One connection that Pastor Rusty and his wife Libby have to Iowa is their son, Sean Morecraft, worship leader serving with Pastor Eric Trout at Restoration Church in Adel.

Pastor Rusty officially started on February 1st and moved to Van Meter on Sunday, February 6th. Pastor Rusty immediately began ministry visitation to members and participated in midweek youth events and took the pulpit for the first time last Sunday, February 13th.

MORE THAN 45 YEARS OF MINISTRY EXPERIENCE

Pastor Rusty comes to Van Meter with decades of ministry experience. He has 27 years of experience in student and college ministry across 5 states: Missouri, Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, and Illinois. After leaving student ministry he served as a pastor for 9 years in Oblong, Illinois (yes, that’s a real town!). After that, he served 9.5 years as an Associational DOM in southern Illinois, with responsibility over 30 churches across 5 counties.

WHY MOVE TO IOWA?

Pastor Rusty and Libby had decided to move to Iowa before they even knew of the position in Van Meter. “We originally decided to move to Iowa to help our son and daughter-in-law, Sean & Khristina Morecraft, care for their children. Childcare is extremely expensive in the West Des Moines area.” Sean is a worship leader serving with Pastor Eric Trout in Adel, just 15 minutes away from Van Meter. “After we decided to move to Iowa, one of the pastors in my Association saw an article about the Van Meter Baptist pastoral search. I reached out and started the conversation with them in September of 2021.”

After successful discussions, both the Morecrafts and the leaders at Van Meter Baptist felt like it was a good fit. “Van Meter has a small town feel and I like that. I grew up in a town of 3,000 and Van Meter has a similar feel. And the church was very affirming. As far I understand, the vote was a unanimous ‘Yes,’ from everyone in attendance.”

Libby’s Ministry

Libby Morecraft also has a ministry that she leads called Work of Art. She produces art live during worship services or other church events. She does chalk artwork, pottery, sculpting, and painting while teaching or sharing during worship services. Libby does a lot of women’s ministry events such as “Paint and Pie,” where she teaches women how to paint a picture in only 3 hours. Libby is available to travel to BCI churches to serve during events. Reach out to Rusty at vanmeterpastor@gmail.com for more info.

Pastor Rusty’s Vision 

Pastor Rusty’s vision for his ministry at Van Meter Baptist Church is to bring together the meeting of needs and the sharing of Christ. “My initial focus will be on finding out how to meet the needs of people in Van Meter and the surrounding communities and to use that as an opportunity to reach the ‘dechurched’ in our city.”