BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
First United Methodist of Starke Pastor Michael Moore was this year’s honoree at the Starke American Values Dinner, a fundraising event for North Florida Council, Boy Scouts of America, that was held March 30 at the Gov. Charley E. Johns Conference Center in Starke.
Moore, who has been the pastor at First United Methodist of Starke for 15 years, said he was thankful for the people of Bradford County, who embraced him and his family and who helped him become a better pastor. He was also touched to be among the other individuals who were honored at past American Values dinners.
“I appreciate Bradford County,” Moore said. “I love each and every one of you for taking your time to come out and honor me. I really appreciate it because many people have stood in this place. I’m very humbled.”
Dinner attendees pledged a total of $11,775 in support of local Scouting in 2023.
“Scouting has been around for a while. We want to make sure it stays here for a while,” said Terry Vaughan, Bradford County’s retired supervisor of elections who served as the event’s honorary chairman and emcee.
Vaughan said more than 115 million have been members of Scouting, which has been around for 113 years.
In regard to Bradford County, Vaughan said 135 youth and 57 adult volunteers are a part of Scouting.
North Florida Council’s Bartram Trail District, which serves Bradford, Clay and Putnam counties, serves 895 youth and 433 adult volunteers.
“We want to thank you for helping to provide them with this vital character-building, citizenship training and physical-fitness experience,” Vaughan said. “We need it now more than ever.”
God’s breeze
In introducing the night’s honoree, Vaughan referenced the movie “Forrest Gump” and how the opening and closing credits featured a feather moving in whichever direction the wind blew. He said that image was descriptive of the different directions Forrest Gump traveled in his life.
Moore, too, has lived a life that had him moving in directions that neither he nor others could envision at the time. Vaughan said Moore, who grew up in Jacksonville, was looking at a chance to play college football, thanks to his play at middle linebacker for Englewood High School.
“Florida, Tennessee and quite a few SEC schools clamored to convince Mike to attend their institutions on a football scholarship,” Vaughan said. “He was really, really good.”
However, on Moore’s final high school play, he suffered a knee injury — an injury that was devastating prior to the medical advances and surgeries that exist today.
“Big-time football was not in the cards,” Vaughan said.
“God’s breeze,” as Vaughan described it, took Moore in a direction away from football and into carpentry. He became a master cabinet maker, starting his own business. Moore Products Inc. became the largest cabinet manufacturer in the Southeast.
“Life was great,” Vaughan said. “Fabulous family, fabulous profession, excellent income — but God had other plans. Following the death of his father, Mike realized God’s breeze was about to dramatically redirect his life journey once again. Mike strongly felt a calling from God to go into the ministry.”
Moore sold his business and enrolled in Duke University School of Divinity at the age of 42.
“Can you imagine taking that step of faith? It’s amazing,” Vaughan said.
Moore was carried along on God’s breeze again, which took him from Durham, North Carolina, back to Jacksonville to become the pastor of Good Shepherd United Methodist Church. After nine years, the breeze took Moore to First United Methodist of Starke, where he has now pastored for 15 years.
Vaughan said Jacksonville’s Good Shepherd United Methodist — a start-up church when Moore became pastor — flourished during Moore’s time there, just as First United Methodist of Starke is flourishing now.
“Perhaps the primary reason Mike’s efforts in the ministry have been so fruitful, in my opinion, is that while he acknowledges the value of being in worship every Sunday, he tells his congregation that what really matters is what happens when they leave the building,” Vaughan said. “He emphasizes the need for his church and his parishioners to carry a light into what I think we can all agree can be a very dark world.”
Moore, because of his involvement in the community and his relationship with others, has become known as “Bradford County’s good shepherd,” Vaughan said, describing Moore as someone who leads with conviction, passion and vision, while also recognizing the value of relationships.
“No matter where he is in the community — whether he’s at McDonald’s, Walmart or Winn-Dixie — he engages people,” Vaughan said. “He shows that he cares, that he’s interested in their lives.”
Vaughan said what impresses him most about Moore is how he shows that care for others during the loss of a loved one.
“Never have I witnessed a pastor who was more caring and compassionate in a time of need and a time of grief than Mike,” Vaughan said. “He truly has a gift from God to provide comfort for those who are grieving and hurting.”
Moore’s life has been an example of the kind of life we can experience if we’ll let God take control.
“There have been so many times in Mike’s life’s journey in which it would’ve been convenient to stand his ground in the comfort of his surroundings,” Vaughan said, “but he always was willing to allow God’s breeze to carry him in a new direction. He’s always known it was his destiny to follow God’s will.”
Moore gave thanks to his children and their spouses and his grandchildren, saying, “Your family pays a price when you’re a pastor.”
“Most of all, I want to thank my wife, Debbie. We’re celebrating 50 years in June,” Moore said, adding, “She’s supported me so much.”
Though a lot of heartfelt words were said by both Moore and Vaughan, the two couldn’t help exchanging some good-natured barbs, dating back to the 2021 Starke American Values Dinner, when Moore introduced Vaughan as that year’s honoree. Vaughan said Moore zinged him pretty good, so he returned the favor this year.
“Last Sunday, just before the sermon, Mike announced, ‘There will be a meeting of the church board in my office following the service.’ After the service was through, Mike meets in his office. There’s a guy sitting in the corner he doesn’t recognize — a visitor. Mike says, ‘Sir, I think you’re in the wrong place. This is a meeting of the board.’ He says, ‘Buddy, after hearing that sermon, I think I’m about as bored as anybody in this room.’
When Moore took the stage, he took a dig at Vaughan for being an FSU fan, saying, “I was very confused when I came (to Bradford County) that you all would allow a person who’s a Seminole to be the supervisor of elections.”
Moore also joked that Vaughan, who now lives in Thomasville, Georgia, returns often to emcee events in Bradford County because he has no friends in Georgia.
Team effort
All joking aside, Starke Mayor Scott Roberts, a member of the Starke American Values Dinner host committee, expressed his appreciation to Vaughan for traveling from Georgia to be a part of the event. He presented tokens of appreciation to Vaughan and his wife, Jennifer.
Joining Roberts on this year’s host committee were Chrissy Allen of The Downtown Grill, Patricia Evans of Capital City Bank, Bradford County Superintendent of Schools Will Hartley, retired Bradford County Sheriff Bob Milner and North Florida Regional Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Pam Whittle.
Community State Bank was a Gold-level sponsor for this year’s event, while The Downtown Grill, Capital City Bank, Advanced Concepts, North Florida Technical College, Starke Downtown Merchants, Roberts Insurance and Pipeline Constructors were Bronze-level sponsors.
Vaughan recognized Scout executives who were in attendance and/or helped in putting on this year’s dinner: North Florida Council Executive/CEO Kelvin Williams, Bartram Trail Senior Executive Jennifer Lowe, Five Rivers District (Marion County) Director Truman Magley, St. Johns District (St. Johns County) Executive Jennifer Klich, North Florida Council Director of Field Service/COO Cole Walters, Bartram Trail District/St. Johns District Field Director Denise Dreyer, Bartram Trail District Office Manager Jana Metzger and Fundraising Assistant Leann Lewis.
“This event did not just happen with the efforts of one or two individuals, as you can guess,” Vaughan said.
