Brown 50th anniversary
The Rev. Gary Brown and his wife, Ann, of Winnebago, Ill., will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with an open house from 2 to 5 p.m. Sept. 5 at the historic Winnebago town hall.
The Browns were married on Sept. 5, 1971, at First United Methodist Church in Rockford, Ohio, Ann’s hometown. The Rev. Merl Young officiated.
They have three children, Christopher Brown of Chicago, Nathan Brown of Rockford, Ill. and Rachel (Josh) Reinders of Ambridge. They also have seven grandchildren.
Brown grew up near Warsaw, Ind. A few months before his wedding, he began pastoral ministry at Calvary United Methodist Church in Bippus, Ind.
The couple took up residence in the parsonage next door, once occupied by Ann’s great-grandparents, the Rev. and Mrs. A.J. Stemen.
Brown was pastor at Grace Evangelical Congregational Church in Ninevah, Pa., from 1988 to 1992. He also served New Zion Evangelical Congregational Church in Emlenton from 2014 to 2019.
He was pastor at three additional Evangelical Congregational churches and served as conference minister of the Great Lakes Region of the denomination for 14 years.
He is currently associate pastor at Park Hills Winnebago Evangelical Free Church.
He was pastor of the church from 1992 to 2000, when it was part of the Evangelical Congregational denomination.
Mrs. Brown has been a homemaker, his helper in ministry and a writer of church news.
