Against All Odds, A Black Pastor in a White Man’s Town
By: Vivian Gordon
Nestled in a small, unassuming town in the mountains of
northern PA, is a place called DuBois. It is predominately
white and has been for decades. So to see a person of
color is rather a rare opportunity.
I first met Pastor Woody several years ago in a small country
setting church where we both were called by the Holy
Spirit. He went only by “Woody” at the time because he was
running from a point of depression in his life. His marriage
fell apart and so did his ministry of over 20 years. He was
turning his back on the pastorship and never told anyone
who or what he was. His secret came to the open soon after
the Holy Spirit had revealed him to the pastors of this
church we were both attending. Later it was confirmed
through some prophets who knew of his true calling. Try as
he might to escape it, he came to realize that he was still a
man of God.
Later this little ministry had broke up and left most of it’s
members wondering where we would go from here. Pastor
Woody stepped forward and offered to be our shepherd if
we wanted to be his sheep. He later admitted that he did not
know why he had done that, it certainly wasn’t his plan. He
did not believe it would go anywhere, but wanted to give us a
hope to follow nonetheless.
The handful of us who stayed with him voted on calling our
new ministry “What’s Happening Now” because it’s based
on what is happening now in the world today. Having no
where to meet, we gathered in the social room at the
apartment complex where Woody resided at the time. We
met every Sunday and Wed. evening for Bible study. Then he
was told that we could no longer meet there. Our Christian
beliefs didn’t go over so well in a town that doesn’t recognize
Christ. They did all they could to defeat our goal. Pastor
decided he would find another location. The Holy Spirit
guided him to a building to inquire about using. When he
got there, the owner said he was expecting him and offered
our ministry the use of it’s room for free of charge. We
continued to meet there and praise God’s name. People
came and people went during this time. It was nothing
fancy, and we didn’t have anything but the true word going
for us. Pastor, although discouraged at many times, said if
only a faithful few of us would continue to stay with him, that
was all he needed to do the Lord’s work.
Our small congregation wanted a regular church building to
call home. We discussed trying to find out about a small
church and parsonage in town that sat vacant for several
years. But when anyone tried to inquire the neighbors of it’s
owner, they were told to get off the property. It was obvious
that the people in town did not want a church to move in.
After several attempts to contact the owner with no success,
we decided it was not in God’s time or His will to persue it.
We let it go and never gave it another thought. Our pastor
would however drive by this church and pray that if it was
God’s will that He would open up a door for us to have it.
Six months later I attended a prayer session at a friend’s
church about 30 miles out of town. As I began to leave there,
a man came up to me and gave me his card. He introduced
himself and said he owned a small church in DuBois and
wanted to sell it to a church family. As it turned out, it was the
same church we had prayed for! God moved on this in His
time. It didn’t take long after this that Pastor Woody stepped
out in faith, gave up his apartment and moved in. People
told him he was taking alot for granted and said he was
doing things too fast. Pastor was adamant that this is what
God wanted. He said that God had already given it to us and
therefore he was proving it by his faith.
We made our first offer to purchase the building and it was
quickly accepted. We didn’t expect that, but what we really
didn’t expect was that this offer was also turned down and
the man who owned the building said all he wanted was for
us to pay the back taxes. He didn’t want anything for it! God
can move mountains when things are done His way and for
His good. Since Pastor Woody stepped out on great faith
throughout this whole process, God has blessed the first
black man to be a pastor in predominately white town.
It’s been a year since we have opened the doors to What’s
Happening Now Ministries in DuBois, and we have seen
people come and we have been blessed with new
members. Just as God had promised, He is building this
church from the foundation up. He wants to make sure it’s
on steady ground.
