CHAPTER TEN          [history table of contents]
CHURCH AND COMMUNITY

Steadman Bagby was born in Columbus, Ky., in 1910, the son of Rev. and Mrs. J. Tom Bagby. A graduate of Lambeth College (Tennessee) and Duke University, he served as president of the Tennessee Council of Churches and the Memphis Conference Historical Society before coming to Lexington. When he received the call to come to First Church, he was engaged in the attempt to have a history written of the Memphis Conference.

That Conference encompasses the Jackson Purchase areas of Kentucky and Tennessee and is one of the few modern conferences to cross state lines. Bagby grew up in the Conference, moving back and forth across the line as his father's church assignments changed. Columbus itself is rumored to have been proposed as the new site of the nation's capital. After the British burned Washington, D. C., during the War of 1812, there was a movement to relocate the government to a safer and more centrally located place in the interior. That did not happen, and the town's only claim to historical fame is that it was one terminus of the great iron chain the Confederates stretched across the Mississippi to stop Union gunboats.

Bagby arrived just in time for the next expansion of First Church. In February, 1955, the church approved another building addition and other work at an estimated cost of $135,000. The fund drive began just two or three weeks after the Bagby family arrived. By April over $119,000 in pledges had been received, and in May the board voted to borrow up to $150,000 at four and three-fourths percent interest to begin the work. The construction would require the congregation to meet occasionally in other locations, including Park Methodist.

By July of the next year, it was reported that the expansion had been funded by fifty thousand dollars in receipts and a loan of $110,500. The project added the educational wing on the Upper Street side and included an air conditioning system. The new building allowed a room to be set aside as a "Ladies Parlor," and the Woman's Society of Christian Service undertook to decorate and furnish that room.

The plans included a major change to the floor plan of the existing building. The Sunday School program had been located behind the sanctuary in a large auditorium which had "cubbyhole" rooms around its sides. As the Sunday School would move to the new wing, this area was freed for other uses. The auditorium was redivided to create the Slaton Chapel, the parlor and a hallway with larger rooms along the hall.

When time came for the official groundbreaking, it was felt by Bagby and the building committee that shovels were outdated instruments for digging basements. Consequently they arranged for the bulldozer which would be used to be on hand for some true "groundbreaking." Two of Dr. Gilliam's children were also invited to the ceremony to show continuity between the two pastorates.

As the excavation work progressed another link with the past was discovered quite by accident. Bagby says that the church sexton came into his office one day carrying a human bone! The county coroner was promptly called to the scene. They found that one of the old graves from the German Lutheran graveyard had been missed in the 1907 removal of the graves to the Lexington Cemetery. The coroner advised that the grave be covered again, and the building plans were revised so as to go around the site.

Dr. Bagby rounded out his second year at First Church by attending, together with Herron, the General Conference of the Methodist Church in Minneapolis, and by being elected president of the Blue Grass Methodist Minister's Fellowship. In two more years, he would be appointed as one of two Kentucky Conference delegates to the World Methodist Council, held in Oslo, Norway.

In 1957, the church purchased property on South Mill Street. One month later, the Trustees' report listed the value of all church property at $567,950. Membership had grown to a total of 1,526 people. As First Church increased its property, Centenary experienced a loss. A fire struck Centenary Methodist Church on March 10th, and a quickly called meeting of the First Church board that day extended "the entire Church plant" to Centenary's membership for their use during the crisis. In June, the Kentucky Conference of Methodist Men held its convention at First Church. Later in the year, a new metal roof was installed over the old section of the church.

Relations between the races was a source of concern for Lexington and the country in the late 1950's. Although the law now prohibited discrimination and the old "separate but equal" practices, society as a whole did not change quickly.

The Board of Missions contacted Bagby one day with a delicate task. A noted African missionary had accepted an invitation to speak at the Kentucky Annual Conference and Bagby was asked to secure a hotel room for the visitor. He called the manager of the Phoenix Hotel and together they made the arrangements for the visitor. It was still unusual at this time for a black man to stay at the Phoenix.

Hotel lobbies were gathering places for businessmen and local residents, as well as hotel customers. The Phoenix particularly did a large lunchtime trade in its restaurant. When Dr. Bagby and the African minister arrived, the lobby was crowded. The entire matter was handled smoothly and without incident; but Bagby says, "The most hostile group I have ever faced was the group in the Phoenix lobby."

1958 saw the demolition of the former church building erected in 1822 on Church Street between Upper and Limestone. At the time of its destruction it was the oldest standing church building in Lexington. After the congregation moved to High Street in 1840, the building was leased to a cabinet maker, who in turn leased it out as a theater. By 1854, the building had become City Hall when the former city building was destroyed by fire. It was later a masonic lodge and for many years a public building popularly known as "Independence Hall." In that capacity it was the site of many public meetings during the Civil War and afterwards. Later, the building was used as a black church, a dance hall, and, by 1949, for general business purposes including a "tire market." The newly vacant land was used as a parking lot.

Although an old church building was lost, in 1959 First Church joined the other Lexington Methodist churches to build the new Southern Hills Methodist Church, pledging $25,000 as its share. The church borrowed the funds and the congregation repaid it over four years of special gifts over and above general budget needs.

One day Bagby received a telephone call from the bishop. As Bagby relates the conversation, the bishop told him: "I want to put Don Herron out at the new church." Herron was the associate pastor at First. "Why, Bishop," Bagby exclaimed, "you'll ruin me!" The response was, "Well, that's why I want to do it."

Establishing a new church was a difficult proposition, especially in a city with existing churches. The bishop "literally wanted members to move out there" from First Church and that was why he was choosing the associate minister, even though it was not the usual practice. Bagby assured the bishop that he and Herron could handle the situation, and they did.

Some one hundred and fifty members transferred to the new church. Among them were both younger members who were closer to Herron and many long time members, including lay leaders. In the words of one member who stayed, "It almost crippled the church."

Bagby and the remaining lay leaders immediately set to work to rebuild. In Bagby's estimation First Church was back to strength, both in membership and financially, within eighteen months to two years. Among the sources of new members were the employees of IBM, Square D and the other companies moving to Lexington.

The end result was that there were two strong Methodist churches. "That was an accomplishment," Bagby said. "It would not have happened if Don and I had not worked together on it."

Transfer of membership to other local Methodist churches was not the only way the total First Church membership was reduced at this time. The Kentucky Conference directed its churches to examine their membership rolls and delete those names which had been carried forward for some time but who could no longer be found. At First Church, this resulted in a removal of two hundred and fifty-seven names. With the gains and losses of the year, the fourth Quarterly Conference received the report that there were now 1,273 members. In addition to Dr. Bagby and William E. Parker, now the assistant minister, this membership included one retired minister, three local preachers and four other Methodist ministers.

Over the prior twenty years, the budget of the church grew from just under five thousand dollars to just over $80,000, as the membership, programs and physical elements expanded. The pastor's salary increased as well, but not at the same rate. In the conference year 1937, the minister at First Church was paid approximately thirty-four percent of the total budget as salary, without regard to the living quarters provided. By the conference year 1957, his salary constituted a much reduced thirteen percent of budget. The pulpit of First Church has always been one of the strongest financially and the lower share is not so much indicative of an inequitable salary as it is illustrative of expanded services.

What has become a long involvement by First Church in its surrounding neighborhood took a major step in 1961. In that year, Dr. Bagby reported to the Quarterly Conference that he was serving on a civic committee on preservation of historic buildings in Lexington. One of "the sites of interest to the community is that area that surrounds First Church." This was the beginning of interest in restoration of what is now the South Hill Historic District, including the church.

