Published: June 20, 2008 09:59 pm         

Retiring pastor to be honored

With the clarity that comes from a diverse ministry that spans four decades, the Rev. Daniel B. Johnson looks back with a sense of fulfillment and forward with a sense of anticipation.

“I have not questioned my decision to retire. I know this is God’s will for my life and for the church. It’s hard because I’ve been at this church the longest I’ve served anywhere, so it has been emotionally harder for us to leave this particular congregation,” Johnson said.

Having served as senior pastor of United Methodist Temple for 13 years, Johnson and his wife Becky have long felt Beckley might be their retirement home. Both have strong ties to the community, not only through their years of ministry at UMT, but in Becky’s career as an elementary school teacher.

“We love Beckley,” she said. “As we’ve moved into new ministries at the different churches where Dan has served, we’ve always looked at that community thinking, ‘is this the place we might like to retire someday?’ We’ve both felt Beckley would be that place for us.”

Exchanging life in a parsonage for life with a mortgage might not be a cause for rejoicing for some folks, but the Johnsons are thrilled with their new venture as homeowners.

“This is our very first home, and we love it,” Johnson said. “This is something we’ve dreamed about and thought about all these years, and now it’s finally a reality.”

A native of Rainelle, Johnson earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from West Virginia Wesleyan College and a master of divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary. He completed additional studies at Faculty of Divinity, New College, University of Edinburgh, Scotland.

From 1989 to 1995, he completed continuing education and training in supervision, administration, program development, pastoral and spiritual oversight.

People who know Johnson well know that second to preaching comes his love for cooking. He has completed most of the requirements for a degree in culinary arts at Mountain State University.

Before taking on his role at UMT, Johnson served as pastor of the Hampshire Charge, Romney, worked as a staff member for Rep. Ken Hechler, associate pastor at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Charleston, pastor of St. Luke United Methodist Church in Huntington and senior pastor of Drummond Chapel United Methodist Church in Morgantown.

From 1989 to 1995, he served as district superintendent of West Virginia United Methodist churches in Parkersburg.

The retired preacher will apply his training and skills in a whole new way as an administrative assistant at Colony Drug and Wellness Center. Becky will continue teaching fifth grade at Lester Elementary School.

Worship, Johnson said, has always been the focal point of his ministry. His first glimpse of the high vaulted sanctuary and two-story stained glass window outlining a huge cross left him awestruck.

“Seeing the sanctuary at Temple and the sheer beauty of that place really moved me,” Johnson said. “I knew I would love leading and sharing worship with other believers there.”

The fact that all the furnishings in the sanctuary are portable was a boon for the minister and a bane for some parishioners who like to attend a predictable worship service every Sunday.

“For someone who doesn’t necessarily look forward to the same thing every week, Temple offers a lot of possibilities. We have tried to use that ability to create different kinds of worship spaces,” he said.

Although The Place was built during Johnson’s watch, he doesn’t take credit for the construction of the sprawling multi-purpose facility located near the church.

“All I did was go back and look at the original plans for use of the property when the church was moved from town up on the hill. There were three phases, and once the church was paid for, it was time to pursue the next phase, which was a building that could provide a variety of ways to touch the community. I just pushed for what the visionaries of Temple had already foreseen.”

Although remaining in town will mean they don’t have to sever ties with members of UMT, the Johnsons will not be part of its congregation — at least for some time.

The United Methodist Conference — this denomination’s governing body — does not allow ministers to become part of a congregation they’ve most recently served. The couple will spend the summer visiting other churches and spending time visiting friends and family members who live out of town.

“We have really solid life connections here in Beckley and we feel very blessed to be able to maintain those, but it is still difficult to say goodbye to the congregation at Temple. Those folks are very special to us,” Johnson said.

The Johnsons’ three children and two grandchildren will join them Sunday for the 11 a.m. worship service in the sanctuary and for a “Celebrating 40 years of ministry” service from 3 to 5 p.m. at The Place. The public is invited to both events. The Rev. Patricia Jarvis from Charleston will speak at the worship service. The afternoon celebration will include light refreshments, some special entertainment, a video scrapbook and time for visiting with “Pastor Dan and Becky.”

— E-mail:

bdavis@register-herald.com