Hepzibah pastor uses love of horses in ministry

Roy Rogers and Trigger would have been impressed with Pastor Danny Glover’s unique witnessing style. Glover, pastor of McCalla’s Hepzibah Baptist Church, and his four-legged partner, Hombre, a Tennessee walking horse, travel the backroads of this rural community meeting and greeting folk who are attracted to the unusual sight of a man on horseback.
   
Glover and his family are horse lovers and they have found their horses are a great way of reaching out to people in their neighborhood.
“My family can be riding our horses down the road, and people come out of their homes to pet them,” Glover said. “Horses are attractive animals and people want to get closer to them. I give their kids a ride, invite them to our pasture for a family riding session, and then I can witness to them,” he explained.
   
Numerous members at Hepzibah first attended church because of their initial encounter with Glover and his unique style of witnessing.
   
The 47-year-old Glover became a full-time pastor in 1999. “I was in the masonry business and I sold my equipment and trusted in the Lord,” said Glover.
   
Although his pastoral duties for the most part are typical, he occasionally helps out his church members in unusual ways. “Lately, I’ve broken up several gardens to help neighbors, and I’ve shod their horses. I also break horses that have a reputation for being unruly,” the diversified pastor said. 
   
Sunday morning services will find Glover in a conservative suit and tie but Wednesday night services, which are casual, allows Glover to dress in his favorite cowboy attire of jeans, boots and a big belt buckle that displays a prominent cross.
   
Glover first came to Hepzibah in 1992, with 65 people in attendance. Today, there are almost 200 in the congregation who support their pastor’s unconventional style of reaching the lost.
   
Florine Grammar, a lifelong member of Hepzibah, is amazed at the growth the church has experienced under Glover’s care.
   
“I can remember a one-room church with a pot-bellied stove, and only one Sunday School,” she said, mentioning one Sunday during the Depression when the day’s offering totaled 43 cents. “Bro. Danny relates to all ages, and there is a humbleness that you can hear in his voice. Our youth programs have really grown, and we even have a drama team,” she said.
   
Grammar, who has also been the Vacation Bible School director for 33 years, said that last year’s attendance reached 341. “The children still talk about the day the horses came to VBS a few years ago,” she said, explaining that every child got to ride a horse and have their photo taken.
   
Nolan Stinnett, director of missions for Pleasant Grove Association, said Hepzibah is the only church in the 18-member association that holds two services on Sunday morning.
   
“I believe Bro. Danny becoming a full-time pastor at the church, growth in the Lakeview area and the diligence of the congregation have contributed to Hepzibah’s growth,” Stinnett said.
   
At first glance the location of the rural church may appear to be a drawback — it’s more than a mile to the main highway and 11 miles from the nearest school. The congregation, however, has overcome this obstacle by carrying out a successful visitation program. Members also witness through their coaching of sports activities in the community.
   
Glover and his wife, Pam, credit the friendliness of the people along with the senior adults’ vision for the youth as the church’s strongest assets. Hepzibah has a van ministry that includes transporting the youth to Brookwood High School’s First Priority every Thursday.
   
“I am pleased that the community can see Hepzibah Baptist Church vans, and know that we support Christ in our schools,” said Glover.
   
The church has completed a new $400,000 family life center that began with only $7,000 in savings. The building took four years to complete and has 14 Sunday School rooms and a Coke machine. “I never dreamed I would pastor a church with a Coke machine,” said Glover.
   
The land adjoining the church has recently been plotted for 250 new homes, and the church plans to double the size of its sanctuary. Karen Reed believes part of the church’s success is because the members are so caring. Seven years ago the Reed family had been searching for a church. After visiting Hepzibah they knew their search had ended. The family faced tragedies shortly after joining Hepzibah.
   
Reed lost her sister-in-law to cancer and her daughter’s fiance was killed in a car wreck. Reed’s foot and part of her leg were amputated as a result of a lengthy diabetic-related disease. The church reached out to the Reeds by delivering food, bringing children from the church to have Sunday School at their home and throwing a surprise birthday party for Karen.
   
“During all of our trials, Bro. Danny was a strong presence, and our church family never let us down,” said Reed, who says she thanks God every day for the church members’ compassion.
   
Glover believes that Jesus is a horse lover too. “Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and Revelation says he will come back riding a white horse,” he said with a smile.