In January, 1961, John F. Kennedy was sworn in as President of the United States, bringing the style which would gain the sobriquet "Camelot" to the nation's capital. That style included, however, a practice in disfavor with the church board. Following a telegram to the same intent sent by Dr. Bagby on February 6th, the Board of Stewarts voted to send the following telegram to President Kennedy at the White House: "The use of alcoholic beverages is objectionable to millions of Americans. We vigorously object to its public use, which infers endorsement of alcoholic beverages." Another aspect of the time was the increased emphasis on civil defense in the event of nuclear war. In June, 1962, the board granted permission for the church to be used as a civil defense fallout shelter.

In 1963, the church purchased additional property on West High Street, and the sanctuary was the site of initiation ceremonies for Kappa Alpha Order and Phi Kappa Tau, both of Transylvania University, and a dedication service for the Kentucky Youth Assembly.

On July first, the board adopted a new policy on memorial gifts, encouraging members to make them and the pastor to receive them so long as this policy was met: whenever possible memorial gifts should fulfill a specific need of the church, and although small plaques may be placed on the articles when requested, they are discouraged and "it should be clearly understood that plaques to be hung on the wall are not considered suitable."

Reviewing board minutes is often a difficult task for a historian, necessitating at times attempts to "read between the lines" in brief versions, and wading through the extensive reports in others; but the historian's task does not approach in difficulty that of the board secretary. This special plea was appended by W. C. Royster, secretary of the board, to the October 7, 1963, minutes: "Addenda: It would be of great assistance to the Secretary of the Board, if Members of the Board would state explicitly at the beginning of a statement that has all the earmarks of a motion 'I'm going to make a motion.' In many cases some long phrase is forthcoming resembling a statement commonplace in oratorical contests, the secretary sits at his desk trying to comprehend the statement, not knowing whether to write it down or wind his watch; then all of a sudden the speaker being practically out of breath states faintly, 'I make that into a motion.' The secretary deserves better than this."

In 1965, Dr. Bagby was appointed superintendent of the Ashland District. He served the maximum six years in that post before being assigned to Emmanuel Methodist in Ft. Mitchell. Emmanuel was an old German Methodist church and Bagby arrived to find that the older church records were written in German. In 1975, Bagby retired and returned to Lexington. Don Herron had always told Bagby that "someday we'd be a team again." Four days after he and his family moved into their house in Lexington, Bagby began work as the minister of visitation at Southern Hills Methodist Church where Herron was still pastor. As this history is written, Bagby continues to assist when he is requested by Herron although he has no official duties. Of his pastorate at First Church Bagby says: "I loved it. I loved the history of the city and of the church. . . . In many ways it was the greatest church I ever served, with a great many strong members." He was followed in the First Church pulpit by Dr. Russell R. Patton. Patton, in an undated letter during his first year, told the Quarterly Conference, "First Church is a down town church and that in my judgment constitutes the greatest challenge in modern day Protestantism." That theme would be the most constant one in the modern life of the church.

Patton and Bagby had first met many years earlier during the reunion of the Northern and Southern churches in 1939 while Bagby was still in the Memphis Conference. The Kentucky Conference relied a great deal on Patton, who had been a member of the northern Kentucky Conference, to meet with groups of ministers across the state to explain and discuss the issues and purposes of unification.

First Church had been a part of the Southern church since the division. Even after unification its ministers had been from what is called the "southern tradition." With the arrival of Patton the church had a minister of the "northern tradition" for the first time since the formation of Centenary after the Civil War.

The physical growth of the church continued as Patton's tenure began, with property on South Upper and West High being purchased in his first year and renovation occurring to the church office, pastor's study and other rooms in the church. Another property on High Street was purchased the following year and the trustees were given authority to negotiate for more.

The roof was repaired and the building exterior cleaned, a slate floor was installed in the foyer of the church, and the sanctuary received a complete remodeling: the walls, including the dark stained trim and paneling, and ceilings were painted white, the pews were refinished and received new cushions which matched the new hunter green carpeting, a large brass Williamsburg chandelier was hung in the sanctuary with a smaller matching one in the foyer, brass fittings were installed on the doors and brass collection plates were purchased. The most striking of the new features was that the large velvet curtains which hung on the back wall of the choir area were replaced by three arched panels surrounding "caladon colored" damask with a seven foot tall, gold-leaf cross hung on the center panel. The two turned wood pulpit chairs from the 1882 renovation were refurbished, and a donation of a matching, but larger, third chair was received.

When the work was completed just after the beginning of 1968, the Herald-Leader praised that effort as the latest of the major renovations in the historic South Hill area. Some members were, at first, unsure about the radical change in decoration. Dr. W.R. Jennings would later explain that the modern theory of church decoration was that the old, dark and heavy wood was intended to convey the power of God; but that that was not seen as the proper message any more. The desire, through the use of lighter materials and colors, was to convey the love of Jesus Christ.

1968 was also the year of merger with the Evangelical United Brethren (EUB) to create the United Methodist Church. The Kentucky Conference voted two hundred and ninety to three in favor of the merger, and national figures indicated that 90.48 percent of the Methodists and 76.78 percent of the EUB members approved. The merger affected First Church little, other than the name change, as there were no EUB churches in Lexington.

The view from the front steps of the church, however, was about to change radically. Under the leadership of Mayor Fred Fugazzi, Lexington had been developing its Urban Renewal program. In December, 1968, after local dignitaries had taken a last train ride through downtown, Mayor Fugazzi ceremonially removed the first railroad spike. Under the program the tracks were removed and Vine Street was widened and rerouted. The old station on Rose Street was torn down and Vine Street began to look as it does today.

As downtown was changing, other events were having an effect on Lexington. The annual report for the Woman's Society of Christian Service for 1968 showed that the war in Vietnam was a focus of the work of the church. The Society reported that it had performed 2,882 hours of volunteer work, which included preparation of fifty-five ditty bags to be sent by the Red Cross to servicemen, and had a special collection for school kits for Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

Church membership for 1969 was reported to be 1,306, and for the first time the report of the Trustees put the value of the church buildings and real estate at over one million dollars.

Dr. Patton reported to the May Quarterly Conference that a survey had indicated a need for a downtown day care facility, recommending that the church act to establish one. He reported that Calvary Baptist was also interested and that meetings had begun to discuss a joint venture. The day care center was established and has been a successful response to part of the challenge of being a downtown church. Started November 3, 1969, it had an enrollment of twenty-three children within three weeks.

The question of preservation of historic buildings was being addressed by the leaders of Lexington, and South Hill was a major focus. Dr. Patton had a strong interest in history and in fact was something of a Lincoln scholar, being occasionally called upon to deliver a lecture on that great man and his life. Bagby once heard Patton's lecture and calls it the best he has ever heard on the subject. Patton became involved in local preservation both because of his own interest and because the church was a dominant element in the historic section. Citizens Union National Bank (now BankOne) was interested in building an eight million office and parking structure on the lot across the street from the church, but that proposal would mean the removal of many historic buildings, most notably the Adam Rankin House where Rev. Rankin lived from 1784 to 1827. Dr. Patton served on the Historic Lexington Committee, and even made a personal appeal for preservation to the Urban Renewal Commission and bank officers. Ultimately, the Rankin House was relocated to a lot on South Mill Street; although the other buildings were not so fortunate.

