Two pastors begin work at First Methodist

By CAROL REEVES
Gazette-Times reporter

Though separated by more than 30 years in age and 40 years of experience, the new pastoral staff at First United Methodist Church share a lot in common — a good sense of humor, a desire to be near the ocean and an eagerness to reach out to the community.

The Revs. Jim Fellers and Courtney McHill will lead their first worship services Sunday at the 158-year-old church on the edge of Oregon State University. A welcome reception will follow the 10 a.m. service.

Both were appointed to serve the Corvallis congregation by Bishop Robert Hoshibata during last month’s Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference after the church’s former ministers, the Revs. Deanna and Paul Self-Price, were re-assigned to pastorates in Arizona.

The two had heard good things about each other but the annual meeting of United Methodists from across Oregon and southern Idaho provided their first opportunity to meet in person.

McHill, a recent seminary graduate, said she quickly realized she’d be able to learn a lot from such an experienced pastor.

Fellers said his first impression of McHill was, “Here’s someone with energy and enthusiasm.”

The pair took a break from moving into their new offices Wednesday to discuss their unique partnership and shared visions for ministry.

“It’s like a lot of relationships where we’ll probably find things that drive each other crazy,” Fellers laughed. “But we just need to respect each other’s spiritual journey and do a lot of talking.

“Hopefully, we’ll complement each other’s gifts and skills,” he said, adding that he expects the difference in their ages to be a positive thing as they relate to different generations.

Both were raised in Methodist families and were active in their church youth groups.

Fellers described his formative years as being a kind of “tribal village” experience. He knew he belonged and was loved in spite of all the troubles of the world that lay outside the walls of the church.

Until his senior year, he thought he might be a high school band teacher, but then he began to sense that pastoral ministry was what God wanted him to do with his life.

McHill nodded in agreement and said her experiences in the youth group at First United Methodist Church in Lebanon were similar. She stayed active in church while attending college in Salem and the first time she first stepped on a seminary campus, she said, “It felt like home.”

They are anxious to build the same kind of loving and affirming atmosphere within the Corvallis congregation.

“The church here already has lots of ministries and does a lot in the community. And I was really excited that it’s a Reconciling Church,” Fellers said of its membership policy, which welcomes gays and lesbians. “It’s great to be part of a congregation that says it’s open to everyone and means it.”

“I was excited too about its emphasis on the environment and that it’s a Natural Step congregation,” McHill added.

They pledged to continue to support the diversity already evident in the church, which offers three Sunday worship services that cater to different musical interests.

Fellers said he is a believer in a small group ministry “to help people get connected,” and McHill said she likely will focus on young adult ministry and more outreach to the Latino community.

“I’m just glad I get to put my seminary education to work finally,” she continued.

“When I got the phone call saying ‘We want you to go to Corvallis,’ I almost dropped the phone. I was really excited,” she said.

And she’s looking forward to returning to better coffee shops than she found in the Midwest.

“I really missed the Beanery,” McHill said.

The Rev. Fellers

WHO: The Rev. Jim Fellers, 61

WHAT: Senior pastor at First United Methodist Church, 1165 N.W. Monroe Ave.

HOMETOW N: Wichita, Kan.

EDUCATION: Bachelor of arts in psychology from Asbury College in Wilmore, Ky., 1966; master of divinity from Emory University in Atlanta, 1969.

EXPERIENCE: Fellers has served 33 years as a pastor at churches in Georgia, Alaska and Oregon, including Pendleton, Newberg and Portland. He also served seven years as superintendent of about 40 United Methodist churches in southern Idaho before coming to Corvallis from Nampa, Idaho.

FAMILY: Wife, Faye; two grown children, a son who lives in Tokyo and a daughter who lives in Idaho.

OTHER INTERESTS: Traveling with his wife, especially by train; hiking; playing the string bass, tuba and trumpet; and playing computer simulation games.

The Rev. McHill

WHO: The Rev. Courtney McHill, 25

WHAT: Associate pastor at First United Methodist Church

HOMETOWN: Lebanon

EDUCATION: Bachelor of arts in humanities from Willamette University, 2003; master of divinity from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in Chicago, 2006.

EXPERIENCE: Corvallis First United Methodist Church is McHill’s first pastorate.

FAMILY: Single; her mom and dad and the youngest of three brothers live in Lebanon.

OTHER INTERESTS: Reading; visiting friends in Portland; playing the violin; and listening to music, especially at good coffee shops.

Carol Reeves covers religion for the Gazette-Times. She can be reached by e-mail at carol.reeves@lee.net or by phone at 758-9516.