Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

CASS COUNTY — Over the weekend, a Cassopolis area Quaker church welcomed Pastor Richard Blank, of Goshen, and his wife, Michelle, to Penn Friends Community Church at the corner of Quaker Street and Penn Road near Cassopolis.

He took the helm on Sunday, Oct. 31 and gave his first sermon about the “Blessing of God.” After that, the congregation held a cake and coffee reception for him and his family, who will remain in Goshen, while he commutes from Indiana to Michigan for his position as new head pastor.

Having obtained a master’s degree from Wesley Biblical Seminary in Mississippi and now working on his doctorate from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Blank has 18 years of experience in spiritual counseling, conflict resolution, discipleship, mentoring and advancing church goals. He pastored four churches in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio and planted two others before coming to Penn. While in Ohio, his church was recognized by the United Methodist Church and the state of Ohio for its outstanding efforts with community engagement.

“I sincerely believe that the Lord has guided me to partner in ministry with Penn Friends Community Church,” Blank said. “Cass County, the area the church resides in, very much reminds me of my home county growing up. I am very familiar with rural communities and enjoy being a part of them. The majority of my ministry has been in successful service to rural communities. Also, the focus of my doctorate of ministry studies has been rural church leadership. My hope is that my years of experience in rural ministry and my education can be a great help to the Penn Friends congregation as we seek to be a blessing in the community.”

Blank replaced Ron Karkosky, who served as interim pastor.

“It has been my privilege to serve as the Transitional Interim Pastor at Penn Friends Community Church for the past 16 months,” Karkosky said. ‘This local church has a wonderful group of giving and caring people.  My wife, Sandy, and I have grown to love them like family, and it is with a bittersweet feeling that we leave them.”

For more information, call (269) 445-8546.