At this time, Patton also served on the Fayette County Crime Commission, and his responsibilities included making a thorough inspection of both the city and county jails, the latter having been built in 1891. His committee recommended that a new jail be built, which would not occur until 1978.

On June 4, 1972, Russell R. Patton retired. During his forty-five years of service as a Methodist minister, he had served as a delegate to all of the General Conferences since 1952 and all jurisdictional conferences since 1948. Resident Bishop Roy H. Short retired in July after fifty-two years as a minister, including twenty-four as a bishop; the First Church secretary retired, and the assistant minister, Leroy Curtis, was assigned to a new post in Ohio. Dr. Earl T. Curry was appointed as the new district superintendent.

In all, it was something of a clean sweep of church offices, coincident though the timing might have been. Although certainly not intended as such, it marked the end of an era in the history of First United Methodist Church. The expansion of programs and physical plant during the Bagby-Patton period, and extension and remodeling of the church buildings, firmly established a bright jewel in a somewhat dingy setting, a strong and modernized church overlooking a downtown on the edge of restoration and rejuvenation. The stage was set for a new minister and the beginning of a new period at First Church.

CHAPTER ELEVEN         [history table of contents]

By Rick Bailey

As the 1972 Kentucky Annual Conference prepared to convene, Billy Ray Jennings told his congregation at Richmond United Methodist Church, "If you don't want me back, you're in trouble. It looks like it's all set for me to come back."

Then, a day or so later, came The Call. The Rev. Onie Kays, superintendent of the Danville District, was attending a meeting of the bishop's cabinet. He called Jennings and asked the young preacher if he would be interested in coming to First United Methodist Church in Lexington. The Rev. Russell R. Patton was retiring, and a successor was needed at Lexington's downtown church.

"I informed him there was no reason for me to move," Jennings recalled. "It was a good match at Richmond. I was the same age (37) as much of my congregation"

Let me get some advice, Jennings told Kays. He talked to some of his older friends in the ministry, such as Frank King, Albert Sweazy and Ralph Wesley. "They encouraged me and told me it was a good appointment," Jennings said. "I wasn't at the top of the list, and it's my impression the cabinet asked a few other people. It was an unusual salary hike. The church was a plum for me. It was very exciting to go to First Methodist at that stage in my life."

It was also exciting for the church, and would be for the next fifteen years, the longest and in many respects the most successful pastorate in two centuries.

First United Methodist Church in 1972 was located in a slum-like environment. Substandard housing surrounded the church, and the neighborhood was deteriorating. But already the skyline was beginning to change dramatically. The construction of Citizens Union National Bank, now BankOne, was completed that summer. Later on, Kincaid Towers would open. The Rupp Arena-Hyatt Regency Hotel complex would be but a block away, and the church would find itself in the restored South Hill Historic District.

Jennings received permission to visit First Church and Patton before the move. "The first thing he did," Jennings recalled, "was take me to the parking lot and talk about the problems of interlopers using the lot.

"Then he showed me his keys. He had a great big ring with twenty or twenty-five keys on it. Every door had a different key. He never talked about the program of the church. He ran the church privately, and he made a lot of decisions by himself. There would be a great change when I came.

"There was talk that the church was a dying situation. I wasn't alert enough to know. I respected King and Sweazy (who were located in Lexington at the time), and they told me nothing but good things about the church, especially the warmth of the people. I would be welcomed with open arms."

Elmer Hinkle, lay delegate to the Annual Conference, was the first to greet the young pastor on the steps of the meeting hall at Morehead State University. "He made me feel warm and very much at home," Jennings recalled.

It wasn't always that way. "I remember visiting a genuine character named Fannie Merkle who lived in Emerson Center on Garden Springs," Jennings said. "When I informed her that I was her new pastor, she spoke forth: 'You are too young to be my pastor. How old are you anyway? Do you have kids? Do you make them mind, or let them do what they please?'"

Billy Ray and Connie Jennings had two children: Tonya and Stephanie. Before he would be moved to First United Methodist Church in Frankfort in 1987, he would see his daughters finish elementary, junior and senior high school and college, with Tonya earning a master's degree. Both would be married.

But Tonya was a sixth-grader and Stephanie was a third-grader when the Jennings family came to Lexington. They lived in the parsonage until August, then moved into a home they purchased on Bellefonte Drive, fulfilling a promise from church officers.

As Jennings said in his final sermon before his transfer in June, 1987, "I hit the ground running that summer, just trying to meet everybody."

If the church was dying, it was because few young people were around. "There wasn't a lack of excitement from the people," Jennings recalled. "They were ready to go, ready for other people to take leadership roles. I never had a problem getting them to do something new."

Already in place was the Chain Gang Sunday School class of young adults, most with young children, and they were ready to move into leadership positions. Before the summer ended, a new class—the Power and Light—would start of even younger adults, including Lindsey Davis, then working at the University of Kentucky.

In his first Charge Conference report on December 6, 1972, Jennings expressed his frustration that "there is so much of worth that needs to be reported and far too little time in which to do it."

Jennings told parishioners, "I have never been involved in a church where I could see more evidence of genuine spiritual aliveness and real Christian commitment than here in First Church. I am finding persons openly and honestly witnessing to their faith and speaking of their personal relationship with our Lord Jesus so very naturally."

Jennings cited several ways in which "this love for Christ" was shown. The High Street Neighborhood Center, a cooperative venture with Calvary Baptist Church which opened in 1969, was a source of pride. "Simple sharing of dollar bills" indicated the spiritual aliveness of First Church. The budget that year was almost $110,000.

Other "signs of health" in the congregation, Jennings said, were a growing chancel choir and children's choir, excitement over the anticipated addition of a full-time assistant pastor, an outstanding group of dedicated Christian adults—"It is extraordinary to find persons in this age bracket so on fire for their Lord and at the same time committed to His Church!"—a good spirit and growing anticipation regarding Wednesday night worship.

Jennings pinpointed some special needs of First Church. "We must find successful ways to mobilize lay people for effective visitation," he told the Charge Conference. "We must come to grips with the difficult task of extending a more specifically church-oriented ministry to the people next door and in the neighborhood. A successful ministry with our teenagers is vital.

"I should like to declare 1973 a 'Reach-the-People year' regarding ministry to our membership and to the unconverted and other prospective members" Strategies to initiate or improve upon church programs included a tape ministry, accurate membership records, a photo directory, bimonthly newsletter, talent survey sheets and charting attendance on Sunday morning.

First Church had forty-four additions since Jennings' appointment in June, but the net loss for the year was twelve members. Beginning in 1973, a net GAIN would be the pattern during the rest of Billy Ray Jennings' pastorate at First Church.

Jennings occasionally referred to Patton's six-foot-four stature and said it would take the congregation several weeks to realize the new pastor was "down here" at five foot-seven. He also referred to Patton's stature as a "giant of the church."

Jennings, himself, would prove to be a spiritual giant at First Church. He encouraged involvement—and leadership—from the laity, and the church responded. Growth demanded a multi-person staff, so Jennings became a personnel director. Property was being acquired on both sides of the church, and he relied on the trustees and other lay leaders for direction. Eventually, a building program was necessary to handle current growth and to be accountable for the future.

But Jennings' greatest strength was as a spiritual leader. From the pulpit he was truly a "giant" among his contemporaries in Lexington. His sermons were biblically based and relevant. With his music directors, he planned a worship service of excitement, joy, reverence and challenge. And as the congregation grew spiritually, so did its senior pastor because his personal relationship with his Lord was his first priority. Together, First Church and its young pastor came alive in their faith.

