Pastor Carlton ‘Bud? Freed feels he is exactly where he should be.
Freed became pastor at First Missionary Church, in Independence Township, on June 12 after taking a break from pastoring so his twin sons could finish high school without moving.
After serving as an ordained Wesleyan pastor for 25 years, Freed spent the last three years as a hospital chaplain at a community heath center in Coldwater, Michigan.
‘I feel I’m standing exactly in the place God wants me to be in. I’m very excited,? said Freed, who is settling in with his wife Jane.
Freed sited both short and long term goals for himself and the parish.
‘As a new pastor, I’m just working at getting acquainted. For the church, I hope we are going to be a church that has a positive influence on the community,? said Freed.
Noting a denominational difference between Wesleyan and the First Missionary Church, Freed said there were some slight disparities, but he expects the transition to be smooth.
The prospect of working in Clarkston appealed to Freed, who said the area is a beautiful quiet community with close by conveniences.
Freed attributed his church devotion to his conservative Christian upbringing by genuine Christian parents. The family yielded three boys all of whom became pastors.
‘My parents set the Christian example and it had an impact on me. I think the world would be a better place if everyone had grown up with a family like I had,? said Freed.
Freed passed family values learned from his parents, on to his and Jane’s three sons. John, 24, is a youth pastor in Wisconsin. The 20-year-old twins, James and Joseph, are students at Indiana Wesleyan University studying political science and business marketing respectively.
The First Missionary church is located at 4832 Clintonville Road and offers Sunday services at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday school for adults and children (nursery age on up) is conducted separately at 10 a.m.
For more information on services, call 248-674-3186.