A talk with the new UMC leader

By Susan Pugh

Published: July 18, 2008

For the Rev. Larry Davies, the first weeks of being the new Lynchburg district superintendent for the United Methodist Churches have been something of a whirlwind, albeit one he calls “amazing.”

He has been working to familiarize himself with each of the 91 churches in the district, which stretches from the heart of Appomattox County into Bedford County and from the middle of Amherst County into Campbell County.

“It’s exciting to see what’s going on in all these churches,” he said during a recent interview.

UMCs are big on mission work, Davies said, and he’s finding out just how large a commitment some small churches have made. For instance, he said one such church provides all the food and support for the annual Relay for Life anti-cancer rally in its area.

Other churches, whether large or small, also have made commitments of significant time and resources, Davies said. There’s one that continues to help with the post-Hurricane Katrina rebuilding efforts in Mississippi. Another has taken in the congregation of a fellow UMC, which lost its church building, and is sharing worship space. Yet another puts on a full meal each week for the area’s poor, as well as offering them donated clothing and canned goods.

Davies said he sees part of his new job as being the link between churches.

Part of his familiarization included hosting a get-together this week for pastors new to the district. Before the pastors sat down to eat, though, they were asked to help with a task so others could eat.

They joined Davies in bagging more than 5,000 meals for Stop Hunger Now. The Raleigh, N.C.-based charity, which was started by former UMC pastor Ray Buchanan and which has a facility in Lynchburg, sends meals to schools and orphanages everywhere.

Davies said one of the great things about UMCs’ mission focus is that it means that, “You can walk into any one of (the churches) and there’s almost always something going on you can invest in. They’re thinking about who’s around them and how to make a difference… .

“My honest feeling, the reason people don’t go to church is they don’t think it’s worth it.”

During his first weeks, Davies said he’s also finding out how some of the small churches are growing “like topsy.”

That might stem, in part, from the work of his predecessor, the Rev. David Drinkard, who made helping small churches one of his goals. District superintendents serve six-year terms, then return to work as pastors — which Drinkard did — or they retire.

Davies said outsiders might think of Lynchburg as “a one-church town.”

It’s anything but. The big churches have something special they can offer while small ones can offer a more intimate experience with personal attention – just as big stores are the place to shop for food and diapers, while coffeeshops like Starbucks are the places to go for specialty items, he said.

Davies said he sees part of his job as encouraging the pastors and members of churches large and small to realize “that what we do matters, that it’s really reaching people.”

In short, he wants tell them to keep on doing what churches do best.

“There are moments when we need God,” Davies said. “That’s what a church does best, is remind you that you are loved, you are special and you are forgiven.”