Jennings' pastorate brought a change for the better, according to long-time member Bob Horine. "The biggest change I've seen has been how many young people are in the church," he said in a "Circuit Rider" article a few years ago. "They are taking a more active part in the operation of the church. This is no doubt for the better. Old families ran the church for thirty years, but now we're concerned with getting young people into the church."

"For some years the church dropped off until Billy Ray came," said another lay leader, Nick Thompson. "We weren't getting young people, and we were dying on the vine. You can't exist without getting young people. It's great now. It's the only way the church can survive."

A. L. Atchison, who served as president of the trustees for more than two decades before his death in 1988, said the program at First Church had changed during his half-century of membership. "It has increased tremendously, mostly since Billy Ray came," he said in a "Circuit Rider" interview. "I cover a pretty good span, and I think the church is doing fine."

Dorothy Crutchfield agreed. At one stage, said the long-term member, "I think the elderly people were the church. But now I look around, and it's exciting to see all the young couples and their children." The "age" of the church indeed would drop appreciably as Jennings continued his ministry. Along with that came an increasingly larger staff.

In late 1972, Rod Ruby, Jennings' boyhood friend in Ashland, was interviewed for the newly created job of assistant pastor. In 1973, Ruby joined the staff, sharing the ministerial workload with emphasis on music, worship and evangelism. His solos set the mood for the Sunday morning service for several years.

In 1974, Jim Murphy was hired as director for Christian Education. An employee of International Business Machines Corp., Murphy was an active layman. He was chairman of the Education Commission and served as a youth counselor. He sensed a call in his life and eventually became a diaconal minister, a specially trained person employed full time in the church.

Frank King, retired from active ministry, soon joined the staff as minister of visitation. King was pastor of First Methodist Church in Ashland when Jennings received his call to the ministry, and the two had remained close through the years.

Ruby, Murphy and King formed the early professional staff as Jennings' pastorate became established.

As First Church's programs began to expand to meet a growing membership, property needs changed, too. On August 11, 1974, the Rev. Charles G. Turkington, Lexington District Superintendent, gave his consent for First Church to purchase an apartment building at 200 West High Street, next door to the church. The purchase completed a long-time dream of having the whole block facing High Street for church use.

But with that decision came questions as Jennings noted in his pastor's report to the Charge Conference in December, 1974. "It raises the issue of what 'missions' means and where you carry it out," Jennings said. "It also raises the issue of the style of the church decisions. We need to encourage unity, not uniformity."

Jennings recalled presiding at the Charge Conference dealing with the property. A motion was made to purchase the building, help residents of the low-income apartments relocate, then tear down the structure. Several members contested the plan but were voted down.

Most church business was conducted rather amicably. "Nothing ever separated the members from me," Jennings said, "and there were no camps in the church. But things were that way before I came. I can't take credit for that. My style complemented the church's style. Fifteen years proved that was a good match."

Out of the apartment building issue came a concern for low income housing and new outreach programs. Also in his December, 1974 report, Jennings praised Jim Murphy for his "steady leadership" of the youth, noted the "superb revival" with the Rev. Bob Little, rejoiced with the "Great Day of Methodist Singing," and thanked the congregation "for encouraging the best to come out in me and through me."

Highlights in 1975 included a missionary weekend with Rev. David Hilton, now the United Methodist pastor in Morehead, and "Venture in Prayer," a study led by seminary professor and author Tom Carruth. The Stewardship Commission started the "We Care" ministry in which members volunteer for a specific ministry such as offering intercessory prayer, sending sympathy cards and delivering altar flowers to shut-in and hospitalized members. "New Member" nights began during the Wednesday evening dinner hour and prayer service.

By now, the annual budget was up to almost $180,000 with a request for a twenty-five percent increase the next year. Layman Charles Carney told Jennings, "It means we're doing something!" There were one hundred and five additions and a net gain of thirty-nine, putting the total membership at 1,366.

Lay involvement, Jennings told the Charge Conference, is "unbelievably great. Other pastors don't believe me when I tell them of your response and your spirit." He sought to implement the dreams of Carruth's "praying church," to emphasize a neighborhood/downtown ministry and to develop a carefully designed program for contacting prospects.

While attendance averages leveled off in 1977 and new member additions didn't exceed one hundred, First Church still displayed "great enthusiasm" in the life of the congregation. Rev. Wallace Chappell from Nashville conducted the annual revival.

Albin Whitworth became the organist/choirmaster in September and brought his dynamic instrumental and choral work to First Church. Long-time organist at Walnut Street Baptist Church in Louisville, Whitworth had just joined the Asbury College faculty and immediately added a "sound" to Sunday morning worship. It helped that a new forty-seven rank Zimmer pipe organ was installed late that year. Jennings later would call Whitworth "the most exciting musician in this whole city."

First Church had two successful financial drives in 1977. The tentative budget was $257,000 because, as Jennings said, "The people want good things to happen." Pledges for a three year ministers' pension plan went over the top. "I had been the 'doubter,'" Jennings admitted. "What a church!"

In a final, personal word, Jennings said: "I don't mean to sweet-talk anyone. This is a great, great church. I cannot imagine serving a congregation anywhere which is as responsible and positive in spirit as you people are. One lady, leaving the sanctuary last Sunday, said it one more time: 'You and Rod and the others are such a great team.' "

That team would change significantly in 1978. After five years as assistant pastor, Rod Ruby left the staff to return to Florida.

"We feel his absence," Jennings said at the Charge Conference, "But we must quickly add that present staff members have been 100 percent cooperative in assuming the various duties, except for his special music"

Jim Murphy picked up the property and personnel work from Ruby. Susan Bailey, previously a secretary in the office, assumed children's education work from Murphy' job description. And Lindsey Davis, formerly a member of the First Church congregation and now in the final months before earning his divinity degree at Lexington Theological Seminary, picked up pastoral and administrative responsibility in anticipation of his appointment as associate pastor by Bishop Frank Robertson at the 1979 Kentucky Annual Conference.

In the November, 1978 Charge Conference, Jennings rated the excitement level at a "6" instead of the "8" or "9" in previous years. He was concerned about the lack of lay members deeply involved in decision making. He blamed himself and the staff and promised "to share leadership in the deepest sense" in the coming year.

Jennings announced that the services of a church planner, Mark Sills from Greensboro, N.C., had been obtained to lead First Church in a planning retreat. This was part of the effort of a long-range planning committee charged by the Administrative Board with dealing with ministry/program, physical facilities and financial capabilities for a period of up to ten years.

A pastor from another Kentucky Conference church had done a study that showed First Church to be number one among conference congregations in per capita giving to benevolent causes.

Highlights in 1978 included a Bible conference conducted by Kentucky Wesleyan professor Ed Beavin, a revival with prominent United Methodist black leader Earnest Smith, and the first of several concerts given by Beverly Berrell, a friend of Albin and Katie Whitworth from Texas. "I have seldom felt so thrilled in a worship service!" Jennings exclaimed. Jennings closed his report by saying "I would like very much to set a record for length of service. To date, the 'record' here is ten years."

The next year brought more special events including a Bible study weekend with Howard Belben, a return concert by Beverly Terrell, the tenth anniversary of the High Street Neighborhood Center, an inter-generational weekend and a revival led by Rev. Dennis Kinlaw, now the president of Asbury College. Mark Sills' process planning weekend was held in March. He praised First Church and helped the congregation work through "who we are, what are our building needs for the immediate and distant future and what are our resources."

