New minister credits late pastor, role model
Newly ordained Methodist minister Scott Shaffer credits his late pastor with shepherding him along his career path.
Shaffer, 28, the son of Kevin and Lorraine Shaffer of West Sunbury, was ordained June 14 at the Grove City College Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.
As part of the ceremony, Shaffer received a stole once worn by the late Rev. J. David Panther, the longtime Butler First United Methodist Church senior pastor who passed away May 26, 2013.
Panther served as senior pastor at First United, 200 E. North St., for 21 years, launching its Crossfire Campus in 1999.
“The receiving of the stole, it's a symbol of authority. The whole idea is to continue Dave's ministry,” said Shaffer.
“I will never live up to the pastor that he was, but I feel a strong calling to the ministry and reaching new people,” Shaffer said.
In fact, Shaffer, who served two years as provisional elder at Blairsville United Methodist Church in Indiana County, before his ordination, credits Panther with helping find his calling.
“In 1999, my parents and I first started attending Crossfire which met in the Center Township Elementary School I had attended,” he said.
“We attended the first week. We had been out of the church for several years. But we continued to grow and Crossfire continued to grow at a new location (1802 N. Main St. Ext.),” he said.
“David Panther was a big influence. I had been out of the church for several years. I remember hearing him telling stories about Jesus,” Shaffer said.
“I was blown away by his preaching. I got involved in the youth group. During an eighth-grade winter retreat I had a conversion experience that started me on my journey of faith,” he said.He added Panther provided crucial guidance along that journey. After graduating from Butler High School in 2005 and then Eastern University in Saint David, Pa., Shaffer said, “I definitely did not feel I had a calling although people along the way thought I did. It took me a long time to discern that calling. Pastor Dave helped me discern that calling without pushing me that way.”“I remember one conversation with Pastor Dave when I was getting very anxious about my career once I graduated from college,” Shaffer said. “He encouraged me to go the seminary, take the next step.”While attending Duke Divinity School in Durham, N.C., Shaffer said he was undecided between an academic or pastoral ministry.“I distinctly remember him praying with me about my calling. He was very helpful in that whole process,” Shaffer said.Cindy Ford of First United Methodist Church, 200 E. North St., said “Open invitations for the event were sent to the church. All the RSVPs went to his mom.”“A lot of people from the congregation just showed up,” said Lorraine Shaffer, “We were going to have a reception afterward, but people were interested in seeing the ordination service.”She said among those attending her son's ordination service were Doug Bureman who started Crossfire with Panther, and present First United pastor Eric Park.Scott Shaffer said other First United Methodist members attending were Rachel Holder, Doug Lane and Brian McCafferty, a lay youth leader in the church when Shaffer was in high school.Shaffer and his wife, Shannon, who have two children, Lilly, 4, and Theo, 1, live in Blairsville, where he is trying to replicate some of the success First Methodist Church had with its Crossfire campus.He said his church has partnered with three other Methodist churches to launch several new ministries including a campus ministry and several adult growth groups.“This September these ministries will be moving to a storefront space and in March of next year Connect Church will begin worship,” Shaffer said.He said he hopes to duplicate some of the success Crossfire has had with its relaxed atmosphere, casual dress, nonthreatening environment and rock and Christian music.
