of the nicest church buildings in the area and regularly between 150-200 excited believers gather to worship on the Lord's Day.

Pastor Ron Comfort

Pastor Ron Comfort has been leader for  over a decade and has experienced the blessings of the Lord in the life of the church.  Talk about resilience and faithfulness; this Godly man is the longest surviving liver transplant recipient in the state of Michigan.  He never allows his fragile physical to effect his glowing spiritual.  He serves faithfully and is loved by his people.   They work together to build the Kingdom!  


It was my blessing to have been just a brief part of the history of this amazing church and pastor.  To God be the glory.  Our revival was well attended and honored with the presence of the Lord.  Lives were changed and hearts revived.  I wonder, should the Lord tarry, what the next 100 years will hold.