Most of the time, our blog posts are focused on the work we do to design, build and renovate church buildings for the glory of God. This post, however, will celebrate a faithful servant, Homer McKnight. Homer is the founder of The McKnight Group, but he’s done so much more than help churches better live out their vision through church buildings that work. He has served his own church in multiple capacities, here in the US and around the world. Homer’s denomination, The Church of the Nazarene, church district, Nazarene Bible College and home church, The Naz, surprised him with a recognition service on Father’s Day this year—which also happened to be Homer’s birthday. Here is some of what he was honored for that day.
Serving the Church in South Central Ohio
Homer McKnight has served his church denomination for over forty years. Naturally, perhaps, since his expertise is with buildings, he was instrumental in the purchase and development of the South Central Ohio District campgrounds in Logan, Ohio—now known as the Logan Conference Center. He also facilitated the building of the South Central Ohio District Office. But Homer didn’t just build buildings for the church here in Ohio. He also was part of the district’s first Work and Witness team to Haiti in 1974. Since 1974 Homer has taken at least one trip a year for missions and many times several trips in a year with over 100 mission trips in 42 years.
Homer also served on numerous boards and committees for the district, including (and this is not everything—just a taste!) district camp meeting trustee, district home missions board, district delegate to general assembly, district finance committee, and district advisory board (for 28 years, serving as secretary for most of that time). In fact, he was designated as District Layman of the Year way back in 1984—and he served on many of these boards until 2008!
Serving the Broader Church of the Nazarene
Homer McKnight has done much more than serve the church in Ohio. He served on the Nazarene Bible College Board of Trustees for eighteen years, helping to guide that organization prepare pastors and ministers for service in the church. And he wasn’t just on the board; during that time he served as treasurer, finance committee chairman, chairman of the audit investment committee, and on the executive committee. As part of this surprise Father’s Day celebration, Homer McKnight was also presented with the International Church of the Nazarene’s Distinguished Service Award, “in appreciation for advancing God’s kingdom around the world.”
Serving God through the Design and Construction of Church Building Projects
The celebration of Homer McKnight’s service included a special recognition video, which we want to share with everyone (Click Here). Narrated by his children and grandchildren, this video bears witness to his service and shares some memorable stories. As Homer’s son David McKnight says his dad taught him, “If you call yourself Christian, then there’s work for you to do.” As you can imagine, we are proud of what our founder, Homer McKnight, has accomplished in his years of service to God and the church. We are also proud of his work in church design, creating buildings that work for churches across this great country. We join his church in thanking Homer McKnight for his service to the Lord and the community, and we are proud to carry on his vision.