We’re approximately half way through our effort to feature every church and its pastor in Calhoun County. We interviewed 49 pastors in 2017 and pulled just a few of our favorite quotes from many of those stories as we reflect back on 2017.
“I always felt like a preacher, but at 15 I didn’t want to be. I wanted to chase girls and do what other 15 year olds were doing,” said First Baptist Bruce Pastor Gary Roberson, who was our very first in the series.
J.R. Eaton, former pastor of Mt. Comfort Baptist Church in Bruce, dreamed of becoming a veterinarian when he was young.
“I joke with people, now I work with scarier animals,” he said. “It became clear around 17 (years old) I would be a preacher.”
Anthony Edwards of Bryant Chapel, west of Pittsboro, in talking about how great his deacons are, said, “They’ll kill a hog and call me and tell me to come on by.”
Alan Hall, pastor of Vardaman Methodist and Bailey UMC in Loyd, said “I look at church as a hospital for sinners, not a sanctuary for the saintly.”
Will Turner, speaking of Pleasant Ridge (Chickenbone) Baptist, said “I like that a lot of us come from different backgrounds, but when we get here we’re all one.”
William Harper, speaking on his style of preaching at Independent Full Gospel in Vardaman, said he just “tries to let the Spirit flow. Let the movement of the Spirit have its way.”
Each pastor we highlight is also shared on The Journal’s instagram account the week they appear in the newspaper under the hashtag #CalhounPastors. Joey Hamilton, of Mt. Moriah Baptist, received the most “likes” of all those posted during 2017.
Turkey Creek pastor Charlie Fitts said it doesn’t matter to him what church denomination he’s preaching in. “I’m going to preach the same thing from the same book regardless.”
Nazarene Church in Calhoun City pastor Mike Whitten said their “denomination was founded to reach people nobody else wanted.”
“I put a lot of emphasis on the scripture. If God gives it to me, I may do a little hoopin’ on the end, but I focus on the scripture and what God said,” Willie Nichols of Oak Grove CME west of Bruce on his preaching style.
Anthony Stephens, pastor of Bethany Baptist in Slate Springs, is from Huntsville, Alabama. On the transition to tiny Slate Springs he said, “We stepped out on faith and the door opened up and brought us here.”
“When I first surrendered to the ministry I was a runner and a screamer. I’d run all over the place screaming, shouting, hollering. If you weren’t sweating, I didn’t think you were preaching,” said Owen Hitchcock, pastor of Bradford Chapel on his early days as a pastor.
Kevin Chrestman of Ellard Baptist spoke on his preference of being a bi-vocational pastor. “It lets me be out with people and my church members see me out working just like they have to and trying to conduct our business the way the Lord wants us to.”
“I try to preach every sermon like it’s my last,” Mark Longino of Shiloh Baptist Church near Big Creek said.
Joey Hamilton, pastor of Mt. Moriah, talked about his move there from Bradford Chapel. “This was my first time north of the Skuna. I grew up in Vardaman and remember when I was pastoring at Bradford Chapel and told them I was coming here (north of the Skuna). People joked I was entering the mission field. The people here (at Mt. Moriah) said I was coming to the promise land and they were both right.”
Roger Reeder of Derma Baptist said, “I’d love for us to be outside the walls of the church as much as inside.”
“I love to see people saved, but I think people need to grow in the Lord,” said Dwight Brown of Macedonia Baptist.
“Preaching God’s word – that’s bread and butter for me. It’s not a chore. I love studying the Word of God. I love trying to explain it to people,” said Mike Smith of Calhoun City First Baptist.
“Churches have personalities just like human beings. I believe churches aren’t a living organization but a living organism,” said Jerry James of Porters Chapel in Calhoun City.
“I’ve been told by people I don’t tickle the ears,” said Paul Morris, who is in his tenth year as pastor at Parker Baptist Church west of Bruce. “I don’t tell people what they want to hear, but what they need to hear and I think that’s a good thing.”
Julia Cruthirds, founder of First Timothy Independent Church in Bruce, spoke on what it’s like as a female minister.
“Women are not as accepted as men are when they are called into the ministry. That was one of the fears I had, but reading scripture took all my fears away.”
Jon Hood, pastor of Pleasant Hill Baptist, explained how his preaching style has changed since his first sermon.
“I was 15 and thought I was the next Billy Graham,” Hood said with a smile. “I stood behind the pulpit the entire time. I don’t do that now. Thought I was this great theologian with pages and pages of notes and I used them all in five minutes and didn’t know what to do after that. Now my folks wish I preached five minutes.”
“It has disadvantages and advantages,” said 18-year-old Kenny Roberson who was named pastor of Rocky Mount Baptist this year. “The advantage is as a young, single pastor I have more freedom to go out and do something in the community. The disadvantage is that at times I can feel I’m not equipped to be a minister when it comes to counseling others. I remind myself that my job is not to be fully equipped, but to teach the word.”
“I want people to leave here Sunday morning and Sunday night feeling better than when they got here,” said Benny Hill of Poplar Springs Baptist.
“We recognize there are a lot of needs in this community, but like one of our teachers said about this outreach ministry – ‘The greatest need we have is to meet someone else’s need.’ That’s powerful,” said John Warren of Grace Fellowship in Calhoun City regarding the church’s after school ministry. “I know some of our students may come from a disadvantaged point, but I believe the greatest thing we can do for them is to show them how to help other people.”
James Taylor of Faith Baptist Church shared stories of when the church was first founded.
“Bill and Pam McCammon had a Cocker Spaniel named Honeybun, and anytime church would get started she’d come plop down right in the middle of the aisle. So we made her an honorary church member. We’re probably the only church that had a Cocker Spaniel as a charter member.”
“I’m the type of minister that doesn’t shade tree or beat around the bush,” Stephon Tucker of New Life Church in Calhoun City said of his preaching style.
“Our motto here is ‘it’s all about Jesus and not about me,’” said Ralph Horton of Poplar Springs MBC. “Sometimes we let go and let God.”
“People don’t care about going to church as much anymore because the truth is not being preached,” said Robert Coggins. He’s pastor of Ministries Aflame off Hwy. 8 in Slate Springs. “I preach the truth here. Man don’t tell me what to preach. God does.”
“I was an altar boy in the Catholic Church,” Al Gaspard of Midway Baptist in Vardaman said of his Louisiana roots. “I was going to be a priest. But my mother heard a French radio preacher, a Baptist preacher, and she was converted, and I saw such a change in her I decided to try it, too. I went to church with her and found Jesus as my Lord and savior.”
Father Mike McAndrew, of St. Luke Catholic Church in Bruce, was one of two pastors during the year we met at the Journal office instead of his church, because at present time they don’t have a building of their own.
“We have the dream and hope that soon we will be able to break ground (on a new church).”