It's Officially Been 15 years! 2026 Rollert Family News
Where Has the Time Gone?
It's hard to believe, but this past month marked an important anniversary for our work here in New Hampshire. We moved here in August of 2011! For many, this seems like a long time to be in one place. But our stated goal was to put down roots here and invest in helping the church in New England grow. We are grateful for the last decade and a half - the relationships we enjoy are a tremendous blessing, and it's a joy to see the work here thriving. God has been extremely good to us, and so have the brethren. Here's an updated picture of our crew:
We spent half of August traveling. Our sweet congregation sent our family to Polishing the Pulpit once again. We left a few days early to take the kids on an educational side trip to Kentucky for a visit the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter. After PTP, David and the 3 older kids drove home, and Keeley and Jocelyn stayed in Tennessee for a week-long visit with Keeley's sister, who just had a baby. The whole trip was so much fun! More on the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum in a bit. But first, here's what else we've been up to!
2 Baptisms This Summer
Obviously, this is the most exciting news! Ian, the grandson of a couple who converted back in 2020, started coming to services with his grandparents about a year ago. After attending the teen boys' class for quite some time, Ian's grandmother suggested he begin a study with David, and in June he was baptized. He is a fantastic young man who has plugged in and seems to be genuinely excited about his faith. He gets along well with our other boys, despite being a few years older, so it's great having another young person in our growing youth group.
Another baptism happened in May. James and his wife, Catherine, started attending in the spring, and they seemed eager to plug in. They are homeless, and several in the congregation stepped up to help them out in various ways. The church bought them some supplies they needed. David began a study with them, and for a few weeks it seemed to be going really well. James was eventually baptized, and they were very consistent in their attendance. But it didn't last. Sometimes it happens that way; you can give, teach, and reason together, but you can't commit to Christ for them or make decisions on their behalf. We haven't seen them for most of the summer, despite efforts to reach out and encourage them to return.
Outreach Events and Edification
We had another successful VBS, thanks to the continued support and manpower provided by brethren from Mt. Juliet, TN. We learn a lot each year with this effort. For the first time, we had much of the props and decorations done before the TN crew arrived, so they helped us finish what remained and put up decorations, but there wasn't the rush we've had in previous years. The goal was to have significantly less wait time for paint to dry than in the past, and more time for other things.
The director of our VBS / Bible School Program is very proactive; he and his wife coordinated the congregation's volunteers so effectively in the months leading up to the event. This is Steve Malcolm's second year leading this effort. He and his wife, Ashley, shared that "the growing pains have been real." But they are doing a truly incredible job. We are so thankful for their energy, dedication, and organizational skills! Hopefully, in future years, as we strive to prepare more and more ahead of time, we can use the extra manpower from outside helpers more for outreach and service projects along with our VBS.
We continue tapping into other outreach opportunities, namely the community "Old Home Days" in our surrounding towns. We had booths at three different community events: Franklin, Tilton/Northfield, and Sanbornton. Our increased membership has made these significantly easier to manage. Gone are the days when a handful of specific individuals were present for every part of every community day effort. Now the labor is split up by couples who head up the booth at different locations and coordinate the volunteers. And there are plenty of willing hands to help take shifts in the booth or roam the event handing out flyers.
Along with our presence at these events, our name is also popping up in the movie theater these days. Rob Lemieux is a very creative individual in the congregation who is using his talents to help us with YouTube shorts and even movie ad spots! Several individuals mentioned our theater ad when they visited our booth at the Sanbornton Old Home Day.
The Congregation Keeps Growing and Maturing
This year we were very excited to have another young family move up from Texas. Lee Covey moved up late last year when he got a job here in New Hampshire. His wife, Kara, and their two little ones were finally able to move up here to be with him this year. We've enjoyed having Kara and the kids participate in our homeschool playgroup and our Bible classes. Kara has also kindly stepped in as a teaching sub when we've needed Bible class coverage.
In 2026, two new babies arrived in the spring! The Dawes and Purdy families both welcomed baby girls within a month of each other. The cradle roll class will be ready for them and, boy, do we have plenty of volunteers eager to help in that room. Alana Purdy has also volunteered to teach the K-2 class once her little one is settled into cradle roll.
For most of the year, Lobar Glenn has been a teacher's aide for Keeley, helping navigate the challenge of a class that is split between pre-readers and emerging readers. Then, Lobar and her teen daughter, Joy, took the class altogether while Keeley was traveling in August (and for most of September while a mystery bug has plagued the Rollert house, but that's another story). The Glenn ladies have been so helpful, not just in the classroom but also by taking on many other quiet projects that always simplify or improve part of the congregation's workflow.
Beyond just the increased number of members, this increase in teachers is another sign of growth in the congregation. If sickness hits or people are traveling, a handful of capable individuals are on standby, ready to step up. What a tremendous blessing to no longer have a skeleton crew of Bible School teachers!
Over the past 5 years, we've seen several individuals who were brand-new Christians grow to become mature, capable teachers. Others who had been Christians for years but just needed mentorship and encouragement have also stretched their comfort zones to get involved in teaching. While there have been bumps and learning curves along the way, we're excited to see brethren demonstrating consistent personal growth and dedication in their service.
Training up others has been a high priority from day one, because a congregation can't thrive when people aren't growing and learning to lead. And it will eventually die if those capable of serving ever reach a point where they can't continue. While we have no plans to leave the work here, we always said our approach to ministry would be to "work our way out of a job."
Brethren We Will Miss
While the growth of the congregation is truly exciting, we grieved the loss of two members who went on to their reward this year as summer came to a close. Trish Colwell, a sweet sister who had recently moved up toward the Littleton area (where Wayne Burger is now working), took a fall and broke her hip. As is sometimes the case for the very elderly, this started what became a significant decline in her condition, and about 6 months later she passed. Maurice "Dave" Davies, who had been in a nursing home for several years, passed about three weeks later.
Both of these Christians were shining examples of endurance and faithfulness, and, while we rejoice for them, they are missed dearly.
Jaden and Michael Ray are also greatly missed. These two brothers are all grown up and now out on their own, one in Texas and one in Nevada. We're praying for their success, and more importantly, for their continued faithfulness to Christ as they enter adult life.
A Note on the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter
We've wanted to do this trip for a long time. While both experiences were very enriching, we recommend them with a grain of salt. Although we've heard from others who have gone in the past that this wasn't always the case, false teaching about salvation has definitely been added to the end of their major exhibits and some video presentations about the gospel. That's discouraging, because what they built is really pretty incredible and probably has a pretty extensive audience in the various religious communities. It would have been awesome to see them get that part right.
Beyond that, it is a really well-done set of attractions. Regarding creation, the ark, the flood, and ancient history, they certainly maintained Biblical and historical accuracy where sufficient information is given. They showed a lot of creativity by presenting plausible examples for aspects where we are not told specifically how it happened (feeding and waste management on the ark, for example). If its representation of the conversion process had been correct, we'd have given it a 10 out of 10 for an enjoyable, educational excursion. The kids loved it, the food was great, and it started some really fun conversations. We will share more on the experience in another post.
So, there's our short update on 2026.
There is more to cover in 2026 Rollert Family news, but we'll tackle it bit by bit in future posts (and include more pictures). Feel free to ask questions in the comments section. For now, thanks for reading, and as always, thank you for your support and encouragement!
-David and Keeley
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