church, Eufaula Church of God. After the hour-long trip home, I met him in his office at about 9:00. I said, “Pastor, I think I’m called to preach.” To which he responded matter-of-factly, “Yes you are, Jerry, and you will preach tomorrow morning.”

About nine years later, after having served as a youth pastor and music pastor for several years, I began to hear God’s call for me to be a senior pastor. A great opportunity opened up and I was sur- prised to find that the overseer was going to present my name. It was a church of about 250 in a major city. I was sure I was supposed to be there. When the state evangelism director met with the pastor’s council, I was their unanimous pick. I still remember his words on the phone, “Pack your bags, Son. You’re their pick.” We were so excited.

But on Sunday our excitement quickly turned to disillusionment when we got the call that the congregation had over- turned the council’s recommendation and gone with another pastor. I could not believe what I was hearing. We were so hurt and upset. I felt that the district overseer had betrayed me before the con- gregation, and anger welled up inside of me. Leslie and I were certain that church was where we were supposed to be, so this felt like a kick in the gut. But we had to move forward.

A couple of other opportunities pre- sented themselves, but Leslie and I didn’t feel good about them. Then the overseer called me about Glory Hill Church of God. Admittedly, a church called “Glory Hill” in the small town of Cullman, Alabama, did not seem like my destiny when I heard it. But something about this 60-year-old church of less than 100 people kept calling out to my spirit. With many questions in my heart, and several of my friends asking me if I had lost my mind, we accepted the call of God’s still, small voice to the sleepy little town of Cullman.

In the past nine years, God has turned Glory Hill Church of God into

a life-giving congregation of over 2,000 called Daystar Church. Along the way, He has taught us forgiveness, humil- ity, and servanthood, to name a few lessons. Here in Cullman, we’ve found everything we ever wanted—a place to follow the Great Commission, a place to mentor others, and a wonderful town to call home and bring up our children. I found out that sometimes God has to say “no” to our wishes so He can say “yes” to our destiny.

Jerry Lawson is senior pastor of the Day- star Church of God in Cullman, Alabama.

CALLED AS A

TEENAGER

by William Lee

OD USED THE passing of my father, William A. Lee Sr., to draw me toward Him. We were a churchgo- ing family, but I was a 14-year-old boy unsure of my relationship with Christ and eternal life. As I journeyed through grief and the many questions involved in the

G

death of my 42-year-old dad, who had been an absentee father, I eventually pur- sued a deeper walk with God. Self-confidence was an issue for me even though I excelled in school and did well in sports. However, a void—a feel- ing that I was not quite complete—was always present within me. During the funeral services for my father, I remem- ber my aunt, Jacquelyn Smith, speaking about her church and her relationship

with Christ as the sole force that sus- tained her through my father’s illness. That drew me to her church—the Spring- field, Massachusetts, Church of God— under the leadership of the late Edgar McNeil. This led me to truly commit my life to the Lord.

Whenever I consider my call to ministry, I am often taken back to the experience I had as a 12-year-old in the lower auditorium of Martin Luther King Jr. Presbyterian Church in Springfield. I was standing there with a choir robe as we were preparing to enter service when the choir director, the late Leah White, said to me, “Son, it’s all over you. You are going to preach the gospel.” I looked at her, smiled, and said, “Really, I seriously doubt that.” She replied, “You will see; God will show you.”

As I transitioned into the Church of God and a deeper relationship with Christ, I began to experience a burning desire to share the message of Christ. I can remember writing sermons as a 15-year- old as I imagined myself preaching, but there was always something in me that wanted to lean in another direction. I remember the first time I sensed God’s anointing on my life during a Friday

“As a senior in high school, I preached my first sermon with over 20 of my classmates present. I had six pages of notes and preached 12 minutes, but God used that little unorganized message filled with repeats to save several of my classmates that night.” —William Lee

night youth service as I was praying for other youth and broke into a spontaneous preaching mode. It really surprised me, but I finally came to the realization that this would be my destiny. So I accepted God’s will for me at the age of 17. As a senior in high school, I preached my first sermon with over 20 of my class- mates present. I had six pages of notes and preached 12 minutes, but God used that little unorganized message filled

EVANGEL • APR 2010 21