BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Mike Moore was the shepherd, who cared for his flock for 16 years at First United Methodist Church of Starke. Now, it’s time for the roles to reverse.
A celebration in honor of Moore’s retirement as the church’s pastor was held June 15 at the Woman’s Club of Starke. Josh Reinken, the associate pastor and director of student ministry who will become the new lead pastor, told Moore and his wife, Debbie, “You have been there for many, many years, in our best days and in our hardest days. You have made sacrifices that all of us could never begin to understand. “So, now, anything you guys need, it’s our turn to be there for you.”
Emcee Terry Vaughan, a former Starke resident who attended the church and now lives in Thomasville, Georgia, opened the event with a story about a man he met in Thomasville named George Mathes. Mathes once lived in Greece, where he spent the day tending to goats, naming each one and able to recognize each one by sound only.
“He took care of his flock. That was his passion, and he did it well,” Vaughan said.
Mathes moved to Thomasville, where his father, Tom, and uncle Louie were running The Plaza Restaurant, which they had purchased. Mathes, who eventually became a joint owner, went from caring for goats to caring for diners. Like he did with his goats, Mathes came to personally know each of his customers, greeting them by name when they entered the restaurant.
“I think it’s a wonderful analogy for what Mike Moore has done in his life,” Vaughan said. “He is a fellow who cared for his flock deeply, He knew each one of you by name. He knew what made you tick. He took care of you.
“Now that it’s time for him to embark on a different chapter of life…he will never stop being a minister. I can tell you that for this community — not just our church — and, I think, for everyone here, he has been the good shepherd.”
Bill McRae, who is the head of the church’s staff-parish relations committee, said he is still amazed by Moore’s “incredible energy and his genuine love for each of us.”
“He loves us all,” McRae said. “He works so hard to do what he can to demonstrate this love by visits, calls, emails and texts.”
McRae paused slightly before saying “texts” in a tone of voice that clued you in that something humorous was coming.
“Texts that often come at all times day and night,” McRae said. “Texts that are sometimes done by dictation that don’t always come out the way they’re supposed to.”
As laughter filled the room, McRae said, “I’m guessing that some other folks here have experienced that.”
When Vaughan took his turn to speak again, he quipped, “I had to hire an interpreter to know what Mike was saying in the texts he sent me. It cost me a fortune.”
McRae, in all seriousness, spoke of how Moore worked himself to the point of exhaustion in order to care for the church and its members, which proved to be no surprise to McRae. He said he could tell what kind of pastor Moore would be when he first met him.
“He had a fire in his eyes and a spirit for ministry,” McRae said. “He truly made a great first impression. Over time, I had the privilege of seeing that fire and spirit from close proximity.
“Being a pastor is demanding. It’s often difficult. To say it can be challenging is a big understatement. We saw this amzing man tackle every challenge with the spirit of kindness, love and grace. At the same time, in an understated way, Mike demonstrated a strength and commitment to his ministry that absolutely would not take one single step back.”
McRae said Moore’s “rare and wonderful gift” has made First United Methodist Church of Starke what it is today, “a church that is known for its kind and welcoming spirit to all who come and a church that stands firm for what God is calling us to be.”
The type of pastor every church needs
Jay Therrell, the president of the Wesleyan Covenant Association and an elder in the Global Methodist Church, said his first introduction to Moore was at a local pastoring licensing school, which provided a “crash course on how to be a pastor.” Moore’s work as the pastor at Good Shepherd United Methodist Church of Jacksonville — the first church Moore pastored at. Therrell said at Good Shepherd, Moore “basically brought a church that was on the brink of closure and brought it back to a thriving, vital church that was making disciples for Jesus Christ.”
“It was then and there, that I knew there was something different about this man,” Therrell said.
Therrell later served with Moore on the Board of Ordained Ministry.
“It became very apparent to me then that Mike was not just an exceptional leader and out-of-the-box leader, but that he was passionate and that he was principled,” Therrell said. “On top of all of that, what was so very apparent was his deep love for Jesus Christ.”
Therrell eventually became the superintendent of the Florida United Methodist Church’s North East District, which includes First United Methodist of Starke. Therrell said he looked forward to the “privilege” of working alongside of Moore again. One of the first calls he made in assembling a leadership team was to Moore.
