Roy LeCates

12/05/23

What service do you attend most and why?

Primarily 11pm during the program year, due to choir connection and relationships. Summer 5pm, to enjoy outdoor worship experience, connect with members, and flexibility to go riding all day Sunday.

Who do you attend with?

My family of Hope members!

How long have you been attending HOPE?

28-years (since Spring 1995)

What brought you to HOPE?

Immediately after college, I moved to Pittsburgh for work at FORE Systems. After forming a quick friendship with my teammate Russ Hoffman, he invited me to Hope one Sunday. I felt so welcomed and at home that very first day! It felt like I found three pairs of grandparents and many new friends. This was definitely a place that I felt welcomed and fed. For many years, several of us gathered for brunch after church every Sunday, building deeper relationships. Retired Pastor Ted Swanson and wife Avis (retired teacher) were so gracious and embracing. After Avis passed, Pr. Ted needed regular assistance with his paperwork, tasks around the house, and some company. Sundays after brunch, we shared a couple hours together at his home in Zelienople, and it was my honor to be his trusted friend until his passing.

What keeps you at HOPE?

I was raised in Delaware, in a home with Christian values, but had not been baptized. After finding my church home, building relationships and greater understanding of the faith, I was baptized at Hope in August 1995 by Pastor Still. This is my faith home and community. I look forward to coming to our Lord’s house and seeing my friends: sharing both joys and cares, serving together, and enjoying healthy relationships. I love singing in the choir and serving in worship. I feel like I truly belong here.

What are some of your passions or hobbies? 

I am an engineer (Electrical Engineering, University of Delaware) and love programming computers. It was an instant passion, starting upon seeing the first Apple // in Junior HS. My mind is wired for logic, math, and order. It helps me envision how things will behave (or misbehave!) when used. These skills equipped me for 23-years as a Hardware Diagnostics Engineer, plus 6-years as an Operating System Engineer. I love solving problems, building tools to simplify work, contributing to my team’s work, sharing knowledge, and fostering individual growth. For fun, I enjoy playing Sudoku and Freecell, because the puzzles can always be solved with enough thought. Sometimes I write programs to solve the puzzles for me!

I enjoy riding motorcycles and studying the nuances of their design. My 1999 Honda CBR600F4 is still my daily commuter, now over 276,000 delightful miles. My 2020 Yamaha Tracer 900GT is a nicer touring bike, with some luggage capacity, comfortable riding posture, and nifty features (e.g. cruise control, heated grips). Many of my friends were gained through motorcycling, and it is a great community.

I enjoy volunteering and helping people, which was learned from my family. It may be something simple, like giving a ride to the airport, or really being there through a jam. We just like to help! Computer questions are common (e.g. set up a new computer or diagnose an issue) and I do my best to help. My employer encourages volunteering, and I enjoy serving with my teammates outside of the office (e.g. World Vision). I like to optimize things to work more efficiently, and it is a pleasure to work in compatibly minded team.

Have you been able to incorporate them at your life at HOPE?

Of course!

In what ways?  What volunteer activities do you do at Hope?

I am very active in the worship activities at Hope. It started very slowly, simply participating as a congregant. I have never been gregarious, so it took effort and the Spirit’s help to grow. Starting as an usher helped connect more faces and names, as well as becoming comfortable with the flow of worship. Years later, I was invited to sing in the choir “just for Christmas” and it just never stopped! The choir is a wonderful setting to form closer relationships, help one another, and raise our voices in praise to God. A little later, I was encouraged to cantor the Psalm, then some small gatherings and duets. Before knowing it, I was leading Holden services. Along the way, my interest in worship grew, joining the Worship Committee. A natural extension from choir was Assisting Minister, and similarly serving on Altar Guild. It is very fulfilling to serve in worship, filling in wherever it is needed, to help provide a quality and orderly offering to God. One week, I was even the “organist” by simply punching the buttons to replay the pre-recorded hymns from our organist. The progression through worship roles has been a tremendous growth process, gaining knowledge, as well as confidence and fulfillment.

