It is always interesting to discover the different paths pas-tors have taken on the way to their current places of service.
Derek Lovelady, new pastor of First Baptist Church, Luverne (Alabama Crenshaw Assoc.), started out in law enforcement. He said, “I was a shy kid with no interest in public speaking.”
Born in Griffin, Ga., Bro. Lovelady worked with the campus police while in college. He graduated in law enforcement and worked in a probation department in Florida.
Brother Lovelady said while he was a member at a small church in Miami, some young folks asked him to take them to an ice cream store. That led him to start working with youth groups. After some seminary training he served as a part-time youth minister in Georgia. His brother, a pastor in Maryland, urged him to finish a seminary degree and serve as a pastor, but he wasn’t sure.
“I said, ‘OK, God, if you want me to go (back to seminary), let our house sell.” At that time it had been on the market for a year. It sold in less than two weeks. While working on his degree in New Orleans, he did supply preaching and served as pastor of a Mississippi church.
Brother Lovelady said having a secular career first helped him to see what the “real world” is like. “I have dealt with all age groups and families in need,” he noted.
Although his family has been at Luverne only a few weeks, “We already feel at home,” he said. “We love the area.”
Don Hatcher, pastor of Heph-zibah Church, Troy (Salem Troy Assoc.), was born in Mobile and served as pastor in another denomination for 17 years before decid-ing in 1991 to become a Southern Baptist.
Brother Hatcher resigned his pastorate and joined First Baptist Church, Dawes. Pastor Don Campbell let him be a volunteer staffer at the Family Life Center, allowing him to preach at times and recommending him for supply preaching.
While Bro. Hatcher was without a pastorate four and a half years, he started a paint contracting business. The time let Bro. Hatcher “put things in perspective,” and he said he could more easily understand a layperson’s position.
Brother Hatcher said at Heph-zibah, “God is growing things,” notably the ministry to young couples.
He said church member Joy Taylor had a burden to start a young married Sunday School class. Within a year it grew so much that she had to start another class; it too has had fine growth.
“Now we are overrun with children,” Bro. Hatcher said.
Hephzibah completed a new sanctuary in 1998. Since then, Sunday School attendance has doubled, and baptisms have increased significantly. The FAITH evangelism process has been a great help there.
Al Sonanstine has been pastor at Camp Ground Baptist Church, Ozark (Dale Assoc.), for about two and a half months. Camp Ground is his first pastorate, but he had already served 17 years on a church staff before he was called as pastor.
When Bro. Sonanstine, a Montgomery native, was a student at Auburn University, he had trouble focusing on a major field of study, changing three times.
He said, “In desperation I cried out to the Lord, ‘What is the matter?’ He spoke very clearly to my spirit: ‘Al, I want you to preach.’ I argued with Him awhile, because I was very introverted and shy.”
Later, at an Auburn concert by Truth, “They were singing ‘Get all excited, go tell everybody.’ God said, ‘That’s what I want you to do.’ I rationalized He meant ‘the ministry’ but not to preach.”
After seminary Bro. Sonan-stine had expected to serve as a minister of education, but he accepted the call as minister of music and youth at First Baptist of Arcadia, Fla., where he served 17 years. Through the years, the pastor there kept telling him he should be a pastor.
“Last summer God nailed it down in my life that He wanted me to do that,” Bro. Sonanstine said.
Camp Ground is trying to be an evangelistic church that meets the needs of people in the community.
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