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St. James UMC Greenville honors 8 men
for their service to Christ

By Chris Garcia, June 24, 2011 - photos by Sandra Harvey

United Methodist Men of St. James United Methodist Church, Greenville, NC, honored eight of its members on May 20, 2011, at its inaugural Recognition Banquet. The event, held in St. James Fellowship Hall, drew a full house, including widows of deceased members who were remembered through an In Memoriam slide show presentation prepared by Chris Garcia and introduced by Bill Watson, Jr.

St. James UMC Pastor, Reverend Johnny Branch, opened the evening with a prayer asking God’s blessings on the honorees and the food prepared by Scott McCann and served by members of Girl Scout Troop 274.

The featured speaker was Reverend Dr. H. William Green of First UMC of Cary, NC, who spoke on “The Heart of the Matter Is ...,” on the heart as the center of men’s ministry. His talk fit in perfectly with the evening’s theme, which was the motto of United Methodist Men: Helping Men Grow in Christ, So Others May Know Christ.

The UMM of St. James UMC honored its kitchen crew members at a Recognition Banquet held May 20, 2011. (Left to right:) Tom Barrington, Woody Andrews, Dan Bishop, Robert Jessup, Reggie Davis, and Tildon Brittle received embroidered aprons for their years of behind-the-scenes service at UMM events.

Six of the eight honorees are members of the organization’s Cooking Crew: Woody Andrews, Tom Barrington, Dan Bishop, Tildon Brittle, Reggie Davis, and Robert Jessup. These men form the backbone of St. James UMM’s fundraising efforts by preparing the food for chicken barbecue dinners throughout the year. These men also lead the preparation of breakfast for UMM monthly meetings. As presenter Mike Tart said of the group, “These guys are like the Marines – they are usually the first ones in and the last ones out, and continuously provide excellent results.” As a token of appreciation from the St. James UMM, each member of the Cooking Crew received a certificate and an apron embroidered with the UMM logo and his name.

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of two Life Membership Awards. Prior to the presentation, Tom Pauling announced that the St. James UMM Life Membership Award would be presented in honor of two deceased men who were instrumental in building a strong organization of UMM at St. James, Les Garner and Herschel Williams. Members of both men’s families were special guests of UMM at the Recognition Banquet.  Other special guests were Rev. Dr. Green’s wife, Polly Green, and Mr. and Mrs. Tom Starnes. Mr. Starnes is president of the NC Conference of United Methodist Men.

Life Membership recipient Marvin Little is surrounded by his family after receiving his certificate and pin. (Left to right:) Teresa Little, Laura Little, Marvin Little, and Susan Little.

Tom Pauling gave the Life Membership award to member Marvin Little. Marvin has been very active at St. James since moving to Greenville and becoming a church member with his wife Laura in 1966. Marvin joined the St. James UMM right away, and has been an active member ever since, Tom said.

Marvin was the St. James UMM treasurer for many years and served as UMM president twice. He has participated in all UMM work projects. He helps cook and serve BBQ chicken for the St. James Spring Fling. Marvin has gone on a number of UMM work teams to Camp Don Lee, starting when Mitchell White led the effort. “We have some wonderful members of the St. James United Methodist Men but no one is more active and dedicated than Marvin Little,” Tom said.

Life Membership recipient Ed Yancey is congratulated by his wife Betty after receiving his Life Membership certificate and pin at the St. James UMC United Methodist Men's Recognition Banquet.

Mike Board presented the Life Membership to member Edwin Yancey. Mike related Ed’s journey of membership after moving to Greenville in 1969 and serving as a member of the cook crew before becoming president. When the Yanceys moved away, Ed continued active UMM membership in the Centenary UMC in Smithfield and the Benson Memorial UMC. After returning to Greenville in 1991, Ed rejoined the St. James UMM and has continued to serve the organization.

Mike quoted Ed’s explanation of why Ed has remained an active member of St. James UMM over the years. “The UMM program is important because: it is a service to its church and church members; it opens avenues of discipleship for its men; the monthly programs create awareness of needs and opportunities for service; and, when you work alongside someone, you come to know them better, you develop a bond of trust, and, therefore, you can accomplish more together.”