Andy Myers and Pastor Joe Palmer
Pastor Joe Palmer of Fellowship Baptist Church in Kearny led the congregation in worship on Sunday, Feb. 4, for the last time. The parking lot was full and cars trailed down the street. Inside, Pastor Palmer introduced Andy Myers from Casa Grande, who will begin serving as Interim Pastor this week. Pastor Palmer led the people in the Holy Communion service and, after a final song and prayer, greeted people at the church door.
Pastor Joe, as he is familiarly known, has been the pastor for twenty years. “Twenty years, seven months and thirteen days, to be precise,” Pastor Joe said with a smile. “This day is important in my life.”
Pastor Joe and his wife, Suzy, began Christian ministry as missionaries in Taiwan. Both learned Chinese and later served in a Chinese congregation in Los Angeles, California. Then the call to Kearny came, with Joe serving as Pastor and Suzy teaching in the Ray Schools. Their children, Marie, Anne, and Kenneth, grew up here and went to school here. The ties are long and deep.
The Palmers will live in Kearny a while longer. Mrs. Palmer is teaching English classes at Ray High School. Pastor Joe will be brushing up his studies in Greek, Latin, and German. He intends to attend seminary and seek his Ph.D. with the ultimate goal of becoming a seminary professor.
Fellowship Baptist Church will, for the time being, enjoy the services of Interim Pastor Andy Myers. Pastor Myers is the Phoenix director of FlourishNow, a Christian organization facilitating church involvement in jobs, education, and the alleviation of poverty. He has been ordained for 20 years and has led ministry teams in Cambodia, Guatemala, and India. He is a trained interim pastor, which means he works with a congregation for as long as it takes to lead them into the choice of a long-term pastor.