A happening stake: Members in Fort Wayne stake distinguished by faith and service
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FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Gen. Anthony Wayne was a hero of the American Revolutionary War and had been retired for nearly 10 years when President George Washington tapped him in 1792 to lead an army to quell Indian uprisings in the Old Northwest Territory.
He arrived at a beautifully wooded area near the confluence of the St. Joseph and St. Mary rivers in northeastern Indiana and, after having won a decisive battle at Fallen Timbers, ordered the construction of a new fort.
Dedicated in October 1794, the fort is generally considered to be the founding of Fort Wayne, Ind., now home to about 300,000 residents, and members of two wards of the Fort Wayne Indiana Stake.
Surrounded by rolling fields of corn and soy beans, Fort Wayne is also known as the "City of Churches." It is the state's second largest city and, for many years, served as the home of the Great Lakes Mission.
Members today distinguish themselves by their faith and service to community, said Larry D. Shumard, president of the stake.
"Each of the six wards and five branches performs several community service projects each year," he said, including picking up trash, helping to organize parades, county and state fairs, gathering materials for shelters of victims of abuse, painting homes, serving dinners in homeless shelters and participating in plays and musicals.
Such projects are helping to increase awareness and aid the slow, but steady, growth in membership.
A hefty percentage of the third and fourth generations of the first
members in the area continue to be active, President Shumard said. Those who joined 50 to 60 years ago — when there was nothing but dirt roads and cornfields around the meetinghouse — established a nucleus of faithfulness that is extending the Church throughout northern Indiana.
Using a shepherd's crook for visual emphasis, President Shumard dramatizes to priesthood leaders the need to leave the flocks in search of the one.
"We're seeing people return to Church who haven't come in five years," he said. "It takes faith and hard work, but we're making progress. Miracles are happening."
By nurturing those who have slipped into inactivity, President Shumard and other leaders of the stake envision a day of dividing the two Fort Wayne wards to create a third ward.
"We've approached the two bishops and said it's time to grow," he said.
"They have a workable plan and they're getting into homes to invite members back. Sacrament meeting attendance is increasing."
President Shumard and his wife, Gayle, open their home one Sunday evening each month to new members, creating a setting to meet and greet converts who are beginning the life-changing process of starting their new spiritual lives.
"They really like it," said Sister Shumard, who, on one occasion, entertained 45 members and new converts who were packed around the pingpong table in the family room.
"It's a great blessing to us. We feel their spirit. They feel needed and, for those who come from religions with an exalted view of the pastor, it helps them to see their new leaders in a casual setting," she said.
President and Sister Shumard are natives of Utah who spent their early married lives in Virginia and gradually migrated west to Indiana. They raised their family of four children largely in Fort Wayne. When President Shumard improved his employment by taking work in South Bend, Ind., requiring a 190-mile commute each day, they opted to remain in their Fort Wayne home for their children to complete their schooling while he finished serving as bishop for 7 1/2 years.
Their children have now married and moved away, yet, he continues to make the daily drive so that he might meet his obligations as stake president.
"We're a happening stake," he said. "The saints are committed. We are always looking for opportunities to share the gospel. We understand our role in preparing and retaining."
Making members of the Fort Wayne stake the modern-day heroes of this growing city.
E-mail to: shaun@desnews.com
