By: Dezaray Barr
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Joe Ruberg is the pastor of the First Community Church of Matthews in Matthews, Indiana. Ruberg attended Greenville College and Taylor University. He graduated from Moody Bible Institute in 1976 with a degree in Pastoral Ministry.
Although he originally attended Greenville College to pursue business administration, God made it clear to Ruberg that He was called into ministry. Ruberg said that after submitting to the Lord’s call, he never doubted that ministry was the right path for him to follow.
“I heeded the call and went to Moody to become a pastor,” Ruberg said. “Through some unique circumstances, I came to this area to take courses at Taylor University where God opened the door to pastor this church in Matthews. I have been here every since 1975.”
The First Community Church of Matthews is located in a town of about 580 people. The small church hosted less than a hundred people. “Being in such a small town, we strive to have a comfortable family feel, although we also draw from the surrounding towns, like Marion, Muncie, Hartford City, Gas City and Upland,” Ruberg explained.
Some fun facts about Ruberg include that First Community Church is his first and last church. This month, he’s been there for 43 years. He and his wife, Pamela, have three daughters. They are each married, and they’ve been blessed with 12 grandchildren.
Ruberg’s words of wisdom for current IWU students is simple. “Run everything through the grid of the Scriptures and trust it to be the truth, no matter who or what would attempt to distract you from it,” he said.
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Written by Dezaray Barr, PR Specialist for the Alumni Office. Dezaray is a junior Strategic Communication, Journalism and Honors Humanities triple major at Indiana Wesleyan University in the John Wesley Honors College. Visit Dez’s website at www.dezaraybarr.weebly.com.