Webservant Statement Webservant Statement The webservant has a statement to make. It is in 2 main parts. First, testimony as to what Jesus Christ has done in his life and that of his life long companion and wife, Jean, and how Cherry Run played a role in their lives as they began their ministry.
And second, his experience and philosophy in working with web sites. He's making me stick around for a while in case he wants some more changes made. I'm going to put in a request for some help -- maybe some of those hard working folks at Cherry Run can give me some assistance!
Jean - Sligo HS - '52
The Touching and Changing of a Pair of Lives
All Due to the Love and Grace of Jesus Christ, the Living Son of God!
I was born and raised on a farm just a few miles north of Cherry Run Camp near the small village of Reidsburg. My parents attended Monroe Chapel Methodist Church (as it was known in days before the '68 merger). The church, its Sunday School, vaction Bible schools, and revival services were a big part of my life. I have fond memories of the pastor bouncing me on his knee when I just a little guy as prayer meetings were held in our home. My mother attended Cherry Run Camp from the time she was quite young and after marriage to my dad, they both attended Cherry Run Camp.
It was at Monroe Chapel that I met Jean. Our first date was a double date with another couple with the girls not knowing who was going with whom until we picked them up! And we went to church that evening, causing a few eyes to turn and stare a bit!
Things changed a bit as the Korean War broke out and sometime later I enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps before being drafted. My drill instructors at Parris Island were battle hardened veterans of the 1st Marine Division which had been surrounded by the Chinese in Korea at one point, but they fought their way out, taking pride in the fact that not one dead comrade had been left behind. With that background, our DI's hammered and at times brutalized us into believing we were the best at anything we might do, especially when it came to fighting and killing! It needs to be said that Marine Corps boot camp has changed considerably since those days, with an emphasis now on what are considered "core values."
So my life took a turn toward that which is measured mainly in carnal pleasures and pursuit of the same! Jean and I got married and we were off to Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station in North Carolina. We lived in New Bern which is a few miles off base. Our son, Richard, was born there. Sadly our interest in the things of God and the church were virtually non-existent!
It was after discharge and our return to the Clarion/Sligo area that God began to speak to me about a deadly malady in my life called sin. Finally one evening at home I made a conscious decision to repent and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of my life. A short time after that Jean also received Jesus into her life. It was a miracle of change to say the least and resulted in our getting fully into the life of Monroe Chapel Church.
But then something strange and even shocking happened. A few months after accepting Christ, I had an experience in which I felt He was calling me to the ministry. But this couldn't be, could it? I resisted for a time, but eventually found out you never win an argument with God! Finally I said that "Yes, I'll do it." to the Lord. It was almost 20 months to the day from the time I accepted Him into my life until I was appointed pastor of 2 Methodist churches in the New Castle, PA area!
Another great part of this experience was the fact that Jean without question accepted this as her calling also! She never complained, even in those "lean" years of attending college -- and the nearly 50 per cent pay cut when we went on to Asbury Seminary in Wilmore, KY. She has also stood by me and supported me without murmuring in our ministry over the years, even when times were not easy.
And so, at New Castle PA we began an adventure in preaching God's Word that took us from there to Kentucky and then back again to Pennsylvania. In those early years of ministry we became quite involved in Cherry Run Camp in different capacities, the last of which was managing the book store. Then came an appointment to 4 churches in Belsano (about 20 miles north of Johnstown) and some serious problems there with which we had to deal. The demands of that situation required our withdrawing from involvement in Cherry Run. Upon "official" retirement in 1996 we had been in the ministry for 37 years. This had involved a total of 10 churches plus a brief period of working with a small congregation of Cumberland Presbyterians while at Asbury Seminary in Wilmore, KY. Also in the early 70's I was privileged to make 2 mission trips to Brazil and witness and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, being wonderfully blessed as we saw a number of Brazilians come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord.
But God was not finished with us yet. There is no such thing as really "retiring" as far as God is concerned. For us, it was simply a change of location on the "battlefield!" I felt the burden to get involved in a web site "ministry" and witness on the Internet in spite of the fact that I knew absolutely nothing about putting such a thing together. Again, in the mysterious workings of God, the site was launched at the end of March 1998. It is known as Circuit Rider's Range and is described as a strange blend of humor, personal experience, and controversial church, political, social, and moral issues of the day! It features such personalities as Theo who has his own Special Place (you have to go there to see the real name, and to find out Theo's full name), Alvin who comes from a far away place and has a full itinerary as he visits the Range and makes comments along the way, and Penelope who has just one job to do, but does it very well and is well paid for her services
Circuit Rider's Range has evoked responses that have run the gamut all the way from "Amen!" and "Keep it up!" to intense negative responses best summed up in the words, "I hate your guts!" Most of the negative responses have come from pastors. But the "positives" have far outnumbered the "negatives" by a ratio of more than 25 to 1!
After going through some changes and eventually purchasing a domain for the web site, other web areas have been set up in the domain. These include:
Mission Utility Vehicles, Inc.
Cherry Run Camp Meeting Association
Clarion High School - Class of ‘50 Sedgwick Family Reunion
(My mother was a Sedgwick from Sligo area)
Another door was opened in November of 1999 when we began serving Gipsy Christian (Disciples of Christ) Church in Gipsy PA on a part time basis. And so the high adventure continues as we await the retun of our Lord Jesus Christ to rule this world forever as King of kings and Lord of lords. He's got a lot of exciting things planned for His creation and we don't want to miss out on it.
