The Nazarene Church in Calhoun City was founded in 1938. It’s been located in its current location, directly across the street from Regions Bank since the 1940s.
Mike Whitten has served as pastor the past 13 years.
“The Nazarene denomination was originally founded to reach people nobody else wanted,” Whitten said. “There’s a lot of love in this church. We have a lot of love to give, especially for a small congregation.”
Sunday services were drawing around 10 people when Whitten took over as pastor. Today they average around 30.
“We’re like a lot of churches in that we kind of have two congregations,” he said. “If we got them all here at the same time we’d have quite the crowd.”
The church is very active in the community through a variety of programs. They host after-school tutoring for students in their fellowship hall Monday-Thursday.
They also host alcoholics and narcotics anonymous meetings on Saturdays.
They host booths at all the festivals on the square where they cook and sell goods to raise funds for their mission work.
They host yard sales and keep a supply of goods to donate to any families who are victims of a house fire.
They also hosts monthly gospel singings on a Saturday night.
Whitten, 63, is “semi-retired” as a handyman. He said he fell out of church in his 40s and his wife Laura led him to the Nazarene Church in Calhoun City.
“It changed my life,” Whitten said. “I was called to preach here in this church when Bro. Howard Green was here.”
The church hosts Sunday School and regular church service on Sunday mornings as well as Bible Study on Sunday and Wednesday nights.
Whitten, who lives in the church parsonage just down the street across from the Career and Technical Center, said the Sunday morning service is his favorite.
“I try to preach a message that a child can understand,” Whitten said. “I like it very simple and to the point.”
He also shares those messages with the Vardaman Fire Department where he serves as chaplain and his son is fire chief.
“It’s a great opportunity for ministry with the fire department,” he said. “You meet a lot of people responding to calls that need help.”