March-May 1999 The Sabbath Sentinel Sabbath Organization Profile . . . An Interview with Pastor Lester C. Heilman, Jr.by Robert Sumner
Sumner: Pastor Les, Please share some of your background. How were you called by God and what have you been doing since then? Heilman: I started out as a salesman, and was very good at it, and I thought it was my life. Then in 1979,I had a heart attack. This got my attention that God, Himself was dealing in my life. While lying in that hospital,I called upon God and asked, "OK, Lord, What do you want me to do with my life?" It was there I received a calling from the Lord, and was moved to go into the ministry. In 1980, I went to seminary at The Evangelical School of Theology in Myerstown, PA. While there, part of my training was an internship at a church they gave me to preach at in Wormleysburg. We started with only 12 remaining members. The first week, I did what I was used to in sales, going up and down the streets, knocking on doors. It was June then, and I met a lot of children, sharing with them and some of their families and inviting them to services. When my first Sunday service came, 12 children came, which surprised the old timers. My wife, Helen, started working with them, while I was busy with the normal pastoral duties. Soon the church grew to 75 members. With this success, I was transferred to another church nearby in Enola, PA. The Lord blessed us, and again we were blessed with many members. However, after about 18 months, some local politics got involved and I was fired due to a disagreement with a prominent member's idea over a building program. We learned a lot of lessons there. This firing took place on Xmas Eve, as we had to find a new building to celebrate that holiday. When the news got around to the members of the church, many of them became upset and left. They encouraged me to start a new church to begin building again. We launched out in faith. We ran newspaper ads, talked with people, and word got around. We started out with 45-50 folks at The Cornerstone Evangelical Free church, which grew to over 150 members. I remained there as pastor until 1998. Sumner: When did you learn about the Seventh Day Sabbath? Heilman: While at the Cornerstone Church, we rented our facilities to a Sabbath-observing, Messianic Jewish Congregation. They shared over the years about the Sabbath, the Holy Days, and many other Jewish traditions.This peaked the interest of many of us, and we started studying. However, the rabbi/pastor of the Messianic group was not really motivated, or convicted, about the Sabbath. It was merely a tradition to them. This was not meaningful to me, so I had remembered about an old friend from seminary days, Jacob Myers, of The Assemblies of Yahweh. After getting in touch with him, fellowshipping and studying God's Word with him, I was convicted that the Seventh Day Sabbath was the correct day to worship the Lord of Creation. I began hungering for more knowledge, understanding and fellowship with other Sabbath-keeping Christians.So I started looking around the Internet, searching in phone directories, and asking around town. I located in the yellow pages of the phone book a number for the Harrisburg Church of God, 7th Day, as well as another Sabbath group. I contacted these pastors and met with them and accepted their invitation to attend services. This was in1997, and I've been going ever since. However, for awhile I was still pastoring the Cornerstone Church on Sundays, even sharing with them about the Sabbath, especially on a Friday night Shabbat Service there at Cornerstone. After a few months, once again local politics and adversity set in, and in a closed meeting away from the church members, I was fired. God used this to get me off of the fence, and devote myself to the Sabbath totally. It's been a harder journey for my wife, but the Lord is helping her along too. Sumner: How has the transition from Sunday First Day services to the seventh day Sabbath worship been for you? Heilman: It's been a radical change! I was a Sunday keeper for 65 years, starting out in the Lutheran Church as a young boy. My wife has had a harder time adjusting because of missing all her close friends, and differences with our children and other family members. Since I was fired at Cornerstone, I also lost my livelihood that we counted on. My wife became ill and had to quit work too; so it's been real tough on us financially, and we are learning to lean on the Lord, and now all the new brethren we've come to know. Our schedules and outlooks have changed too. Instead of just a couple of services per week for a few hours,we now can learn to appreciate and look forward to a full 24-hour day of fellowship, family togetherness, and drawing close to God as never before. It's now a day of celebration and learning. For example, we have rented a borough hall, and have Friday night/Sabbath fellowship open to the community. There are old friends from the Cornerstone Church, folks from other Sunday churches, and a good number of Sabbath-keepers. Wow! What away to start the Sabbath! We then fellowship at services Sabbath morning with the local church which is affiliated with The General Conference of The Church of God, Seventh Day -- Harrisburg Church of God, Seventh Day. Our relationships with our children and families have been strained, but it now is no longer a major issue as-we are working it out, and the Lord is giving us some peace. One of the biggest things is learning and growing in the word of God, and accepting new truths being revealed to us. As we learn to be obedient to them, we are being delivered from old ideas, traditions of men, pagan ideas, and many deceptions from the enemy! Sumner: What are your plans for the future? Where do you think the Lord is leading you? Heilman: Right now we are just in a waiting pattern. We plan to continue to share with the Friday night LITTLE FLOCK FELLOWSHIP, as it is now known, and also to continue to pray and fellowship with believers,studying, learning and growing. I still serve in some community pastoring programs; officiate at funerals,weddings, and other activities, and I will preach anytime I get the chance to. I love to preach! I love to share God's Word! This is what I've been trained and called to do, and will continue to do so as long as the Lord permits. I share in our Sabbath Fellowship as well. I would love to be a full-time pastor at a Sabbath church somewhere, someday! My wife and I are open to any opportunities, so anyone is welcome to contact us and interview us. Sumner: What final thoughts would you like to share with TSS readers? Heilman: My heart goes out to many because they have been deceived. I want to be part of sharing The Good News, that our Lord and Savior has come and is alive today! I want to share the Good News about the Sabbath Day, even though it's against the traditions and the grains of society. I'd like to share it with as many people as possible I've started writing and printing leaflets and tracts to share; contacting others, am on the Internet, and am witnessing to everyone that I can. If anyone wishes to contact me by telephone, my number is (717) 761-0406. My email is heilman@igateway.com Our web page can be viewed at http://www.igateway.com/Lff.HTM Sumner: To the readers of TSS. This is the end of my interview. I hope it has encouraged you, and strengthened your walk with the Lord. Pastor Les, as we call him, is a very loving and devoted follower of God.His wife Helen is a dear sweet sister in the Lord. We have known them for two years now and count it a privilege to fellowship with them. Robert Sumner is a Sabbath-keeping Christian residing in Harrisburg, PA. He can be contacted at (717) 652-9348, or faxed at (717) 651-0884. Would you like to write an article profiling a Sabbath-keeping group? If so, please e-mail us at biblesabbath@comcast.net TSS |
This is an interview with a pastor who
has been called to more of the truths of the scripture these
last two years, especially regarding an understanding of the
Seventh Day Sabbath and God's Festival Days.