Associate Pastor

What is the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you? A retired elder named Harold Cates, who served in Northwest Texas and New Mexico, once told a young elder, “Russell, when you get up on Sunday morning and you’re shaving, look at yourself in the mirror and ask, ‘Do you really believe what you’re about to say?’” I have never forgotten that advice. In fact, I still ask myself that question on Sunday mornings. It reminds me that authenticity matters as much as the words themselves.

What do you like about BCUMC? What I appreciate most about Bee Creek is the clarity it has gained about who it is. The church has come through a challenging season, but those challenges seem to have produced a greater sense of unity, purpose, and energy for the future. There is a real sense that something is happening here and that Bee Creek is moving forward. I’m grateful to have jumped aboard the train after and to help wherever I can.

What are you passionate about? For those familiar with the Enneagram, I’m a Seven, which probably explains a lot. I love experiencing new things—new places, new foods, new ideas, and especially opportunities to learn something I didn’t know before. I’m naturally curious and tend to get excited about whatever is interesting or just around the next corner. More than anything, I’m passionate about embracing as much of life as I can.

Bee Creek UMC is a community where imperfect people are transformed by the perfect love of God and change the world together. What does our mission mean to you? To me, our mission begins with the wonderfully reassuring truth that Bee Creek is a place for imperfect people—which is good news, because I certainly qualify. We come as we are and discover the love of God meets us there, but loves us too much to leave us unchanged. That transformation usually happens little by little, as we practice together loving God and one another, allowing that love to shape the way we welcome, serve, and care for each other and our neighbors. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of that mission—and especially grateful to serve in a church where perfection is not a prerequisite.