Jennings discussed resources in persons—especially a staff member to spend extended hours in recruitment, training and employment of volunteers; and resources in finances— especially developing greater habits of giving.

Layman Joe Winsor began overseeing the development of the Memorial Garden beside the church. Other significant property improvements were made, too.

A "dream" was realized in 1980 of establishing an assimilation program through the Commission on Stewardship. Associate Pastor Davis matched up new members with current members until they were "plugged into" the various programs of the church.

First Church joined five other Kentucky Conference congregations to guarantee bonds issued by Christ United Methodist Church to construct a new building on Harrodsburg Road, a "superlative act of concern," Jennings said. The Memorial Garden was fully landscaped. The initial gifts were given in memory of Boyd E. Wheeler. The Administrative Board also approved the formation of a bell choir.

Rev. Arnold Prater, an evangelist from Missouri, conducted a special revival. Wayne Sandifer led a Bible study. Family and young adult retreats were held. Beverly Terrell returned. And First Church continued sharing its Holy Week services with Calvary Baptist Church, a practice Jennings started with Rev. Reed Polk and continued with Rev. Dan Cooper, Calvary's current pastor.

In his 1980 pastor's report, Jennings said he was a "rich, rich man" and praised his staff for its help in a difficult year in which his mother died. "You have the finest crowd of paid staff members than any church in the city has, bar none! No quarreling, back-biting, petty jealousies; just folks committed to their work."

At the year-end Charge Conference in November, 1981, First Church voted to pursue a building program designed to meet the needs of additional seating for sanctuary worship; additional Sunday School and office space; access for handicapped worshipers; and other improvements. A building committee would be appointed to gather data and make a proposal to a called Church Conference with architects' plans and a strategy for financial support.

During 1981, Rev. Sylvia Gregory was hired to fill a new staff position called "Director of Social Ministries." She would oversee ministry to the needy who come to the door of the church and coordinate participation of lay volunteers in a variety of social matters. The job description called for twenty to twenty-five hours per week.

Rev. Mark Gibbons was appointed associate pastor following his graduation from Candler School of Theology in Atlanta. Lindsey Davis became the pastor at Mayo Memorial United Methodist Church in Paintsville. He would have a significant ministry there until his return to Lexington several years later.

"Our church work is SO exciting," Jennings said, "that we may even at times be guilty of 'over-programming.' We will be thinking about the possibility that we are offering too many different programs. But I must say the spirit of our people may well be the best it has ever been in my nine and a half years here."

But the next year would be the most crucial in the life of Billy Ray Jennings. In July, 1982, he became ill with bacterial meningitis and spent twenty-four hours on the critical list at St. Joseph Hospital. He was hospitalized six weeks, from July fifteenth to the end of August.

His condition started to improve, he recalled, when doctors diagnosed the illness and started treatment. "The issue," he said, "was trying to convince Connie that while things didn't look fine, I was getting better."

Dr. Bob Cooper, an active member of First Church, was the "key," Jennings said several years later. "His compassion and wisdom are unreal to me to this day."

During Jennings' illness and recuperation, Mark Gibbons and Sylvia Gregory stepped in to handle worship responsibilities from the pulpit. Jim Murphy, Susan Bailey and Frank King increased their workloads as the staff shared in running the church during the crisis.

Jennings recalled his first Sunday back in church, the day Rev. Barbara Brokhoff began a revival. "Mark said during the announcements that I was in the congregation. They arose and applauded. Then I got up as best I could, but I didn't say anything."

In his pastor's report to the Charge Conference in December, Jennings said, "This has been the richest year of my life in so many ways. To feel the love of your congregation in times when you cannot do for yourself— that is rich! Those six to eight weeks of illness proved both the depth of God's love for me and the depth of love from my family and church and other friends. We experienced a kind of unity (in the church) which no other event could have brought to pass. I shall always give thanks to the Lord for 1982."

By year's end, the church had voted to put the building project in the hands of the architect with the additional education wing and sanctuary changes scheduled for completion by late 1983. A three year fund raising campaign netted $440,467, over and above regular budget support.

A new parking lot was purchased in 1982 with an adjoining lot being resurfaced. The new lot and improvements cost about $120,000 and would be paid for by returns from selling spaces, mainly to monthly parkers who worked nearby.

A Volunteers in Mission team went to Hartshorne, Oklahoma, to build a parsonage in the Indian Missionary conference. The team members made their first report to Jennings in his hospital room!

On July 6, 1983, at a called session of the Charge Conference, Harry Wyse made a motion, seconded by A. L. Atchison, that the church accept the total proposed building package rather than attempt to fit a suggested "minimum." Jennings said that Wyse and Atchison were "keys to First Church's past" and were leading in the decision to "go" for its future.

Within weeks, the hole was being dug behind the old parsonage. Dry weather throughout the summer kept workers from missing a single day until fall, and the deadline for completion was advanced a couple of months.

First Church's program also prospered in 1983. A Bible study and revival led by Kenneth Kinghorn were uplifting. Attendance at Vacation Bible School was one of the largest ever. A talent sale was held in September with every member of the Sunday morning service being handed a dollar bill— more than four hundred and fifty in all. The return six weeks later was $3,000, netting about $2,500 for a Volunteers in Mission trip to Puerto Rico in 1984.

Jennings expressed concern with a declining number in worship attendance and new member additions. In his 1983 pastor's report, he said that "as pastor I certainly have to take a look at who I am/have been and what I have/have not been doing. It is upsetting to me personally. But a church family that is not reaching the unchurched and unsaved with the Lord's message and doing it with excitement is not a church family. And a pastor who is not so reaching the unchurched and unsaved is not much of a pastor. I beg your prayers and your new commitment to be an evangelist."

Jennings was more upbeat at the Charge Conference in October, 1984. Membership was up and a sizable net gain was assured in the year-end report. There would be eighty-eight new members and a net gain of thirty-three, compared to sixty-one additions and a net gain of twelve the year before.

Jennings said he felt like a "new" pastor after sharing in the church growth consultation with specialist George Hunter and a commission on Evangelism "talkback." The is the first time I have felt this excited since I was sick two years ago," he told the church. "You cannot know what's 'inside' me in terms of enthusiasm and inner strength."

By General Conference standards, Jennings reported church membership for 1990 should be between 2,500 and 2,900 members, compared with 1,712 at that time. By "Chuck" Hunter's standards, First Church should have 2,100 members by 1990.

"Dr. Hunter echoed what I have known well: that we are unusually blessed in this church with capable and caring laypersons along with a very competent staff," Jennings said. "A 25 percent increase (in membership) since '72 apparently is superb for an old, downtown church, but it is nothing compared with the 80 percent increase Dr. Hunter challenges us to over the next five years."

Jennings also was rejoicing that year following daughter Tonya's approval as a candidate for the diaconal ministry, the first full-time Christian service candidate from First Church since Jimmy Kemp entered the ordained ministry. Daughter Stephanie also won awards for her Christian example on the University of Kentucky campus.

The new building was completed and the new stained glass window was installed in the sanctuary. The old pastor's study and other rooms to the left of the platform were reworked into a hallway with a double door leading to the sanctuary. A hall and stairwell outside the sanctuary to the right were removed in the building, and a handicapped ramp and new double door installed leading to the sanctuary.

