Pastor enthused about his new 'hive'
By From staff reports
Published in News on August 28, 2015 1:46 PM
The Rev. Colby Leonard ministers like the beekeeper he is.
He stands behind the "hive" of Daniels Memorial United Methodist Church and allows his parishioners to fly about as he works in the background.
The 26-year-old, bow tie wearing pastor has only been at the church since July 1, but he is already leaving his mark.
"The pastor, the beekeeper, is supposed to be behind the scenes making sure people are growing in faith," he said. "We're moving things around so the church can grow in efficiency, not necessarily moving everything all around at once, as a beekeeper you get stung, as a pastor you can do more damage than good if you change everything at once."
Colby wants the members of Daniels Memorial to become involved in the community. Already, the parishioners have helped with the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Hearts Apart dinner for families with members deployed.
On Oct. 4 after church, he will gather his church for an All Saints Luncheon.
Another activity to new to the schedule is hosting a monthly Parents Night Out where volunteers watch children at the church, giving married parents some much needed relaxation time together.
"The Methodist wedding liturgy says everybody present promises to help in whatever way possible for that marriage to grow and be nurtured in faith," he said.
He has been married for three months to Sarah Leonard.
Sarah commutes from Goldsboro to Duke University where she is beginning her first year of divinity school. Duke is the premiere Methodist Seminary in the country. Colby graduated from the program recently.
"I felt called to be a pastor in college," he said. "I started off as a pre-med major. I did organic chemistry, biology and all that. I enjoyed those classes, but I felt called, and when the Lord calls, you answer."
Both he and his wife are from Alabama.
The transition to Goldsboro has been easy for him.
"The congregation is exceedingly loving, I think I can boast with confidence that I have the most loving church," he said.
His church has up to 70 worshippers on Sunday. He hopes to build a ministry not focused on a pastor, but rather on faith. Pastors in the Methodist religion move around a lot, so he says there is not a feeling of permanency. While he is here, he wants to teach and nurture his members.
"It's one of those things where you have to be a real person," he said. "The hope here is that we'll tap into something deeper and that will be what the church is about."