THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 11, 1996 TAG: 9601100182
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TRUDY CUTHRELL, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 99 lines
AFTER 24 YEARS in Virginia Beach as a successful insurance agent, Larry D. Renfrow took up selling a different kind of ``life'' insurance as a United Methodist minister.
Renfrow, who grew up in the Res-pass Beach area of north Suffolk, expresses his own amazement that he's now a minister. A church-goer all his life, he recalls a night during a weekend retreat at Aldersgate United Methodist Church 14 years ago when he felt a warmth in his heart like never before. That's when a new passion for his faith gripped his life and eventually led him down the road to the pastorate.
Renfrow sees his mid-life calling to the ministry as advantageous. ``I have many real-life experiences to draw upon, and I can better understand the people I'm serving,'' he explained.
Those real-life experiences include Renfrow's, Judy, a home economics teacher at Western Branch High School and their two children. Matthew, 17, and Ashley, 11, are students in the Western Branch school district of Chesapeake.
Today Renfrow has no regrets. ``I absolutely know this is what I'm called to do,'' he said. ``It's where my heart is, and God has blessed me in so many ways . . . He has met every need.''
Since June, Renfrow has pastored the Whaleyville and Somerton United Methodist Churches, two small but active rural congregations about five miles apart on the south side of Suffolk.
According to Renfrow, his two new charges are very similar in character but with distinct personalities. Both are traditional and charmed by true southern hospitality. Theologically and doctrinally, these groups are ``conservative and Bible-based.''
``These people are very much like the early Methodists in their beliefs,'' Renfrow pointed out.
While Renfrow estimates that 80 percent of both congregations have been members of their respective churches for 15 to 20 years, more than half of the members of each congregation are under 50 years of age.
``There's a new spirit of excitement among these churches,'' Renfrow noted. Both congregations have doubled their average attendance since June with Whaleyville averaging in the 60-80 range and Somerton nearing 50 in weekly worship.
Each congregation boasts an active music ministry. ``Excellent choirs with our lofts full of singers,'' Renfrow pointed out. Betty Fowler directs the Somerton choir while Carolyn Brothers leads the Whaleyville group. And the two choirs merge their joyful voices for special occasions such as Christmas.
While following the traditional format of worship for Methodism, Renfrow's services have a contemporary flavor. There's a ``Children's Moment'' during morning worship and a special time for sharing ``Joys and Concerns'' which gives worshipers an opportunity to be more involved in the service. And there's always plenty of quick-witted humor and take-home practicality incorporated into Renfrow's expository sermons.
At present, both churches enjoy comfortable facilities with sanctuaries and educational space. Some refurbishing is going on to spruce up some aspects of the physical facilities while some additional programming is strengthening the spiritual structure. This summer's Vacation Bible School and a fall Lay Witness Week brought record crowds together - both members and community friends. A joint weekly Bible study on Thursdays at 7 p.m. and a combined bi-monthly youth fellowship on Sundays at 6 p.m. are attracting good participation as well.
Renfrow speaks with fatherly pride about his two flocks. ``One of my greatest joys is the small core group of families that have kept these two churches going through the years.'' And his hopes and dreams for the future - ``Not Somehow But Triumphantly'' we'll continue to serve Christ in this community.
The most outstanding quality that characterizes these two flocks is unmistakable. ``They both have great, great love for their church . . . It's not the kind of love that gets in the way of one's faith, but the kind rooted in memories of grandma being here, childhood baptisms and family marriages,'' Renfrow continued. ``It's the kind of love that characterizes the true body of Christ.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by TRUDY CUTHRELL
Larry Renfrow is pastor of two churches.
AT A GLANCE
Whaleyville united Methodist Church
Established in 1884
6200 Whaleyville Blvd.
Parsonage office: 986-3901/986-4587]
Sunday School: 9:45 a.m.
Sunday Worship: 11 a.m.
Bible Study: Thursdays, 7 p.m. (at Whaleyville United Methodist
Church on first and third Thursdays)
Somerton United Methodist Church
Established in 1881
Whaleyville Blvd. on Route 13 near the N.C. State Line
Parsonage office: 986-3901/986-4587
Sunday School: 11 a.m.
Sunday Worship: 9:45 a.m.
Bible Study: Thursdays, 7 p.m. (at Somerton United Methodist
Church on second and fourth Thursdays)
by CNB