Chambersburg Bible Church

As a former missionary to South Africa, Pastor Gary Yoder does not have the typical testimony of a pastor. Although he came to know the Lord at the relatively young age of 10, he did not grow up in a Christian home.  As a youngster in Columbus, Ohio, Pastor would board the bus of a local Bible-believing church at the behest of his parents. To this day he is not entirely sure why they insisted he and his two sisters go to church when they themselves would not attend, but he is grateful for the push they gave him.  He got his first taste of the Gospel when he was 7 years old, and the seed planted in his heart grew to fruition three years later, when he attended Camp Patmos, a summer ministry on Kelleys Island, Lake Erie.  That summer Pastor accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into heart, becoming the first in his family to trust in the transforming power of the grace of God. His father accepted soon afterward, and the family began worshiping together at a local Baptist church. Pastor still talks of the effectiveness of camping ministries, undoubtedly encouraged by his own testimony.

As a teenager in the Baptist church, Pastor got involved as much as he could in ministries there. He participated in youth group, joined a puppet ministry and soon began teaching Sunday School. By the time he reached his early adulthood, Yoder realized that the Lord was calling him to leave his vocation as a construction engineer to serve Him full time.  Before he left to begin his schooling, God introduced him to a young woman who had recently graduated from Bob Jones University. Within six months they were married, and on Aug. 5, 1978g. 5, 1978
 
Gary and Denise Yoder started a life of serving their Savior together.  They spent 10 years in Greenville, S.C., during which time Pastor earned a Bachelor’s degree in Bible and a Master’s of Arts degree in Pastoral Studies. As their time there grew to a close, the Yoders realized the Lord may be calling them to become missionaries, and they submitted to His call.

In March 1993, Gary and Denise landed in Cape Town, South Africa, with their three daughters. He began pastoring an Afrikaans church, but later planted Calvary Bible Church. He also helped found two Bible Institutes in Cape Town: Oostenberg Bybesle Instituut and Calvary Bible Institute.  Feeling the Lord drawing them homeward again, the Yoders returned to the United State in October 2006. Gary has been pastoring Chambersburg Bible Church since February 2007, and Denise still serves faithfully at his side, ministering to the congregation with music. The Yoders still see missions as an extremely important responsibility for the local church. The church supports a number of missionaries to nations across the globe, holding a missions conference every Fall.

Gary and Denise reside in Chambersburg. Their eldest daughter lives in Greenville, S.C., with her husband and children. Their younger two daughters live in Indianapolis, Ind. Their middle daughter is also married, with children.

As the son of Greencastle pastor, Pastor Ben Fisler grew up nurtured in the love of Christ.  His dad, Herman Fisler, has been shepherding the flock of Grace Bible Church, Greencastle, Penn., since planting it in 1986, and was a pastor of a nearby church in State Line prior to that.  When Pastor Ben was 6 years old, an evangelist from nearby Mercersburg preached during a revival at his father’s church. He accepted the message of Christ during an altar call that evening.

The miniature Fisler ran home to tell his older brother about his life changing decision, who congratulated him and encouraged him in his walk as he grew. Pastor Ben admits that as he matured, he became complacent in his teenage years. Although he attended a Christian high school, it was not until college that he took his walk with Christ seriously and considered full time Christian service.

After graduating from Shalom Christian Academy, Chambersburg, in 2001, Pastor Ben attended Pensacola Christian College, earning two Bachelor’s degrees – one in history education and the other in physical education. Pastor Ben had assumed the Lord had Christian education in store for him, but realized in his latter college years that He was calling him to become a pastor. He graduated from Pensacola in 2005, and was hired as youth pastor for Chambersburg Bible Church in 2006. He enjoys playing softball and volleyball in church leagues, as well as basketball in the church gym. He is a “HUGE” Philadelphia Phillies fan. Pastor Ben also lives in Chambersburg, just a couple miles from the church.