During a summer rerun series titled Church Characters, I’m recalling some memorable people from decades of ministry.

This week’s blog culminates my series on church characters. Each person played a role in shaping my soul and informing my ministry. I decided to conclude the series by focusing on the biggest church character of all: ME!

I graduated seminary in May 1982. A month later the bishop appointed me as pastor-in-charge of Mount Carmel and Emory Chapel United Methodist Churches. The congregations outside Newnan, Georgia formed a two-point circuit in order to support a full-time minister.

I preached at Emory Chapel, the smaller of the two congregations, at 9:45 a.m. I sped to Mount Carmel for the 11:00 a.m. service. The larger church also held Sunday night services, which meant preparing two sermons weekly—and sometimes weakly.

The Mount Carmel members built a parsonage next door to the church. The 3/2 home served the needs of a single pastor. The congregation considered central heat and air extravagant luxuries. A wood heater warmed the front part of the house. An attic fan sucked air down the hall during the summer.

I moved to town with all of my worldly possessions in the back of a friend’s pickup truck and my Honda Civic. A 19-inch TV with rabbit ears provided 3 channels of static-filled entertainment. I bought a microwave my first Christmas and felt like royalty.

Four suits composed my entire ensemble, and I wore one per Sunday on a monthly basis. I possessed two pairs of dress shoes and various colors of dress shirts. I owned an iron but no ironing board.

I wince at my inexperience and callowness during those early years of ministry; but the two congregations adopted me as their own. They treasured their role in raising boy preachers to maturity. The members assured me that I would serve great churches in the future. I assured them that I already served great churches in the present.   

I am who I am today because of the people who mentored me in the past. Thanks be to God for church characters. Amen.