My skills are well matched for bookkeeping and accounting tasks, and I have served on the Finance Committee for a couple of decades. For many years, I served as Assistant Financial Secretary. This primarily involved recording and depositing offerings on occasional weekends, when our long serving Financial Secretary, Martha Klein, was away. As our processes evolved, I entered offering records into the church computer, for generating automated statements. At that time, nearly all of the recording was performed manually on physical paper, so over time, I developed spreadsheets to record offering data. When our dear Martha passed, I inherited the Financial Secretary role. Over the course of several months, the recording process was transitioned to the church office, where a team of volunteers perform the work in a more modern and structured process. Though I am still the Financial Secretary now, the role is primarily oversight and occasional bank paperwork.

Closely connected to Finance is Stewardship, where I have also served for a couple of decades. Through all the growth in membership and facility, the financial demands have grown proportionately. Over the years, we employed several outside programs, building our own blend of what works best in our setting. We have been blessed by such generosity, enabling several building expansions, continued staff growth, and countless programs and causes. I take my own financial stewardship seriously, supporting ongoing operations, special appeals, and other various opportunities. Since all I have is from God, it is right to offer it back, to support this special place where He has brought me.

I served on Council (now Board) for three terms of 3-years each. It is essential for committed members to offer their experience and skills to this business and mission of the church. The new Board structure and communication mechanisms provide greater efficiency. The work is important, for keeping the parts of the church working together well, and looking ahead to the future. For several years, I served on the Mutual Ministry team, fostering understanding and smoother interactions between the congregation and staff. I served on the VOICe team for several years, offering hands-on logistics to deliver housewares needed by families getting back on their feet.

You will frequently find me lurking about at church events, enjoying fellowship, and watching for a chance to serve, whether setting up chairs or changing light bulbs. There are so many wonderful volunteers who contribute, and it is a joy to be a small piece of the whole. I love the variety of talents and skills offered by so many families.

My interest in motorcycles has not connected directly with church much, but it can be a conversation starter and way to make a quick friend through the common interest.

How does your volunteerism at Hope or elsewhere make you feel?  How does it support your life of faith?

Volunteering is very fulfilling and rewarding. In addition to accomplishing a task, we build relationships, with genuine care for one another. There is significant overlap between my church/faith circles, my work life, and my motorcycle buddies. Being single, without family nearby, Hope is effectively my family. It is my responsibility and joy to support my church family. I have been told that “listening” is one of my spiritual gifts. People tend to open up to me, and I lend a caring ear, offering supportive and encouraging words. Likewise, I have my close friends, who offer the same to me. We help each other through our challenges. Serving is our calling, and it honors the legacy of all those who came before, laying the foundation of our faith, and leading by example.

Covid was difficult for me, being disconnected from my church family. It was a solemn honor to be included in the small worship team, providing the Sunday online worship. Though we were not together physically, it was important to know that you were there, yearning to stay connected as much as me.

What other HOPE events and activities do you enjoy attending?

I enjoy many events, such as the concert series, church picnic, and service events. The high holy days, like Christmas and Easter, are always busy with extra responsibilities, but it always comes together; it is a joy to celebrate with the congregants and visitors alike. Recently, Chase and I discovered that we both enjoy ping-pong; now having a table in the Youth Center, we enjoy some spirited volleys after choir rehearsal.

What inspires you to attend activities or give of your time and talents at HOPE?

Hope is my home and family, and it is natural to enjoy being here and wanting to serve. It is an opportunity to both give and receive. God has blessed me with the means to give and serve, and it is my responsibility to use what He has provided.

Are there new or existing ministries that you’d like to get involved with, or learn more about?

Honestly, my plate is already quite full. One hazard of regular volunteering is burnout. I am conscious of my level of engagement and strive to maintain a healthy balance. When circumstances require, I can handle greater load, but eventually something else must offset to restore the balance. During the summer, there are reduced church demands, giving me a chance to enjoy riding and recharge. Afterwards, I am energized to start a new program year of activities. It is great having such a variety of ministries, which appeal to different people in different ways, helping to stitch us together into the family of Hope.