Branching Out
The Butler Church Of The Nazarene is not going anywhere. But the church is branching out.
Located on Oakdale Road in Butler Township, the church is supporting a group that will meet in downtown Butler, where it will offer less traditional fare.
Called MERGE Christian Community, the outreach ministry will meet at the YWCA on West Cunningham Street.
The first service is set for 5:30 p.m. Feb. 5.
The group will be led by the Rev. Jim Cendrowski, a Clinton Township resident who has attended the Butler Church of the Nazarene for two years.
“The whole idea is to reach different people in a different society,” said Cendrowski, who has been ordained for 12 years.
“We’re trying to be more relevant for the folks that are not involved in a church or are kind of disfranchised from a traditional church.”
As an outreach of the Nazarene church, Cendrowski said MERGE will maintain a Wesleyan-holiness theology similar to that of United Methodists.
Differences lie in the new group’s approach: According to MERGE literature, the contemporary services will feature a praise band, drama and video and “a more conversational approach to the sermon.”
Instead of pews, chairs will be arranged in a circle.
“We’re trying to get away from that a little bit and be a little more communal in our gatherings — more relationship-focused,” Cendrowski said.
Dinners will follow some of the gatherings, which will accommodate babies and children.
Since MERGE is designed for those who have spent little to no time in traditional church settings, Cendrowski said attending services will not require knowledge of biblical passages.
“We have people who have never grown up in a church — who don’t know the language that we used in our services,” he said.
“Most of our goal is to build relationships,” agreed the Rev. Chris Easton, pastor of Butler Church of the Nazarene, who noted MERGE has no immediate ministry agenda since community needs are yet unknown.
One of Western Pennsylvania’s oldest Nazarene groups, Easton said the Butler Township church originated in 1924 in the city, moving to Butler Township in 1970.
Currently, between 80 and 100 people attend the multiple weekly services there, however few commute there from downtown, where many in the community move about on foot.
“This is our effort to move back into the city,” he explained.
“So many in our culture don’t value what happens in our churches because tradition kind of gets in the way of God. This is a way to sort of release God from our traditions, if you want to call it that,” Easton added.
“Sometimes people don’t need to hear about God as much as they need someone to call a friend.”
