Methobab of God

 The Methobab of God

John Clare Stokes

When we moved to Sopchoppy, Florida from Vicco, Kentucky in June of 1955, I was five months old. My father was originally assigned to West Palm Beach but with the help of Dr ZT Johnson, President of Asbury College, he was reassigned to Sopchoppy, where hunting and fishing were more favorable. In 1955 the Methodist and Baptist Churches were on the same block and with the non-air conditioned windows raised, you can hear each others services. My father, who attended Asbury Seminary, a holiness bent institution and Methodist affiliated, preached unlike the generally liberal pastors of United Methodism. Maybe it was hearing the Baptists, but he had the title of Methobab, with his Baptist style preaching strong bent on repentance and a call to salvation. It carried through his entire ministry, sometimes making our stays only two years, as opposed to eight years in Sopchoppy-Crawfordville and ten in Williston. To the day, while I didn’t enter the ministry, I am a Methobab of God. We attend as our primary church Fellowship Baptist, a small country church with a loving congregation. We also attend Bronson Baptist when we are in Williston and the Williston Church of God pastored by my Williston Methodist friend Wes Smith with his mother Annetta the pianist, sisters Anneil, Pam and Becky in the choir led by sister Ginger. 

And….with the Lake City Global Methodist Church disaffiliating with the liberal United Methodist, we attend there again from time to time. It would be grand if we could all meet together, but until eternity comes, we will be Methobab’s of God.