Our pastor has overcome some health issues. Many of
them were confirmed as hopeless, but they have over the
time reversed themselves, leaving the doctors quite baffled
and bewildered. For example, last summer Pastor Woody
broke his ankle and was told that because of his previous
health issues, it would take about a year to heal if ever. He
never doubt the powerful work of the Lord and claimed his
healing. Within the normal six week period, he was walking
and jumping around even better than before. Pastor Woody
is also legally blind, he has a difficult time reading and can’t
see to drive at night. But, he has undergone some surgeries
that still allows him to see well enough to read the Good
Word. He continues to beat all the odds.
Pastor Woody reaches out to the hurt and brokenhearted
children of the Lord. He bases his ministry on Luke 4:18
which says this; “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because
he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he
hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach
deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the
blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.”
This passage describes all of us at What’s Happening Now
Ministries to a tea. We are not perfect, don’t claim to be and
we know from where we all come from. Christ did not come
for the perfect, He came for the sinners who knew they
needed Him. We at What’s Happening Now Ministries may
look like a bunch of misfits but only to those who judge
God’s children. God says that once we are redeemed, we
are no longer under condemnation. God sees our hearts
and He has blessed our spiritual leader with the power to
feed His sheep and to hear the truth, the whole truth and
nothing but the gospel truth. Our pastor will not speak it
unless it is in God’s Word. Because of his faithfulness in not
obstructing God’s Word, many have left this ministry. Pastor
Woody will not serve up a banquet of desserts or junk food.
Too many people today can’t bear to hear the truth and so
get offended by it. All of us have been known to wear our
steel toed boots from time to time but only because we
know it’s for our own good. When God loves us, He will step
on our toes! But how else will we know how to grow into
righteousness? This is how God shows us how much he
loves us and so will our dear pastor, who loves us as his
own children. He prays that we will all grow in the same love
that God has for us.
Pastor Woody is a man who has beaten many of the odds in
a world that remains blind to the truth of God’s Word. We do
not pride ourselves on superficiality. We don’t have a large
congregation, we don’t have fancy instruments, we don’t
have a large praise and worship team, we don’t have many
things, but what we do have is pure and true to what is in
God’s will. God provides us with his true Word, His Holy
Spirit and a faithful few. Whenever two or three are gathered
in His name, He will be in the midst of them. We center all
our activity around the blessed name of Jesus. Because of
this, God is blessing the city of DuBois with Pastor Woody
who just three short years ago never dreamed this would
come to pass, but God knows the plans He has for us.
Pastor Woody opens his doors to all who want to come
inside whether they are black, white, male, female,
employed, unemployed, saved or sinner. Just as Jesus did,
Pastor Woody is there to meet the needs of all those who
desire a closer relationship with the Almighty Father.
Because he has been patient and in the will of God, Pastor
is certain that this ministry was given to him because he
was faithful and patient and did things in God’s time and will
and did not step out ahead and try and make things happen
his way. God has done a mighty work in our pastor and
continues to do so to this day. He can testify to God’s
manifestations that when you prove yourself to be a faithful
steward over all God has given you. Our pastor says what
he means and he means what he says. He does not expect
us to do things God’s way if he isn’t also doing them the
same way. He will never tell anyone to “do as I say, not as I
do” because he sets examples for all of us to follow. He
realizes that he is responsible for all God’s children and
takes that job seriously. If more pastorial leaders felt that
way, there wouldn’t be so many lost souls running around
today.
When so many disbelieving people in the community told
him he would never make it as a black pastor in this town,
he went right on believing that God is faithful to His
promises. God has certainly left these people looking
foolish in their own eyes. With God, anything is possible. As
a result, What’s Happening Now Ministries is continuing to
grow and thrive in the direction that God has intended. Our
pastor is living proof that God will use who He chooses.
When the noise of the world confuses you, just stop and
listen to His voice and you will be clear on your direction.
Vivian Gordon writes articles pertaining to God’s
instructions and the examples He has given us in order
to grow on this Christian walk with Him. She hopes that
they can inspire the Christian to grow spiritualy and
maturely in their lives.