A Methodist Connection
Among the many phrases that I consider “one of my favorites” is ‘There’s always a Methodist connection.’ I have often been pleasantly surprised by occasions to meet someone in a surprising place and I’m a surprising way, and later discover that they are also a Methodist. One of the most memorable experiences was meeting another United Methodist pastor who is from my hometown of Yazoo City, Mississippi while I was traveling back and forth from Chicago.
Around 2015, as my father’s health was beginning to decline, my trips home became more frequent. I had maintained our subscription to our hometown newspaper as a way to stay abreast of local happenings. One article mentioned Rev. William “Bill” Jenkins who was serving a church in San Diego, CA. I was especially intrigued because I was scheduled to travel to San Diego to attend a church-related conference.
He was somewhat surprised to receive a phone call “out of the blue” from another pastor from his hometown who was 20 years younger than him. As Bill and I talked, we were constantly surprised by the many parallel experiences we’d shared—we’d both worked as disc jockeys in high school at WAZF(the local AM radio station); we’d both served as pastors in Mississippi; we shared an enormous appreciation of history; we’d both participated in the high school band; and we’d shared many of the same teachers.
I was extremely impressed to learn about the church that Bill was serving at the time we met. The church had been the largest Evangelical United Brethren church west of the Mississippi River. The church was a very large building with a large sanctuary, a large chapel, many classrooms and several office spaces. However, as the neighborhood changed, the membership had declined and the once vibrant congregation had been skated for closure. Bishop Maryann Swenson (who is also a native of Vicksburg, Mississippi) appointed Bill to the church as a retired pastor to prove part-time support to the declining congregation. However, under Bill’s leadership, the church was revitalized. The church welcomed a Haitian congregation and a Baptist congregation to begin sharing space in the church. Several other social service agencies contacted Bill to partner with the church to provide services to families in the neighborhood. The preschool that Bill had welcomed was joined by an elementary school to begin using the spaces at the school. The pastors of one of the partnering congregation joined the United Methodist denomination.
In addition to being a pastor with a background in information-technology development, Bill was also a writer. Bill authored a book entitled “The Not for Sale Church” to detail the church’s remarkable pathway from impending closure to community pillar. Bill has also authored several other books that describe his experiences in Mississippi and books that compile the histories of United Methodist congregations in Mississippi.
Bill and I have remained in contact over the years. I am enormously grateful for his friendship, encouragement and wisdom. I am certain that our experiences aren’t exceptional. I’m sure many of us have stories of “Methodist connections” that we’ve discovered in surprising ways. The strength of our Connectional system not only sustains the ministries and agencies our denominations, these connections ruins also support the individuals in our many congregations. I’m looking forward to hearing more about ways you’ve discovered “Methodist connections.”
We’re looking forward to seeing you in worship, in class and in ministry.
In Christ,
Jon McCoy
