Breaking the Ice with Pie

by Ann Kline, Fred Langohr, John Morr, & Brett Ohlwine with Jacob Clagg

Sugar Grove Church of God in Churubusco, Indiana has become actively involved in two new local mission opportunities. In both cases, God has rewarded small steps of faith and obedience with life-changing ministries that are reshaping their communities. Sugar Grove Church has found itself partnered closely with Chain O’Lakes Re-Entry Center (a correctional facility with capacity for 140 individuals) and Hickory Treatment Center (a 28-day recovery and rehabilitation center). The origins of each partnership, and their incredible impacts, are detailed below.

Chain O’Lakes Re-Entry Center

At a Community Advisory Board meeting for Chain O’Lakes Re-Entry Center in Albion, Indiana, the warden described the partnership between another re-entry center and a local church. A member of Sugar Grove Church of God sat in that meeting and wondered how the church might work with Chain O’Lakes to impact the men inside. Thus began a ministry and a blessing for both the church and the facility residents.

After reaching out to the men’s ministry coordinator, a few men displayed interest in this new idea. Fred Langohr, Associate Pastor Tim Miles, John Morr, and Brett Ohlwine joined Ann Kline for a meeting to brainstorm and pray.

Brett recalls that, “Prior to the meeting, I prayed and asked myself the question, ‘What was Jesus’ vision and mission?’ Immediately, I was reminded that Jesus fully engaged in discipleship and that His last will and testament, the Great Commission, centered on discipleship. When we had gathered to conduct the meeting, before I spoke, Fred brought up that he felt that “discipleship” should be an important component of what we do. This was confirmation, and I showed him what I had written down regarding a vision for discipleship.

At the warden’s suggestion, the introductory event was a “Pie Night” just before Thanksgiving. Many of the residents and 15 Sugar Grove volunteers crammed into the mess hall to sing a few praise songs and listen to a brief devotional on thankfulness. The men were thrilled with around 25 homemade pies donated by church members. The warden’s eyes lit up as he told a volunteer to look around at the men laughing and interacting with each other. They were witnessing something special.

“This was a highly effective means that God used to begin to forge relationships and activate many people in our church to be involved,” Brett said. “At the event, some of the men at the facility were begging for more discipleship… So, it seemed readily apparent that God was moving in the facility, and He was inviting me to join Him in His work.”

After Pie Night, the first goal was to begin a Bible study. After working several months to complete the paperwork and undergo required training, Sugar Grove had a crew of people approved to volunteer at the re-entry center. To announce the start to the new Bible study, 16 church volunteers hosted another special outreach event at the center – a “Spring Celebration” with a few songs, a devotional on ‘new life,’ and hundreds of delicious cookies. It surprised the volunteers that the jugs of “real” milk brought as much excitement as the platters of cookies! Later that month, with Brett Ohlwine at the lead, the Bible study began. Now, a typical Wednesday evening sees around 10 residents and 5 men from the church studying the Word of God together.

“The Lord brought everything together and the timing became right to launch a Bible study. A number of men from the church became interested in helping to conduct the Bible study. Meanwhile, I was asked to take leadership for this outreach. So, I began to consider how to structure in a way that best mobilizes our team and engages all of the men involved.

After the Bible Study was established, the next priority was to offer weekly worship services. Other local churches were committed to a worship service once or twice a month and John Morr worked with them to create a uniform time and place for services each week. He organized Sugar Grove volunteers to commit to the remaining open dates each month. Now, residents can count on a worship service every Sunday at 6 pm.

Special events a few times a year are another goal for the group. Fun, food, and fellowship entice a larger crowd from the facility to attend and volunteers are able to forge new relationships and build on existing ones. In July, the Sugar Grove Missions Team funded a “Summer Picnic” for the residents. The afternoon began with cornhole and volleyball. Around 70 residents, a few staff members, and 20 volunteers devoured quarterpounder hotdogs, watermelon, and more. Then our talented praise team impressed the residents as they led worship and praise for about an hour. Some residents quietly listened; others chatted as the band played, and some actively engaged in singing and worship. Towards the end of the event, one of the residents shared, “It didn’t feel like I was in here today. It felt like I was at a family barbeque.” Other residents wholeheartedly agreed with him.

Eventually, the team hopes to transport a vanload of men from the facility to church services on Sunday mornings. A group of ladies in the church are making plans for care packages for incoming residents, which will include an invitation to the Bible study and worship services at the facility. Furthermore, the core team would like to connect and collaborate better with other churches and groups who serve re-entry center residents through ministries like Celebrate Recovery, Stillwater Retreat, and Sunday evening church services.

Part of the ministry is to also support the staff who are “working diligently to promote the successful reintegration of lawful, self-sufficient, and productive citizens into the community.” For Correctional Officers week, the church donated gourmet cupcakes and magnet verses to the staff at the facility as a thank you for their service.

The current vision of the Sugar Grove ministry at Chain O’Lakes Re-Entry Center is to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the men, introduce them to discipleship, and empower them to lead each other closer to God. Ultimately, they seek the same goal as Sugar Grove Church of God founders, who penned over 130 years ago their hope that God’s church would “loom higher and that its light may be seen afar off and mankind press unto it.”

Hickory Treatment Center

Meanwhile, leaders at Sugar Grove had also established a ministry at a local nursing home. In order to build community with the residents, members of the church went to the nursing home and watched the church’s Sunday worship service through the livestream, effectively creating a satellite service. Unfortunately, the nursing home became set to close. John Morr, who was active in the nursing home service, recalls the story of how the closing of the nursing home opened the doors to a very different kind of ministry.

“We were disappointed when our ministry at the local nursing home ended abruptly,” John said. A group of Sugar Grove members met at the facility to pray and ask God to bring the facility back as a nursing home under new ownership. Those prayers went unanswered for 18 months. When they finally did hear something, it wasn’t what they were hoping for. John reflected, “We were again disappointed, this time because we learned it was going to become a privately-owned addiction recovery center, however, God had other plans.”

Through John’s involvement with the local Town Council, he met the new owner of Hickory Treatment Center. To John’s surprise, the owner said he was open to the idea of holding weekly church services there. Six men from Sugar Grove church volunteered to participate in leading worship services. In addition, pastors and ministry leaders from four other local churches also began to participate in a monthly rotation for Sunday afternoon worship services at Hickory.

Fred Langohr, a Sugar Grove member involved at both Chain O’Lakes and Hickory, said, “Through the intervention of the Holy Spirit and the faithful efforts of John Morr, Sunday worship services were introduced to Hickory Treatment Center. Through that process, there was an interest in Celebrate Recovery (CR) for the facility too.” John and Fred met with the leadership at Hickory in February of 2023, they created a plan to start having CR meetings at the center. “Today,” Fred said, “we are meeting each Monday to bring the powerful ministry of CR to these men. The response of the men who attend meetings is nothing short of miraculous. We are humbled every time we see God’s Spirit at work in the lives of those desperate for healing and new life.”

Sugar Grove has been able to minister to the spiritual needs of the residents, and many have dedicated and rededicated their lives to Christ. Since Hickory is a 28-day program, Sugar Grove gets to share Jesus Christ with a new group of residents every month! While thinking about the bigger picture, John said, “As I reflect on our original selfish prayer for the facility to become a nursing home once again, I am reminded of Ephesians 3:20-21: ‘Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church of Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.’”