Frankfort United Methodist Church (FUMC) is Frankfort’s oldest church, established in 1856 in what is now John and Judy Herder’s detached garage at the corner of Hickory and Nebraska streets.

Today, the church is located at the corner of Linden Drive and Sauk Trail and is in the process of redefining itself for 21^st century ministry.

Pastor Rick Casebolt is hoping to assist in that work. Called by the congregation in September 2010, Casebolt is also a fulltime student at Garrett Evangelical Seminary in Evanston. However, he has pledged to serve at the church while he is in seminary (for approximately three years) and wants the people to know that he is there for them fulltime --  spiritually and emotionally.

“I could have chosen to live in Evanston and commute here on Sundays or live here and commute to Evanston during the week. I chose to live here and commute,” Casebolt explained.

Though he doesn't have a professional pastoral background, Casebolt comes to FUMC with a wealth of life experiences -- from working as a correctional officer in an Arizona prison to serving as manager for a 3,000-plus home resort community to being a company pilot.

“I’m comfortable working with all kinds of people,” Casebolt said. “Along the way I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t. I know you have to make people feel good about what they’re doing, that it’s purposeful work,” he added.

And it's that message of intentional, faithful work which he hopes to instill in the congregation as they discover who they are as a church and what their mission is.

“We don’t have to figure out what we want this church to be. We have to figure out what God wants this church to be,” he explained.

That is the Casebolt delivered on a recent Sunday when he preached on the story of Jesus telling his disciples where to cast their nets.

Casebolt wants FUMC to look at their long, rich history in the village and their current role in the community and figure out where God is directing them to reach out and invite in or reach out and serve. In other words, they need to decide where to fish.

The church has experienced  a lot of transition in recent years and Casebolt knows refocusing the church’s priorities will be challenging work. But he is confident that the congregation will accomplish their goals if they keep their focus on what God wants for them.

“This is a very educated congregation. They’re smart. They’re professional. They also don’t just say, ‘We care about people.’ They live it out. If you come here, whatever your concerns are, those concerns become theirs as well,” Casebolt shared.

For more information on FUMC, click here. Sunday worship is at 9:00 am followed by Sunday school for all ages.