In the sanctuary itself, the old chancel rail was removed and replaced with a new, longer one. The new rail also was divided into two section, permitting access to new steps cut into the platform. A doorway on the left of the platform which led through a short service hall to Slaton Chapel was closed, allowing a piano to be placed on the platform itself. Finally, doors leading from the sanctuary to the balcony stairwells on each side were removed. Care was taken by the carpenters to match exactly the old woodwork, and by the time it was completed, it was impossible to tell changes had occurred. Debbie Wallace-Padgett, a diagonal minister, joined the staff | I in 1984 as Director of Leadership Development. "I believe Debbie Padgett's position and her very careful style of looking after details in the position will be a key to our future," Jennings said. "Leadership development among our lay people is the way to our being the 'growing church', both in depth and breadth, that we are called by God to be."

Jennings reported to the 1985 Charge Conference that church leaders were aware of suggestions that came from Dr. Hunter's consultation the year before. "I have a concern about our being too much centered on pastor-and-staff and am certain that much of the 'blame' falls in our laps as staff members," he said. "Rather than being 'equippers,' we have given the impression of too often being the 'doers.' We are trying to improve that."

Jennings was grateful for such programs as a Health/ Welfare session on handling stress, the new singles' ministry, the FOCUS events on Wednesday evenings, the personal affirmations of faith on Sunday mornings, and an excellent revival with Barbara Brokhoff who preached and her husband, John, who taught.

But Jennings expressed concern about the budget. Church programs had received zero or small increases during the building campaign, but commissions and committees were seeking an over thirty percent increase for 1986. However, repair and maintenance requests were up because of the building expansion. And staff requests were up. A twenty-three percent increase in staff budget included only four to five percent increases in salaries of the current staff.

The pastor said additional staff was necessary, especially for youth in grades seven through twelve. A decision also was necessary on the role of the associate minister, especially after Mark Gibbons left in September.

First Church also accepted a three year goal of $68,332 for the Kentucky Conference campaign to start new congregations and assist other churches. It also added to the budget a commitment of $60,000 for a missions project in Nepal.

For several years, a solid professional staff had been in place. Vital to the church's ministry, as well, was the support staff. Kathleen Warren, the financial secretary, had seen her job expand to a full-time position. Dorothy Madden was the only church secretary when Jennings arrived. When he left, Jane Minick was church secretary and supervised three other office workers: Ollie Reynolds, Diana Stephens and Eurbie Feddars.

First Church was without a minister of visitation following Frank King's death in 1983, although Rev. Charles Cooper, a retired Methodist preacher, held the position briefly before his untimely death in November, 1985.

After almost a year without an associate pastor, Rev. Bill Hughes was appointed at the 1986 Annual Conference. A recent graduate of Asbury Seminary, Hughes also would answer the question about the role of an associate minister. He would spend eighty percent of his time working with the youth.

Another staff change occurred in early 1986. Mary Lou Stephens, a diaconal minister, was hired to do childrens' ministries, following Susan Bailey's decision to become a full-time homemaker.

And so Jennings opened his pastor's report in November by expressing his excitement that ninety-four new members had been added to the church rolls with five Sundays left in the year. The "grand total" of one hundred would be the third largest in his reporting years at First United Methodist Church. (A total of one hundred and five members joined in 1975; one hundred and one joined in 1976.) The net increase for 1986 of forty-four was one of the highest of Jennings' pastorate at the church.

He said: "As an 'old, downtown church' we have not only a 'right' but an obligation to give praise to God—having grown from a membership of 1,299 at the start of 1972 to the current 1,753, and adding a $600,000 addition to our physical plant."

Sunday morning worship attendance was up five percent to five hundred and twenty-nine through the first ten months of 1986. Sunday School attendance was up the same percentage thanks to several new classes. Midweek worship experienced the same percentage increase, as well.

But again, Jennings was concerned about the church budget. To date, the church had received 188 pledge cards totaling under $240,000 for a budget request of $692,000. (That figure was adjusted down to $606,005 in March, 1987.)

"It seems that every year we have to wait and wait and wait...just to take modest steps up," Jennings said, echoing the thoughts of some of his predecessors at First Church over the years. "I honestly believe that our future, at this particular moment, has more to do with financial faithfulness than any other single concern. Our practice and our profession are not 'meeting' each other."

Despite the budget situation, the church could look ahead toward two significant new programs that would start in 1987.

The Stephen Ministries began in January. Laywoman Nancy Roszell and staff member Debbie Wallace-Padgett received two weeks of training in the summer of the prior year and were enlisting volunteers for the special care-giving ministry.

Eleven laypersons would complete the fifty hours of training and be commissioned in May for an additional one and a half year commitment of working with fellow members who were experiencing difficult periods in their lives. Only one other church in Kentucky—First Christian in Paris—offered the program when First Church started its Stephen Ministries.

Plans already were being made for Jennings, Hughes, Wallace Padgett and Stephens to receive training for a new Bible study program—Disciple—developed by several United Methodist leaders around the country. Hughes and the two diaconal ministers would begin the first sessions of Disciple in the fall of 1987 with about a dozen laypersons in each group.

The church was also getting on local cable television. Church member Max Hertweck, who headed Telecable of Lexington, made time available for a program called "Reflections." With Jim Murphy's technical expertise, Jennings interviewed several laypersons and visiting evangelist Ed Beck, who conducted the 1986 revival.

At the end of his pastor's report, Jennings said, "God has blessed us, and wants to bless us more. Let's get at it."

So First United Methodist Church moved into 1987"on the grow" again in programming, personal growth and discipleship. That growth would continue, this time under a new minister as the fifteen year pastorate of William R. Jennings would come to a close.

Under the Methodist system, the resident bishop has the responsibility of making clerical appointments in his conference. The Book of Discipline, the denomination's "rulebook," says the appointment process is supposed to involve consultation with the local church.

That apparently wasn't the way it worked with Bishop Paul A. Duffey of the Louisville Area. Early in 1987, Jennings was asked his preference for the 1987-88 Conference year by Maurice Bement, chairman of the Staff/Parish Relations Committee. Jennings said he preferred to return to First Church, a feeling shared unanimously by the committee, which serves as an advisory body to the bishop and the district superintendent.

Rev. John C. Kerce, superintendent of the Lexington District, reported that information to Bishop Duffey. On April second, Duffey met with Jennings and his wife, Connie, at their home. United Methodist clergy are under the "itinerant system" and take a vow to move where their bishop sends them. That system is as old as the denomination. Duffey laid out his plans and Jennings, a believer in the system, agreed to accept a new appointment to another church.

When informed of the meeting and its outcome, a shocked Staff/Parish Committee began to plan a counter strategy.

Members John Pratt and Ann Orr and Administrative Board Chairman Coleman White visited Duffey at his Louisville office, but were not encouraged about the meeting.

On April fourteenth, the Committee decided to draft a strong resolution expressing its feelings, seek Administrative Board approval and submit it to the Bishop. The resolution stating that the transfer was unacceptable and requesting reconsideration of the decision—passed by a sixty-five to zero vote on April twentieth. Kerce gave it to Duffey before the cabinet, composed of the bishop and district superintendents, met two days later. On April twenty-sixth, Jennings, acting on Duffey's suggestion, announced from the pulpit that the move was firm and final.

During Jennings' pastorate, the church reversed a declining membership and experienced steady growth, expanded its programs and staff, completed an extensive building program increased lay leadership, and became one of the conference's flagship congregations. It also met the denominational goal to "Catch the Spirit."

The membership was 1,752 at the end of 1986, and the board had adopted a budget in excess of $600,000. And First Church had been assessed the highest apportionment in the Conference for 1987, even though it didn't have the largest membership. (Apportionments are based on a procedure involving the financial strength of a congregation relative to other churches.)

