South Whitley Church Announces New Beginning

June 21, 2023 at 9:20 p.m.

By Staff Report-

SOUTH WHITLEY – On June 8, the Indiana Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church (UMC) met and approved requests to disaffiliate from the UMC.  

South Whitley was one of the churches asking to disaffiliate. Effective July 1, the church will officially begin operation as South Whitley Community Church (SWCC), according to a news release from the church.  

On May 28, the church announced to the congregation that Denver Ayres has accepted an offer to be the first senior pastor for SWCC.

Ayres grew up on a cattle farm outside North Manchester. He was raised in and around church throughout his childhood. He accepted Christ at a church camp in Shipshewana at age 9. He is a former member of SWCC and a graduate of Whitko High School.

Upon graduating, he left home to enlist in the Air Force. He was stationed overseas and served in the Azores (Portugal), Saudi Arabia and England. While stationed in England, he attended an off-base church made up primarily of American military service men and women and their families.

While attending this church, he went on a mission trip to Brasov, Romania, to serve missionaries gathered from all parts of Eastern Europe. It was during this conference that he surrendered to God's call on his life to full-time Christian service.

Denver has served in full-time ministry for over 17 years. He has served in every capacity of ministry. He has a heart for training and equipping God's people for discipleship, stated the release. He has spent many years training in nouthetic counseling with the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors.

The past two years he has stepped aside from the pastoral role and has served local communities in the mental health field. He believes in the fruit associated with longevity of ministry and looks forward to serving this church and community for many years to come, stated the release. He is the parent of three daughters ages 20, 19 and 18.

Denver’s first Sunday in the pulpit will be July 2.

SOUTH WHITLEY – On June 8, the Indiana Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church (UMC) met and approved requests to disaffiliate from the UMC.  

South Whitley was one of the churches asking to disaffiliate. Effective July 1, the church will officially begin operation as South Whitley Community Church (SWCC), according to a news release from the church.  

On May 28, the church announced to the congregation that Denver Ayres has accepted an offer to be the first senior pastor for SWCC.

Ayres grew up on a cattle farm outside North Manchester. He was raised in and around church throughout his childhood. He accepted Christ at a church camp in Shipshewana at age 9. He is a former member of SWCC and a graduate of Whitko High School.

Upon graduating, he left home to enlist in the Air Force. He was stationed overseas and served in the Azores (Portugal), Saudi Arabia and England. While stationed in England, he attended an off-base church made up primarily of American military service men and women and their families.

While attending this church, he went on a mission trip to Brasov, Romania, to serve missionaries gathered from all parts of Eastern Europe. It was during this conference that he surrendered to God's call on his life to full-time Christian service.

Denver has served in full-time ministry for over 17 years. He has served in every capacity of ministry. He has a heart for training and equipping God's people for discipleship, stated the release. He has spent many years training in nouthetic counseling with the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors.

The past two years he has stepped aside from the pastoral role and has served local communities in the mental health field. He believes in the fruit associated with longevity of ministry and looks forward to serving this church and community for many years to come, stated the release. He is the parent of three daughters ages 20, 19 and 18.

Denver’s first Sunday in the pulpit will be July 2.
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