After nine years as pastor at Chilton County’s largest United Methodist Church, Larry Anderson has been assigned to a church in Bonifay, Fla. Before he leaves at the beginning of July, Anderson looks back on his time in Clanton.
PEACH LIVING MAGAZINE: When did you come to Clanton?
LARRY ANDERSON: We first came here in 2004. My first Sunday was Father’s Day. Prior to then, I had been pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Bonifay, Fla.
PL: What were some of your initial thoughts about the community?
LA: We were really excited to come to Clanton and First Methodist Church. The first time I talked with a committee at the church, they told me, “We have some good things going on, but we need some leadership.” I was struck by how open the church was to being led and to what God wanted them to do. This church is the only church that I’ve ever had anything to do with where the vast majority of decisions were made based on what does God want, what does the Bible tell us, what puts our church in the best position to reach people in the 21st Century.
PL: What are some of your favorite memories from your time here?
LA: I think some of the greatest memories were just the opportunities to be with people and represent them during different times of their lives, whether it be a wedding or a funeral. I remember back when Katrina happened, our church sent an 18-wheeler full of food, water, supplies to a town in southeast Mississippi, not far from the coast. We helped rebuild three homes on the coast in Mississippi. That was pretty awesome. There were a lot of experiences like that. We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary here, me and my wife Linda. I had just gotten back from a mission trip to Mexico. She surprised me with a renewing our vows type of thing. She did it up right. They did this thing “grandly.” They had a reception with punch and finger food. She totally shocked me. They did it right after our worship services were over with. I grew up in a broken home. I have a high value on my marriage and being happily married. That was one of the greatest moments in my entire life. That was incredibly meaningful to me. My wife was responsible for it, but she got a lot of people in the church to help.
PL: What do you consider some of the church’s most significant accomplishments during your time as pastor?
LA: Just the outreach that we’ve had, showing the love of Christ to our community in terms of helping individuals coming in and asking for help, to hearing of a family who’s been burned out and us gathering clothes for that family. We heard of a family that was an outstanding foster family, but they didn’t have enough room. We ended up building on a couple of additional rooms so that they could continue fostering those children. Those people were not in our church, but we felt like Christ had put them in our lives.
PL: What’s next for you?
LA: We have been appointed to serve at St. Luke United Methodist Church in Pensacola, Fla. We start there July 1. I do believe God is in it, but we certainly have mixed feelings. We are excited about this opportunity, but it’s a grieving process on the other side of this. This is a very loving community. When something happens to a family in Chilton County or Clanton, the vast majority of the time people rush to their aid whether they know them or not. My wife is a second grade teacher at Clanton Elementary School and also taught at Jemison Elementary. I feel like I would be remiss if I didn’t mention her because we’re a team. She feels the call to make a difference in the lives of children as a teacher as I do being a minister.
PL: Is there anything else you’d like to say to your friends in the community?
LA: First Methodist in Clanton is the most outstanding church that I’ve ever had anything to do with. I’d say that if I was 500 miles away. There’s so much love in the church and in the community that you don’t find everywhere. It’s been the greatest privilege of my ministry so far to serve there. I’m just really grateful to God to have been able to serve for nine years.