With that background, reasons for moving Jennings were unclear. The fact that he had had a long pastorate in Lexington worked against him although Rev. Don Herron, a former associate at First, remained secure at Southern Hills United Methodist Church. Herron completed his twenty-eight year in 1988 as that congregation's first and only pastor.

Many ministers outside Lexington have been frustrated by a system that seems to deny them access to the Conference's largest city. However, beginning in 1984, Bishop Duffey has appointed new pastors to ten of Lexington's eleven churches. But Duffey's decision to move Jennings seemed to contradict the opinion of denominational leaders.

Bishop Richard B. Wilke of the Arkansas Area wrote in his provocative book And Are We Yet Alive? that the itinerant system may need to be changed. "As we face an urban world, itinerancy may mean not moving at all," he wrote in his 1986 book that sought answers to an astonishing decline of more than one million members since 1973. "Americans are mobile, especially in the cities. It used to be that the people stayed put and the preacher moved. Now the people move so the preacher can stay put. Longer pastorates develop trust, stability and confidence."

Lyle Schaller, a sociologist specializing in church growth, commented on the Methodist structures in Wilke's book: "Currently, 'the system' rewards numerical decline and punishes growth. The system encourages pastorates of two to five years rather than long pastorates."

Rev. William Willimon and Rev. Robert Wilson were just as emphatic in their assessment of the system in their book the next year, Rekindling the Flame. The authors, professors at Duke University, urged that the laity be heard in church decisions. "The laity have docilely stood by, not seriously challenging the clergy, while the church has declined," they wrote.

"Laypeople have been expected to be loyal, but were told that they must accept without question the appointment, promotion and deployment of the clergy. The laity know they have no real voice in the appointment process. There is increasing feeling that the conference leaders are taking care of the clergy at the expense of the churches. We need to trust laypeople to have the best interests of their church at heart."

Duffey, whose episcopate ended in 1988 with his retirement, was determined to run the Kentucky Conference his way. He made his position clear just before reading his appointments for the 1986-87 conference year. As recounted in the Conference Journal, and including its emphasis:

"Bishop Duffey spoke further words about the healthy process which exists within our denomination to aid the bishop in the making of pastoral appointments. He stated that there are some misconceptions as to what consultation means. It does not mean that the local church chooses its own pastor.

"No polls are to be taken! No congregational votes are to be held regarding the choice of a pastor! No pulpit committees are to be sent out! Ours is still an episcopal system. Continued abuse of the system will ultimately lead to the abolishment of the system."

A strong church had run up against a strong bishop but there would be a happy ending. Convinced that Jennings would be moved, the Staff/Parish Committee met with Bishop Duffey in early May and proposed two names as Jennings' successor. Duffey had a choice of his own but, despite his strong statement the year before in the Journal, he listened to the Staff/Parish spokesmen and ultimately agreed to appoint one of the church's candidates. On June 5, 1987, Rev. James C. Stratton was appointed as the new pastor of First United Methodist Church, Lexington.

In Jennings' final sermon to the First Church congregation, entitled "Remembrances," he spoke of his ministry in Lexington. "We've come a long way together," he said. "So many beautiful and 'growing' things have happened in the lives of the Jennings family, and you cannot simply mark them up to the passage of fifteen years. You people are wonderful friends and 'enablers.' This is some great church. But do not forget, never forget, that there is more. There is always more."

CHAPTER TWELVE          [history table of contents]

PRELUDE TO THE THIRD CENTURY

In contrast to the situation in Lexington, the preacher at Pikeville United Methodist Church knew he would be sent to a new pulpit at the Annual Conference in 1987. Rev. James C. Stratton had received suggestions from Bishop Duffey in past years that he move, but he had demurred. His situation in Pikeville was good, for him, his family and the church.

But Stratton was called to Morehead to meet with the Bishop where he was told that now was the time to move. After much thought, Stratton informed the bishop he was ready to go "wherever you say."

That, however, became the question. The Bishop told Stratton of two churches where there would be openings, not as offers of a post but as possibilities. As time progressed, two other churches were mentioned; one becoming an almost certainty. Ultimately there came a call from the Bishop informing Stratton that his new church would be First United Methodist Church, Lexington.

On the morning of June 14, 1987, some of the early rising members of the congregation were discussing their impressions of the new pastor, who had just delivered his first sermon at the early service. Among the favorable comments was one from a local attorney. "That man," he said, "has a stained glass voice." It was illustrative of the other comments. Jim Stratton was being received with favor.

Stratton's own impressions of his reception were expressed in more personal terms. He felt that "this was a family, there was a warmth and inclusiveness which can only describe a family." The members of the congregation accepted Stratton and his own family with genuine openness, support and acceptance. And this was not just because he was the new pastor. Stratton said that in his conversations with new members of the church, the reason they keep coming to First Church is the warmth they have felt.

Stratton's family shared in this welcome. In addition to his wife, Colleen, whom he met at Asbury College, his family included three sons: Stephen, who was in his last year of a doctoral program in counseling psychology; Jonathan, employed with a Lexington investment firm; and Chris, a student at Asbury.

This is a revealing commentary on the congregation. Among Stratton's first impressions of his new charge was the strong sense of being a family, and he attributes the survival of the church in large part because it appeals to families. In contrast to newer congregations, Stratton commented, First Church has the "children, parents, grandparents and, in a sense, great grandparents" in its membership, "the full age range, which I think is a strong appeal so long as you keep good programming for the children. . . and all age levels."

The trip to Lexington for Stratton was longer that just the road from Pikeville. In many ways, his personal history is more like that of an early Methodist minister.

Jim Stratton was born January 21, 1935, in Meta, Kentucky, a rural area described as "eleven miles from Pikeville, on the road towards Williamson, and twenty miles from West Virginia." There were no Methodist churches there, only an old Baptist church which did not admit children to its membership. His early exposure to religion came from missionaries who came to the area conducting Sunday schools and home Bible studies during the week.

The youngest of four children, it was not until one of Stratton's sisters bought an "old 1948 de Soto" while he was in high school that he even heard of the Methodists. He had grown up hearing stories about his deceased uncle who was a preacher. No one had told him that Rev. Thomas Stratton had been a Methodist preacher and district superintendent. With transportation available, they began going to the Salem Methodist Church in nearby Zebulan, Ky., a small one room church. Although he felt the call to preach when he was twelve, it was not until the summer after his junior year of high school, during a youth assembly, that Stratton committed himself to the ministry.

Stratton's education began in the two room Bent Branch Elementary School. After high school at the now defunct Pikeville College Academy, he entered Asbury College and stayed for seminary. Although the usual time in seminary is three years, Stratton exchanged part of his academic load for a "church load" and was there for four years. The church work entailed serving as a student pastor to churches without a regular minister. One year, he and two other student pastors would make weekly trips to Greenup County, a two hundred and ninety-four mile round trip, to preach at remote county churches, hold youth meetings, and perform administrative duties. His final year he was student pastor to a church in Allen, Ky., a round trip of three hundred and twenty-six miles, with the same duties.

Upon graduation, Stratton's first appointment included the church in Allen, but the church at Betsy Layne was added, and he served the two congregations, truly riding circuit, for six years. There followed a three year appointment to Middlesboro First, and then, beginning at the age of thirty-three, six years at Harlan. The length of his tenure was critical to that congregation. In the preceding nine years, the Harlan church had had five preachers, death and severe illness figuring as much as anything in the changes. Stratton was then moved to Corbin First for six years before his appointment to Pikeville in 1980. In the last winter there, Stratton spend three weeks in Ghana at the West African Seminar on World Evangelism, sponsored by the World Methodist Council.

