161 Join Elyria Church, More than Doubling Membership

The Elyria church concluded its Pentecost 2025 evangelistic series earlier this year, adding 161 new individuals to its membership—surpassing the congregation’s previous membership and worship attendance before the campaign.

Before the series began, Elyria had a membership of 100. Andrew Sutton, treasurer of the Ohio Conference, emphasized that in God’s eyes every soul is precious and that even a small number of baptisms makes an evangelistic effort worthwhile.

However, he noted that what took place in Elyria was unprecedented in Ohio Conference’s history. “We praise God for such a great harvest,” Sutton says, reflecting on the remarkable growth.

Pastor Marius Marton, who leads the Elyria congregation, recalled telling the church board that he was praying for 150 new souls. “One board member said, ‘150-plus,’” Marton shared with excitement.

“God blessed us with 161 precious souls. Imagine if we had bigger faith—God would have given us more.” He credited the remarkable results to the church’s wholehearted participation in Total Member Involvement (TMI), which united the congregation in harmony and mission. “Now the praises are being shouted from the rooftops, and the church is eager to do it again!”

Guest speaker Kojo Twumasi, senior pastor of the Toledo First and Northwood churches, preached under the theme Summer BLAST—Building Lives Around Solid Truth. This innovative evangelism model blends acts of service with the gospel by meeting the community’s basic needs while sharing a Bible-centered message.

Twumasi commended the Elyria members for being filled with the Holy Spirit, noting their passion for soul winning and their determination to do even more for the Lord. He emphasized that members bathed the series in prayer from start to finish, and he underscored the importance of the congregation’s retention program, which began immediately after the campaign concluded. “Last Sabbath morning, the church was filled with both old and new members,” he says with joy.

This summer alone, Twumasi has spoken for five evangelistic campaigns—Elyria being the fifth— which together have resulted in 400 baptisms. He continually gives glory to God for leading in each effort and for touching the hearts of those who have chosen to follow Him.

Elyria’s Summer BLAST was part of Pentecost 2025, a North American Division initiative designed to launch more than 3,000 proclamation events across the division’s territory throughout the year. The initiative seeks to fulfill the mandate of Jesus Christ in Matthew 24:14: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come” (NKJV). Through its prayer-filled preparation, Spirit-led preaching and united service, the Elyria church stands as a powerful example of how local congregations can join a continent-wide movement to share the hope of the gospel and hasten the soon return of Christ.