Pastor Ted Stapleton getting The Word out

With the name change in the last year from the United Methodist Church to the Stockton Church of Restoration, Pastor Ted Stapleton wanted to make sure everyone knows what this means.

When the Woodston Methodist congregation joined the Stockton Methodist Church, the congregation voted to be a church that helps restore the church, community, family, and relationships, thus the Church of Restoration brand name.

The parishioners are still part of the Global Methodist Denomination.

Pastor Ted stated, “This is just an evolution of the church and a different name, it hasn’t changed and neither has its mission. We are still the same church on the corner who believes in the scriptures and how they change us.”

Pastor Ted’s mission since his family moved to Stockton approximately two years ago is to preach the scriptures to help people grow closer to God, and do what he can for the community.

He came to Stockton after serving as the minister at Logan and Long Island. He still ministers at Long Island and is the president of the Ministerial Alliance in Phillips County.

Pastor Ted said he knew he wanted to be a minister when he and his wife Crystal moved from Colorado to Wichita so she could attend school. They got involved in the church, and he felt truly happy serving the people.

He said when he and his wife participated in a marriage retreat, he felt God was calling him to serve. So when he announced his decision to his family to begin the process of becoming a minister in 2014 after the retreat, he thought his family would be surprised. His family responded by telling him they already knew that was his calling.

Pastor Ted said, “Apparently, I was the last to know my purpose.”

Since moving to Stockton, Pastor Ted holds Sunday services and oversees daily church activities. He also offers Bible studies in the fall and adult Sunday school after church. “I also try to be involved with the youth as much as possible, dividing my time between Stockton and Long Island.”

Pastor Ted also holds a Cowboy Church monthly at the Fort Bissell Arena in Phillipsburg. People bring their horses and participate in different events before everyone comes together for a short service and shares a meal. Pastor Ted said 30 to 75 people are in attendance for this monthly affair.

Another service to the community he is involved in is the Pantry of Blessings. Pastor Ted said he never knows what he will get or when he will get something from the Distribution Center he is connected with, but the primary purpose is to care for the rural communities.

Pastor Ted stated, “We have received everything from food to school supplies.” A while ago, sports drinks were offered, and Pastor Ted contacted the coaches at the school to drop off a donation. Another time, he received school supplies, which were also donated to the school.

Since he does not know when he will receive a call from the center, the information is put on the church’s Facebook page with a distribution date for the community.

Pastor Ted said, “Please check out our Facebook page every so often for these distributions since there is no set schedule for when we receive donations. Also, word of mouth seems to work well too.” The goal is to provide for as many families as he can. (The church is working on its website, so check out its progress at wwwstocktoncor. com.)

Another of Pastor Ted’s goals is to get the Ministerial Alliance up and running again. He wants all the churches to be involved in community activities and welcomes ideas to reach as many people as possible.

As Pastor Ted states: “If we are going to ‘restore’ the community, it is going to take all of us.”