2026

To begin 2026, we are reading through the Gospels as a congregation. We will read one chapter of a gospel book each day. We are currently in the book of Mark.

Current Reading Schedule

Our Story

In the winter of 2023, the congregation of Lima First Church of the Nazarene faced a difficult decision: the boiler needed repaired in order for the building and congregation to survive the winter, yet there were not enough offerings coming in from the dozen gathering for worship to cover the cost. As the group often did, they prayed for a miracle, that God would provide in order that the church might remain opened. Within days, the church received an anonymous check providing the thousands of dollars needed to keep the boiler running.

Just 8 months later, a young couple inquired about coming to the church as missionary pastors independently raising a salary to join the work long-established in downtown Lima. The group gladly welcomed them, citing their years of prayer and long-suffering, believing that the work at 300 W Elm Street was far from finished.

Since 2023, now under a new name, Elm Street Church of the Nazarene has reengaged the community, committed to caring for the poor, those in addiction recovery, and Lima’s growing immigrant populations. Since those days of stepping out in radical faith, the church has experienced an outpouring of God’s grace and blessing.

Currently, Elm Street Church is partnering with Andrew’s House of Hope, renovating the house adjacent to the church for a high level women’s recovery house, as well as continuing restoration of the church building and developing a small park-like area on the Northwest corner of our block for ministry use in feeding and gathering with our neighbors.

Ministries

Our Pastor

Jonathan Burkey was born just a couple streets North and a few blocks West at St. Rita's hospital. He's a lifetime Buckeye who pursued education at Olivet Nazarene University and the University of Chicago. After spending nearly a decade in academic and church work in the Chicagoland area, Jonathan and his wife Kate moved their young family back to his hometown to take the position of associate pastor of worship at Lima Community Church of the Nazarene. While there, he launched Compassionate Ministries of Lima, a 501c3 whose mission is to "combat social and economic issues by bringing people together around a common table." Two years ago, amidst a PhD program in theology from the University of Dayton, Jonathan became the senior pastor at Elm Street Church of the Nazarene, a congregation on the corner of West and Elm Streets, whose vision is to beautify their block and to bless the city Jonathan has loved his whole life: Lima.