During the early 2000’s, Steve was a Certified Lay-Speaker in the LaMoine River District of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference, and had been appointed Supply Pastor at the Lynnville United Methodist Church.

Before taking on the speaking duties at Lynnville, Steve had taught the adult Sunday School class, served as a Trustee, was a member of the Evangelism Committee, and co-sponsored the UMYF for some years at the Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church, outside of Jacksonville, Illinois. During that time he also sang with and wrote music for the choir there. He also put together the Wesley Chapel newsletter, the ‘Circuit Rider’, for a number of years (each issue of which included an article of his), and had acquired a following from that as well.

Through those years, Steve was also involved with a number of ministries on the local level and throughout the Illinois Great Rivers Conference. He was on the board of the ‘Illinois Area School of Evangelism’ for some years, a member of the ‘Bishop’s Task Force on Children and Poverty’, and was the LaMoine River District’s ‘Lay-Member-at-Large’ to the Annual Conference.

Indeed, the Jacksonville Journal-Courier had included Steve in their list of local ‘Movers-and-Shakers’ for 2004!!

Until recent years, Steve had kept an active hand in the Wanda United Methodist Church in Wanda (Roxana), IL, serving on various committees, serving as liturgist, and speaking as needed. Now fully retired, however, he has espoused the so-called ‘main-line’ denominations in favor of pursuing a purer course through personal contacts and his website.