Remember JoAnn’s question. “What happened to my wife?” She asked this about JoAnn. This question echoes through the story of Plumb Line Community Church of the Nazarene. It is a testament to transformation. Plumb Line Community Church of the Nazarene is located in Livonia.
JoAnn grew up Catholic. She eventually stopped attending services. She stopped believing in God. Depression and guilt weighed her down. She became suicidal. JoAnn decided to give this God thing a try. She surrendered herself to God in a Catholic church. She read John 1:14. Her eyes opened to the truth that Jesus is God. This truth caused a 180-degree turn in JoAnn’s life.
Her husband Robert noticed the difference. It took him four years to give God a try. Family members came to faith in Christ. They joined Catholic, United Methodist and Nazarene congregations. Robert’s brother and sister-in-law invited the Bastiens to Detroit First Church of the Nazarene. Joining this congregation transformed their journey.
JoAnn became an ordained elder. She was on staff at Detroit First Church for six years. During that time she felt a call to plant a church. She imagined herself as an associate pastor not a senior pastor. She waited for God to call someone else. Her desire to reach lost people persisted. In 2010, General Superintendent Jerry Porter posed questions. “Would you rather spend eternity in hell or plant a church?” and “If you were going to plant a church, where would you plant it?” JoAnn knew the answers. She realized God was calling her. He wasn’t waiting for someone else.
Since 2010, JoAnn has served as lead pastor of Plumb Line Community Church of the Nazarene. The congregation actively builds relationships. Over half of their activities focus on the community. They have adopted a local elementary school. They stock a school supply closet. They host egg hunts and Secret Santa events. Vacation Bible School and trunk-or-treat events are also organized. Plumb Line strives to live with their community.
They open their building to those who play soccer nearby. They serve food and drinks. They will launch a children’s quizzing program. They hope to reach children whose parents might have attended catechism.
Plumb Line Community Church of the Nazarene has witnessed transformations. A family, neighbors of someone at the church, initially had no interest in church. After experiencing the love at a Thanksgiving potluck, the wife began attending Bible study. Their life, finances and marriage improved. Both the wife and her son accepted Christ. The family moved to Chicago. The wife was diagnosed with cancer. Plumb Line has provided prayer support. The family found a new Nazarene congregation in Chicago.
Another family met the Bastiens through taekwondo. JoAnn and Robert’s black belts created community relationships. The family was standoffish about church. After their child was born prematurely, Plumb Line Community Church rallied around them. The family connected with the church. They host a Bible study in their home. Their 18-month-old daughter sees transformed parents.
Plumb Line Community Church is launching a new phase. This includes a mid-week ministry. It will use Ray Neu’s Tell THE Story approach.
Pastor JoAnn and Robert are on a mission. They want to reach the unchurched, agnostics and atheists. They hope others will ask “What happened to them?” The Bastiens and Plumb Line Community Church hope the answer points to Christ’s love and salvation.