“Mike Moore is the kind of pastor that every district superintendent wishes they could clone and have 30 of,” Therrell said. “I could appoint him to every declining church, and within two years, that church would have a new purpose and new life, and it would be growing new disciples for Jesus Christ.”
3 words
LaTonya McBride, the office administrator at First United Methodist of Starke, has worked with Moore for 14 years. She said she chose three words to describe him “because you don’t have all night for me to tell you all the stories about Michael Moore.”
McBride said the first word was “timeless,” explaining that if Moore tells you he’ll be there in 10 minutes, he’ll be there in two hours.
Once the laughter subsided, McBride said that Moore was always late because he was busy meeting someone else’s needs.
“It wasn’t because he was just lazy or insensitive to the time of other people, but because his heart is so big,” McBride said. “He sees the guy riding down the road on a bicycle, and it’s hot outside, he’s got to stop at the store and get him a bottle of water and tell him about Jesus.”
McBride added, “That’s just who he is. Time does not really matter when it comes to evangelizing souls. He is anointed by God to do what he does, and he does it well.”
The second word McBride said described Moore was “clueless.” She said she often heard Moore say he had no idea something was going on, despite being told multiple times ahead of time by McBride.
Again, there was a serious point, with McBride explaining that Moore has the confidence to admit he doesn’t know everything and doesn’t remember everything. However, he has people around him he can turn to in those moments.
“It’s OK not to know everything,” McBride said. “It’s OK not to be good at everything, but you’ve got to have the wisdom to surround yourself with professional people who do know what you don’t know. Then, you learn how to extract that information from them and use it to your advantage.
“Whatever your situation is, call Mike Moore. He knows somebody who knows what to do.”
McBride said the third word to describe Moore is “priceless.” The relationship between McBride and Moore went from employee-employer to partners in ministry to friends.
“Our families are so close,” McBride said. “My family is like his family. His family is like my family.”
With that said, McBride mentioned the names of all of her family members, telling Moore that they all loved him.
Living a quiet, beautiful, faithful life
Reinken said Christians who make the greatest impact in other Christians’ lives aren’t the ones writing books, recording podcasts or seeking any kind of status. They are the ones who “simply live a quiet, beautiful, faithful life.” They are the ones where “God’s work and activity are so clearly evident.”
“What I’m trying to say is that when it comes to so much of the good parts of who I am as a husband, as a father — so much of that I’ve learned from you,” Reinken told Moore, adding, “For me personally, Pastor Mike, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for welcoming me into your life. I thank you for all the hours upon hours in your office, just talking about theology. Thank you for being patient with my brashness at times. Thank you for never stopping your encouragement for me to answer a calling to ministry — that for so long you could see it clearly when I could not see it.
“Thank you for being the greatest mentor pastor and friend I have ever known.”
Reinken quoted 1 Timothy 5:17: “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.”
“I have yet to meet a man more worthy of the truth of this scripture than you, Pastor Mike,” Reinken said.
Family time
Moore and his wife were presented with a pair of Adirondack chairs as a gift from the church, as well as a love offering. Reinken also read a proclamation by the city of Starke declaring that the date of June 15 would forever be known as Pastor Mike Moore Day.
It was then time for the night’s honoree to say a few words. Referencing all the kind things he had heard said about him, Moore said, “It’s so easy to pastor people like you. It’s been such a great joy.”
Moore said his family paid a price for the amount of time he devoted to the ministry. His main focus upon retirement will be his wife, his children and his grandchildren.
“I’m going to put my ministry on pause for a little bit and absorb some real-life experiences with my wonderful family,” Moore said, adding, “God has given me this beautiful family. I would not be the man I am today if it wasn’t for them.”
In closing, Moore stressed to those gathered that “Christ is the only way,” saying that in tough times, don’t react until asking yourself how Jesus would react.
“If you stick to that, you’ll get the answer, and things will work out,” Moore said. “He is the way, the truth and the life in all things. I give all glory to God for the great things He has done, especially putting you in my life. May the Lord bless you. Amen.”
