Jon and Barb Anderson offer help to others

Walter Sprague
Art and Culture Reporter
 
If you look for a heart seeking to meet the needs of people, you couldn’t find a better example than Pastor Jon Anderson and his wife, Barb. Along with their four children, they have served at Gateway Fellowship since 2009. They moved here from Zimmerman, Minnesota, and Jon’s vision for the community quickly formed and became the goal of the whole Anderson family. That vision is to love others. Taking their cue from John 13:34 – “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” – that vision has spread to many areas of service to others.
Whether it’s making sure that the financial needs of people are met through the Newcastle Ministerial Association or dropping everything he could to help a person move, Jon has kept that love foremost in his heart. He has served for about five years as treasurer of the ministerial association. A more time-consuming position would be hard to find. He has had to answer calls at all hours of the day or night, meeting the individual financial needs of others. The association has helped house transients in hotels at a moment’s notice, without judgment or complaints. Jon said that their needs are as important as his own and that one act of kindness could transform a life into a more productive and meaningful existence. 
Through the association, Jon has helped to pay bills of those who couldn’t meet those obligations. This ministry has taken much time away from his family, but Anderson’s face is lit with solidarity and a commitment that speaks volumes above just words. It’s those uncomplaining actions that lift Jon and Barb in the opinions of others to a well-earned standard of high esteem.
But his involvement in the community spans a broader range of needs and ministries than just financial. Jon and Barb are involved in couple’s counseling. They’ve opened their doors to neighbors, members of their church and just about everyone who has needed help – or wants some good old-fashioned fellowship. 
When I moved to Newcastle, Jon was among the first people I met. He delivered a new stove and water heater for me. I still faced the task of emptying the semitrailer of my household items, and my back was in such poor shape that I thought it would take a few weeks. But I didn’t have to face that alone for long. The very next day, Jon brought Barb and their four kids over and had that trailer emptied and clean, ready to be picked up within four hours. Not only that, but the boxes were in the correct places. I don’t remember one box ending up in the wrong room. All I had to do was empty them. As they brought the furniture and heavy items in, they quickly found where they belonged. And while the driver of the truck that delivered my belongings didn’t take proper care to deliver them undamaged, the whole Anderson family was respectful of them. It wasn’t a slapdash effort. It happened with regard, as well as a jaw-dropping speed.
That experience also showed me another aspect of Jon and Barb that is important. If you want to get a real good sense of the quality of a couple, look at their kids. While that might not be 100% accurate, I do believe it’s a standard that one shouldn’t overlook. The four kids cooperated well. They made a fun time out of work, somehow joking and laughing, but not sacrificing the work ethic they exhibited. They did not put each other down, nor was there any hint of rudeness or laziness. I’ve seen this behavior exemplified in all four of them ever since the first day we met. This quality of character speaks very well for the parenting they receive throughout their blessed lives. The vision of loving others as Christ loved the church shows through the entire Anderson family.
“Jon reflects the love of God for us.” Andy  McKay said. “He has the apostle Paul’s character. He is a working pastor. Jon is out all the time with people meeting their needs. And not just his flock, but with the whole community. He’s not a pastor who sits in his office all week writing sermons. He gets out there in the community.”
This involvement was one of the reasons that the McKays say they have stayed at Gateway Fellowship since moving to Newcastle in 2016. And as others have also said, trying to separate Jon’s activities and ministry from Barb is impossible. They work as a team.
The Andersons participation in homeschool programs has also been evident. Along with their kids, they are helping to provide activities that will give the skills needed for the homeschooled kids to become successful adults. These children learn to become active in positive ways, and it’s for the betterment of the community, as well as their families.
This leadership and the training of new leaders have been at the forefront of the Andersons’ lives. For example, many events take place in the Weston County Senior Center, where Gateway Fellowship meets for Sunday school and worship services. Those events must include the leadership of many different people, not just the pastor and his family. One of those events is the annual Christmas Day dinner. It took a couple of years for the Andersons to adapt to the idea. Meeting on Christmas Day for dinner at the church, instead of on Christmas Eve, was not something they expected at first. But now it’s become part of their tradition.
“I love it,” Barb said, “I couldn’t imagine Christmas without that dinner at the church.” It has grown to become one of her favorite Christmas traditions. Their involvement in the dinner has instilled those same leadership qualities in others. Workers take on the sphere of leadership for the event. And the celebration is growing in numbers. When the Andersons first arrived in Newcastle, about 75 people attended the dinner. Last year more than 175 people were served. Because of those leadership skills they have instilled in members of the church and community, this event is now a high point in many people’s lives. The expertise of leadership has been fostered, in large part, by Jon and Barb’s example.
Without bragging or foisting themselves on others, they have developed the ability to lead by becoming loving servants. Space doesn’t permit all the beautiful attributes this family displays to Newcastle. But their work and direction in training other leaders make them the perfect candidates for Persons of the Year.