| MY LIFE IN MINISTRY
Given curiosity about my ancestry, people ask if I come from a long line of clergy. Which evokes a chuckle, seeing as I do not even come from a long line of church-goers. Given that Dr. Benjamin Holme was kind enough to provide a parsonage wedding for my parents, they brought me to his church (Westlawn Methodist in Detroit) for baptism. Whereupon I stayed for Sunday School, though not necessarily that morning. Instrumental in my teenage decision for the ministry were several young associate pastors and a number of elderly parishioners. The young associates (Bob Ward numbered among them) modeled a vocation and lifestyle that were winsome. The elderly parishioners helped by saying things like: "I'll bet you're going to become a minister someday." Obviously, they had no better explanation for why a teenager would spend so much time hanging around a church. But God can be devious. And who is to say a "call to preach" can't come from young clergy role models and seasoned saints who say nice things to little boys in passing?
It was Wayne North, another Westlawn pastor, who announced: "You're going to Albion." Being a compliant sort, I chose not to argue. Once at Albion, it was Bill Gilliam who announced: "You're going to Yale." Against which I argued vehemently, but lost. In the summer before graduating from Yale Divinity School, I looked down from the pulpit at Novi United Methodist Church and saw Kristine "Tina" Larson in the second pew. My future was settled shortly after the final hymn (maybe even before). We were married two years later while she was a student at Michigan State. Thirty-nine years into marriage, she is still the best choice I ever made. After graduating from Wayne State University, Kris worked in a number of arenas and is presently self-employed as a training consultant for, among other clients, the Ford Motor Company. Our daughter, Julie, graduated from Duke University in 1996, Harvard Business School in 2002, and is currently the Director of Product Marketing for Quova Software. On October 9, 2004, she was married to Jared Hopkins of Palo Alto, California, who is employed by The Chartis Group, specializing in hospital consulting. Together they live in San Francisco, California. Our first-born son, Bill Jr., died in 1994 at age 27.
Now completing my 40th year as a United Methodist minister, I have had but four pastoral appointments, none of them further than 16 miles from the home in which I was raised. My first appointment was as an associate pastor at the First United Methodist Church of Dearborn (1965-1969) where my major responsibilities included youth ministry and Christian education from cradle to grave. Those years featured large youth groups that retreated often and traveled widely around the country.
In 1969, I was appointed to Newburg United Methodist Church of Livonia where, in a matter of 12 months, I went from being an associate minister to hiring an associate minister. Newburg was an area where farms and open land were being converted to subdivisions. In the 11 years of my appointment (1969-1980), the membership of the congregation increased from 700 to 1500, with similar increases in staff, budget and attendance. Two large building projects highlighted the Newburg years (the first of five such capital projects over my ministerial career).
Nardin Park United Methodist Church (1980-1993) of Farmington Hills was my third appointment. The Nardin Park years featured growth in programs and worship attendance, along with a large building addition in the early nineties. During those years, the Samaritan Counseling Center found a home at Nardin Park and Kris and I led several tours, including our first ventures to the Holy Land.
The last 12 years have been spent at Birmingham First United Methodist Church (1993-2005). During those years, the membership increased from 2480 to nearly 3300 with corresponding growth in staffing and programming (especially in the offerings for children and youth). A pair of capital projects refurbished the sanctuary, replaced an organ, and built the Christian Life Center. The Birmingham years also included additional tours and some wonderful adult study groups.
Mentoring relationships with Duke Divinity School and Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary coupled with a 22-year trusteeship at Albion College have added breadth to my life, as have the opportunities to publish a book of prayers, a book of sermons, and several essays in collections edited by others. Speaking opportunities have taken me from the Birmingham Senior Men's Club (five times) to the Bay View Assembly (four times) with any number of stops in between. The poet/preacher John Donne once wrote: "I date my life from my ministry." Forty years ago, that made no sense whatsoever. It does now. So while ministry will no longer be a career, it will be forever an identity. |