CLARKSVILLE – Ron Kunzweiler, bivocational pastor of two churches, is aware of God\u2019s answer to prayer, including a prayer to be a circuit rider. \u201cI prayed to God that if it was His plan,\u201d Kunzeweiler said, \u201cthat I wanted to be a circuit rider.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kunzweiler pastors Dover Baptist Church in Clarksville and Friendship Baptist Church in Bowling Green, a distance of about 14 miles. \u201cDover is a small farm church,\u201d he said, \u201cwe just celebrated our 150-year anniversary. The building is almost as old, 147 years. It was founded during the Civil War in 1862. Friendship is small, too, and I am helping them retire a debt.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kunzweiler begins his Sunday morning at Friendship preaching at 9:15 am. \u201cAfter that service,\u201d he said, \u201cthey have Sunday school and I drive to Dover. They have Sunday school first and follow with the service. I\u2019m usually on time, but depending on the altar call, I may be a few minutes late. But, the people understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to his pastoring duties, Kunzweiler is the milling supervisor for American Botanicals, a company with Christian core values. \u201cThe company buys whole herbs or roots for the supplement industry,\u201d Kunzweiler said. \u201cWhen we take the roots, barks or herbs from the harvest, we sell them whole, cut or powdered and the making of the powder is the area that I supervise. I\u2019m thankful that God provided Allen Lockard and his company to make it possible for me and others to do ministry work and to provide for our families.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kunzweiler became a Christian while serving in the Peace Corps in Morocco in North Africa. \u201cI met an elderly missionary couple from Israel in Marrakesh,\u201d he said. \u201cThey invited me for dinners and after dinner, we would have Bible studies. I was raised Catholic, but this was the first time I was confronted with the gospel. I knew I was a sinner, but this was the first time I was confronted with grace and the need to accept that gift. I received that, it was easy for this Catholic boy to make that decision with the Lord quickening my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Kunzweiler, he matured in the faith by listening to Christian radio and preachers such as Adrian Rogers, J. Vernon Magee, and R.C. Sproul. \u201cMy wife and I were praying for a more sound biblical church,\u201d he said, \u201cand we were led to Calvary Baptist Church in O\u2019Fallon. The pastor there was Clyde Oster and he became my mentor. I grew up in the faith by watching a true pastor \u2018pastor\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pastoring two churches and a full-time job seems a lot for any man, but balancing the responsibility of eight children adds a new dimension. \u201cIt is exciting,\u201d Kunzweiler added, \u201cbut, they are older and for the last two years, I haven\u2019t had all of them at home. Plus, I get some ministry help from my family. My oldest daughter, Cindy, is the pianist at church and my wife, Diane, assists the worship leader.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to Cindy who will pursue a career this fall, the Kunzweilers have a married daughter, Denise; a married daughter, Becky; a son, David, who lives and works in O\u2019Fallon; Christy, an 18-year-old headed to the College of the Ozarks in the fall; 15-year-old twins, Katie and Kathie; and 11-year-old, Autumn Rose.<\/p>\n
In 2007, the family experienced a test of faith; a portion of the family was involved in a serious car accident. \u201cMy son was learning to drive and several family members were crammed in the truck on the way to Dover,\u201d Kunzweiler said, \u201cbecause the air conditioning was out in our van. There was no easement on the road and the tires hit the edge and he overcompensated and drove through a farm fence and tipped the truck.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kunzweiler discussed the injuries of the family. \u201cBecky received a spinal cord injury which paralyzed her from the hip down. She is in a wheelchair and she is the secretary for Ramsey Creek Baptist Church. My wife needed metal rods in both femurs, she had a crushed right hip and a pelvis broken in four places, but she is walking now. My daughter, Autumn, had the scariest injury because she was in the hospital longer with a brain trauma injury which appeared as a stroke on her right side. She is now beginning to get the use of her hand back.\u201d<\/p>\n
God\u2019s faithfulness was displayed to the Kunzweilers. \u201cWhen this happened, the community came together for my family,\u201d Kunzweiler said. \u201cChristians, non-Christians, and all denominations of churches helped us,\u201d he said. \u201cThey built a wing for the physically disabled. God made a way and provided for our medical bills. I was at the hospital and Carl Steinehege, our worship leader, and his wife, Lucretia; put up the children not injured during this time and while our house was being adapted. The community knows our family. I\u2019m grateful to God that my family survived this wreck and that he used people to come alongside us during our need.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CLARKSVILLE – Ron Kunzweiler, bivocational pastor of two churches, is aware of God\u2019s answer to prayer, including a prayer to be a circuit rider. \u201cI prayed to God that if it was His plan,\u201d Kunzeweiler said, \u201cthat I wanted to be a circuit rider.\u201d Kunzweiler pastors Dover Baptist Church in Clarksville and Friendship Baptist Church […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":12052,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_wpscp_schedule_draft_date":"","_wpscp_schedule_republish_date":"","_wpscppro_advance_schedule":false,"_wpscppro_advance_schedule_date":"","_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_selected_social_profile":[]},"categories":[41,17],"tags":[108],"yoast_head":"\n