Carol Fisher Linn
Josh Bower – farmer – and accidental pastor. A dream of radio announcing did an interesting pivot.
Ellicottville Native, Joshua B. Bower (“Josh”) was ordained into the United Church of Christ this September 29, 2026, at St. John’s Church of Christ in Columbus, Ohio. To Bower’s surprise, many people from his current church Arcade made the 300-mile trip to be there to witness the ordination. While serving as Pastor of the Arcade United Church of Christ Congregational since 2020, he completed the process of becoming ordained in Columbus, Ohio where he began the process years earlier. Bower married Nicole Claypool in 2018, began seminary and then moved back to Ellicottville. At one point, Bower tried his hand at radio broadcasting in Salamanca, which is what he originally went to school for, only to discover that radio broadcasters are like actors – they can starve while hoping to make a living.
Here’s his backstory, which explains the lead-in of this piece. Josh Bower grew up in Ellicottville, son of Bryan and Colleen Bower, brother of Kevin. He was active in everything at Ellicottville Central School (graduated 2012) from Drama club and Honor Society to sports. His family was very involved in the affairs at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Ellicottville. As it turned out, when Bower and his close friend Connor Hellwig were newly graduated from ECS, they were asked by the congregation at St. Paul’s to provide pulpit supply and music until a new pastor was found. Hellwig grew up with his grandmother, Marlene Hellwig, playing organ, directing the choir and doing all things musical. Hellwig was well placed and prepared to take on the musical role at the church. The two boys searched for appropriate sermons online, with Bower reading them at the Sunday services. Before long, Bower asked if he could write his own sermons and did so with weekly clearance from the Church Council. Ultimately a new pastor was brought into the church. Hellwig continued with his music ministry and Bower moved on, graduating from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford and then earning his Master of Divinity degree from Chicago Theological Seminary. When he returned to Ellicottville, Bower was asked by the new Pastor, Rev. Dan Buringrud, if he would be interested in Youth Ministry. Before he knew it, he was once again involved at St. Paul’s Church. While still at St. Paul’s, Bower was highly instrumental in the establishment of the Food Pantry in Great Valley, NY.
Just before COVID hit, Bower met a UCC pastor and was invited to attend a UCC event. There, he met a few members of the UCC from Arcade. The Arcade UCC, in search of a new pastor invited him to meet the congregation. An aging congregation, they wanted to attract younger families while maintaining the comfort of their congregational traditions. Following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Rev. Robert Dievendorf who retired in August 2018, Pastor Bower, who took the new position in April 2020, was instrumental in completing the work for the church to become an Open and Affirming Congregation. He beams when he speaks of their after school program – “Imagine That” catering to 34 young children two afternoons a week (3-5) offering “Godly Play” based on a Montessori curriculum. Most of these children are not members of the church, but of the surrounding community. The church membership (around 100+ members) offers the volunteer help for this program and many of the other programs and events the UCC offers to the Arcade community.
Bower and his wife Nicole Claypool Bower continue to live in the home they built themselves in Ellicottville. It’s a good half-way point between his pastoral work in Arcade and her serving as a Registered Hospice Nurse at Cuba Memorial Hospital. They share their home with their dog, Ginny who holds the fort while they move off in different directions.
In the neighborhood, they are known as Farmers Josh and Nicole because of the extensive vegetable “gardens” they maintain, for the purpose of filling the public veggie stand they maintain on their property. The veggies are for sale on a very definite sliding scale. Prices are set on the door but shoppers are encouraged to take what they need and pay what they can. Several days a week, Farmers Josh and Nicole deliver freshly grown goods to several food pantries in the area. As a bonus for neighbors: It is not uncommon for this young generous couple to knock on neighborhood doors delivering home-made items to share in their own bounty making every day a beautiful day in this neighborhood.