Jean and I can never thank Him too much for His patience, mercy, grace, and unfailing love extended to us over these many years, and for granting us the undeserved privilege of engaging in ministry in His name. And most wonderful of all, the best is yet to be -- just check John 14:1-3 and Revelation 21 and 22 in order to whet the appetite a bit!
So drop by the Cherry Run Camp Book Store when the camp is in session starting about the last Saturday in July and continued through 2 Sundays into August each year. We'll be most happy to see you and chat with you a bit
Same couple a few (?) years later down the road!
Cherry Run Camp Bookstore Managers - 2000
Circuit Rider's (alias C. D. Harriger) Philosophy on Web Site Design
I am by no means a possessor of expertise when it comes to building a web site. I submitted the Range one time for an "analysis" and when the results came back it was like I had taken a test and got about 1 question out of 150 right! I was informed that I had broken about all the "rules" in the book when it comes to what a well designed web site is supposed to be! There are all sorts of criteria spelled out by experts as to what constitutes effective web site design. Among these is packing a lot of stuff into a small space, so that when you bring the site up on your screen there is enough material there plus links to keep you occupied for hours without scrolling 1/10th of an inch! Some of these links can be in such small type that you need a magnifying glass to read them and if you click on a link you may miss the one your were aiming for and get the one above it or below it because of the microscopic sized type! Yes, CR's Range is different in that regard. We at least attempt to keep the text and the links readable.
There are at least 4 things to keep in mind about the Range and other sites we have set up.
- First, there is a lot of use of images, most of which are animated. These convey a message in themselves or make a point related to some subject under discussion. Or maybe an image appears for the sake of breaking up the text material. There are also photos at different locations and in some cases they can be extremely shocking, as in the matter of the abortion issue. But as noted somewhere in the way on that subject, we're not discussing Sunday School picnics on that issue! The disadvantage on use of graphics is that a longer download time is required for the total page to load. In some cases it may seem like a slice of eternity, but hang on -- remember, good things come to those who patiently wait
- Second, the background is almost the standard "clouds." The clouds are a reminder that this is a very cloudy world -- spiritually, morally, and ethically! Also we are informed that Jesus is going to return with and/or in the "clouds" -- of course, interpretations may vary a bit on that as to whether we're talking literal clouds, or "clouds" of resurrected believers, angels, etc. No matter -- when we see the clouds, we are also moved to remember that the "Son" continues to shine in all His majestic sovereignty and glory!
- Third, there is music in most areas with the exception of reproduced news items. The music often by its tune and title usually conveys a kind of message as well. For instance, at the main page of the Range, the theme music is, "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?" and there is a brief comment about that. In another area where it is documented that certain church leaders have endorsed an immoral lifestyle the music title is "Suspicion!"
- Fourth, we have that interesting thing known as a cursor which travels over our computer screens usually in the shape of an arrow. But at CR's Range and related sites the cursor takes on a variety of shapes. These sort of send out a message in keeping with the theme of the subject matter in any given area. For instance, at Circuit Rider's Guest Book the cursor takes the form of a pencil. And in an area titled, Justice Denied!, the cursor takes the form of a meat cleaver and the music title is "Crying!" -- in this area the question is raised about justice being denied for the thousands of unborn children who are victims of abortion each week throughout the year in this nation.
For any who take the time to fully explore the main site, which will take a while, they will be faced with the following facts:
- That Jesus Christ is absolutely our only source and hope of forgiveness, peace with God, and a place in His eternal Kingdom!
- That there are moral standards clearly revealed by a holy God which, if obeyed and practiced faithfully, will result in an abundance of blessings, but if ignored and defied, will result in calamities and judgments far beyond human ability to comprehend!
- That our nation is presently in a most perilous condition due to rampant idolatry and nearly 3 decades of systematically destroying millions of unborn children! The ancient Canaanites didn't get away with destroying their children. The ancient Israelites didn't get away with it when they became corrupted and adopted the heathen practices of child sacrifice. Do we think we can get away with it, when in all likelihood our trail of blood is much deeper and wider than those cultures of antiquity ever were. Strangely, the prevailing sentiment in our nation seems to be that we can continue on our present course and still usher in a "heaven on earth" all the while claiming to be a "Christian" nation!
I sincerely solicit your prayer support for the ministry and witness of Circuit Rider's Range so long as God permits it to remain on the Internet, and that you would pass the address, www.crrange.com, on to others as you feel so led and have the opportunity to do so.
Clayton D. Harriger 01-01-04
Belsano, PennsylvaniaAnd a final note: if you click on some of the above links mentioned in the text of the testimony or the second part dealing with the philosophy of CR's Range, please use the return feature on your web browser to come back to this area. While there are some return links on those areas, none of them will bring you back to this location. Thank you for spending some time here. May God's very best be your daily portion until our Lord Jesus returns in power and glory as King of kings and Lord of lords!
Return to Main Lobby with the Doors
Comments or Questions about this web site
please Email webservant, C. D. Harriger, at
cdharriger@hotmail.com