By the time he was appointed to Lexington, Stratton had served as president of the boards of the Methodist Home of Kentucky and the Mountain Mission, on which latter board he had served sixteen years. In addition, he was a member of the Conference Council on Finance and Administration, the Pikeville College Board of Trustees and the board of the Methodist Hospital of Kentucky. He also had recently chaired the Ashland District "Offer them Christ" Crusade, a four year district program for developing evangelism expertise and discipleship skills in local pastors and laity.

The Pikeville church had some six hundred members when; he was transferred, and on a "good" Sunday, more than half would fill the sanctuary. His work there was focused on programing for the congregation, assisted by an associate pastor, administrative assistant, youth director, two secretaries, and a part time organist and choir director. The move to Lexington| meant a membership three times as great, a sanctuary which could accommodate all of the Pikeville members with some room left over, and a staff several orders larger.

The move to Lexington also pointed out for Stratton a gap in the training Methodist ministers receive. The Conference has no special training program for preachers assigned to urban churches. The focus of training and ministry has been the rural churches. It was, he said, "Just drive from Pikeville to Lexington, and someone hands you a key."

Stratton is particularly appreciative of the response of the First Church staff to his arrival. He found them "extremely responsive and open," especially in view of the fact that all of them had been employed during Rev. Jennings' pastorate. With the exception of the pastor's secretary, there were no changes in the staff, unusual with a change of senior preacher. They helped him become familiar with the many programs underway or planned at First Church.

One of the new programs was called "Urban Renewal," in all respects a challenging and amazing endeavor. Assistant Pastor Bill Hughes and a fellow student had been confronted by one of their Asbury professors with a question: why are "you youth ministers" working so hard to raise money to send youth overseas on missions when so much needs to be done at home? Hughes' friend, assigned to Trinity Hill Methodist Church, conducted the first "Urban Renewal" experiment in local community work with eighteen youth during the summer of 1987.

In 1988, the two youth ministers combined forces and fielded a group of forty-eight youth (nineteen from First Church) and twelve adults (seven from First) and expanded the program. Working closely with the Nathanial Mission youth minister, Kathy Beach, the Urban Renewal task force undertook six inner city work sites during a summer week. They chose houses owned by elderly poor and helped fix up the houses. The work ranged from things as simple as changing light bulbs which the owners couldn't reach, to carpeting rooms, repairing roofs, and even helping Habitat for Humanity erect a new house.

To fund their project the youth sold "Mission Shares," certificates of "stock" representing "an investment in Lexington." All of the funds were spent on project materials. The youth stayed each night at a nearby camp and were bussed lo and from the project sites.

Hughes reported two significant aspects of this mission: the youth voted to participate in the Urban Renewal program in place of their traditional excursion to Myrtle Beach, no small action; and more important for the long term, several youth felt a call to mission and/or ministerial work. He projected with confidence that the 1989 Urban Renewal Team could easily exceed one hundred members.

Another significant program in place was the day care facility operated jointly by First Church and Calvary Baptist, which has existed for eighteen years. This unique, cooperative venture between two denominations receives between eighty and ninety thousand dollars a year from the two churches.

Although the programs were not changed, there was, after all, a change in the pulpit, and this meant a change in the sermons. Rev. Jennings' sermons had been delivered primarily in an almost conversational manner. Rev. Stratton's style of preaching was different, at times giving the impression of a speaker trained in classic rhetoric. This, Stratton says, is not the case. Aside from a speech class in college and the preaching courses in seminary, he has had no formal training as a speaker. It is just his style. He describes it as more expositional, perhaps, than typical preaching. He just "takes the Scripture, and tries to develop what the Scripture says."

It usually takes about twenty hours for a sermon to come together for Stratton, sometimes not taking final form until late on Saturday night. However, on Sunday morning, he does not take any notes to the pulpit, save for a particular phrase or image he wants to give. The practice of speaking without notes was one he began when he arrived in Pikeville after experimenting with the idea in Corbin.

After a year in which he became closely acquainted with the individual members of First Church, attending a series of "Cottage Meetings" at members' homes throughout Lexington to which the congregation was invited, and after gaining an understanding of the programs and missions of First Church, Stratton was reappointed to Lexington for the 1988 Conference year.

The Two Hundredth Anniversary of First Church will occur during this conference year, and Stratton will be the minister leading the church as it begins its third century of service. For a downtown church, many of whose members drive past other Methodist churches to come to its services, the question of programs is important.

Stratton believes "it is important that the downtown church stay here." The question as the third century begins is, How best to continue serving its members and also serve the core of the city? Some good programs are already in place: the day care center, support of the Community Kitchen, the Nathanial Mission, the volunteer work to assist those in need who approached the church office, and others. These need continued support and dedicated effort. Yet more could be done, and more to reach those people "around the church." Stretching out behind the church is Macks Alley, and the two sides of the alley illustrate the groups to be reached: the low income residents in the apartments on one side, and the more well-to-do living on South Mill on the other. The church is also serving its own existing membership well, with classes, study groups and programs to meet their needs, and volunteer opportunities to give them a chance to serve others. But as a planning and review session of the Administrative Board conducted in the summer of 1988 showed, more needs to be done there as well. The congregation desired some new programs, more support of some existing ones, a change in emphasis in others. The session was the first church-wide update in long range planning since the consultant had been at the church ten years before.

Stratton also feels a need to work more closely with the other Methodist churches in Lexington, including the black churches. Recent programs have been conducted with Wesley United Methodist Church, which is moving soon to a new site on Russell Cave Road. He also sees a need for more coordination and mutual support among the other Methodist ministers; the preachers often do not see each other except for scheduled preachers' meetings.

All of this is important and critical work for First Church, but it is also the work of any church: serving its members, its neighborhood, and its community at large. A downtown church, however, is different. With Wesley's move, there will be no other Methodist Church in the city proper. Something more is required of First Church.

Stratton's ideas are general at this point, but his target, and the target of the church, seems clear. Across the street from the church steps are many office buildings and towers filled with people who spend a major part of their day downtown.

Stratton would like to reach these people, perhaps by having weekly lunch and short devotional period at the church, perhaps by other ideas not yet formulated. A successful ministry to the work force in those buildings, and to others who come downtown to transact business there and for special city events, could be the special mission of a strong, downtown church.

In two hundred years, First United Methodist Church has developed from a "feeble but devoted little band of Christians" to a strong, well established and vibrant force of over 1,800 members. It had survived the struggle of those first decades when schisms, denominational division and civil war threatened its existence. It had grown strong and led the way in the establishment of new churches in Lexington and supported, as the major church of the Kentucky Conference, the establishment of other churches and missions around the world. It has endured the years when, seemingly strong, the growth of the city and the migration of its members had been sapping its strength. It had struggled through a period of redefinition, when the church realized that its mission was changing, that it had become an "old, downtown church." And, finally, it had rebuilt and revitalized itself and its members, sought and won new members, and grown once again to strength and vigor.

This is the history of the first two hundred years encapsulated, and it is the prelude to the next century. First United Methodist Church is all the things the individual words in its name implies: the first church in time in the Conference, and one of its first in strength; unquestionably united in its congregation and its missions; loyally Methodist; and, in sum, all things a church should be. It is ready to begin the next chapter in its great history.