“Why am I remaining UMC?”
Gotta be a trick question.
Not because the UMC has the market cornered on God’s Will, but
because it is where God has called me and prepared my way to serve.
In full disclosure, my family and I became United Methodist almost by
default. We were Lutherans (AKA God’s Frozen People) living in Iowa
until 1973. We moved to the Mississippi Delta, which is not exactly a
hotbed for Lutheranism, and our little town had few churches to pick
from.
The day we moved in, the Baptist preacher stopped by and had supper
with us. That was nice. But the following evening he showed up again.
At suppertime. And the third day, as well. Seems his wife was out of
town that week. Sorry, pal, three strikes and you’re out.
We visited the beautiful little Episcopal Church. We sat in the
Sanctuary. No one was there, though we could see a few people
walking in the halls. Finally, a kind man came in and said, “Oh, y’all
must be new. We only have preaching every other Sunday.” We had
guessed wrong. Not that the service days and times were on their sign
or anything…
We next visited the Presbyterian Church. We were gratified to actually
see other people in the Sanctuary when we came in to sit down. After a
few minutes of getting “the eyeball” from the assembled group, the
lady sitting behind us poked my Dad in the shoulder and said, “You
can’t sit there. That’s my husband’s pew.” She pointed to a little brass
plaque screwed to the pew. Sure enough. Even SHE didn’t sit in her
husband’s pew! I have a feeling that her husband’s pew, along with
many other pews in that church, are empty as I write these words.
Where else would we go? Then Rev. Edd Spencer visited us. Red
headed. Tattoos from his time in the Navy. A regular guy but a great
man. We were sold. It was Bro. Edd who I went to when I inquired
about a call into the ministry. Bro. Edd arranged for our DS, Dr. Prentiss
Gordon, to be present. I arrived at the church at the appointed time
and Prentiss told me, “Tom, go home and get your Dad. Get your guns.
You and I, your Dad and Edd are going to go bird hunting and talk about
ministry, because some things are too important to talk about in the
Pastor’s study.”
Later, at Millsaps, it was Rev. Jack Woodward who handled my
scholarship. It was Rev. Clay Lee who called the pay phone in the
freshman men’s dorm to invite me and any other “stranded” students
to his house for Thanksgiving dinner. I know that it was Prentiss Gordon
who arranged for my scholarship to Candler School of Theology,
although I could never get him to admit it. But Prentiss made sure that I
got an additional check in the mail for $100 every month I was in
seminary from the Virginia F. Thomas Sunday School Class, of FUMC
Tupelo.
It was Rev. J.G. Babb who intervened in my frenetically-paced early
ministry to tell me, “Let these other preachers burn out. God wants you
for the long haul.” Rev. Joe May took a chance on me and appointed
me to the very best place I could possibly have served as a young
buck…in a town where I also met my wife. I could go on. And on.
As Peter answered Jesus, “Lord, where else would we go?”, I respond
similarly. Seeing all the ways God prepared my path and sustained me
with UM Laity, Pastors, DS’s, and Bishops, where else, indeed, would I
go?
In Joy and Appreciation,
Rev. Tom Potter
Rev. Tom Potter is an Elder in Full Connection in the Mississippi Annual Conference. He currently serves as the pastor of Crawford Street United Methodist Church in Vickburg, Mississippi.
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