Rev. Dr. Henry G. Church, Jr.

The Rev. Dr. Henry G. Church, Jr., 75, of Warsaw, Indiana, entered Heaven on Thursday, September 7, 2017, after a short illness.  He passed away at 3:42 p.m. at Lutheran Hospital of Fort Wayne, Indiana. 

He was born on September 14, 1941 in Los Angeles, California to Reverend Henry G. Church, Sr. and Velma Audrey Church.  On July 3, 1962 he was married to Bonnie Elizabeth (Blews) Church, who survives.

From his youth he had wide interests, earning an associate degree in Music from Modesto Junior College, a bachelor’s degree in Speech from Seattle Pacific University, a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Counseling from the University of San Francisco and a PhD in Theology from the University of Malawi. 

An ordained elder in the Free Methodist Church, Henry served churches in Seattle, Washington (including a deaf congregation where he preached in sign language), Corralitos, California, Sacramento, California, and Winona Lake, Indiana.  He and Bonnie served as missionaries in Africa for 30 years and in the Middle East for four years, retiring to their home in Warsaw in 2016.  Fluent in several languages, Henry established Bible schools in Malawi and Zimbabwe based on an instructional model he developed.  This model is still in use worldwide in religious education.

Henry served as Africa Area Director for the Free Methodist World Missions.  In recent years, he served as Executive Director of Impact Middle East.  He was a member of the Warsaw Optimists Club, the Area Ministerial Association, and the Board of Directors of Impact Middle East.

He will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 55 years, Bonnie Elizabeth Church (Warsaw, Indiana); two sons:  Eric (wife Becky) Church (Diamond Head, Mississippi); and Evan (fiancée Annette) Church (Ypsilanti, Michigan and Saint Louis, Missouri).  Also surviving are two grandchildren:  Serena and Connor Church; and his brother, Daniel Church and his wife, Lorinda (Bonnie’s sister) (Lakeside, Ohio).  He was preceded in death by his parents.           

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, September 13, 2017 from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Redpath-Fruth Funeral Home, 225 Argonne Road, Warsaw, Indiana.

His funeral service will be conducted at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 14, 2017 (Henry’s 76th birthday) at Winona Lake Free Methodist Church, 902 College Avenue, Winona Lake, Indiana and officiated by Pastor Rick Neir and assisted by Pastor Doug Balzer.  Burial will follow with a graveside service at Oakwood Cemetery of Warsaw.

Memorial donations in Henry’s name may be directed to Impact Middle East, designated for refugees...impactmiddleeast.org and would be appreciated by the family. 

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