The Pastor that I want to “appreciate” today was also the pastor of the Otsego Church of God, but that was long before I knew him. Rev. Gerrald Nevitt and his wife JoRene, had a profound influence on my life before I ever knew them. JoRene taught my wife piano lessons and also got her started singing in the church. This led to her joining the Michigan State Youth Choir of the church of God (now the Michigan Singers) which eventually led to our first meeting, and the beginning of our journey as husband and wife.
Pastor Nevitt later served as the Executive Secretary of the Church of God in Michigan, and in that capacity made himself available to me on many occasions, even when I wasn’t serving in Michigan, so that I could ask questions, about God’s future for me in ministry. Through his influence God led me to my first Full time Congregation in Defiance OH. Their pulpit committee called him to ask about several candidates, and then they asked if there was anyone else that they might consider. The previous day Pastor Nevitt was paired with my dad at a golf scramble (completely random ;-) and so had talked with him about what was happening in our lives. As a result he mentioned my name and I received a call. What he didn’t know at the time is that I had been praying earnestly that God would point us in the right direction. I was serving bi vocationally, and something had to give. I was planning to either leave the ministry and go full time in systems support, or to leave systems support for full time ministry. I had prayed the Sunday before that God would either open a door to ministry or release me from my call. I was working so many hours that the church I was serving wasn’t getting what they needed, but they were unable to support a full time salary at the time. I knew that God had clearly called me to ministry but didn’t know where to go next. Pastor Nevitt’s recommendation was a direct answer to my prayers.
His faithful service to the church and willingness to help shape the lives of pastors like myself has been a very valuable resource to the Kingdom of God.
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