If one of the goals in life is to leave things better than we found them, the Rev. Harvey Fry has succeeded admirably at the Oxford Free Methodist Church.
When Fry first arrived here as a ‘troubleshooter? in July 1999, he found a church suffering, a church divided against itself, a church where the focus was more on ‘me? than on God and others.
‘There were some deep-seated, long-term problems,? he said. ‘There were too many (people for whom) it was all about them.?
Nearly eight years later, a church survey conducted in November identified ‘friendliness/caring? as Oxford Free Methodist’s Number One strength and the ‘feeling of family? as the main reason most people continue to attend every week.
‘You really feel like you’re on the same page, people get along,? Fry said. ‘I’m not saying it’s utopia. We’re individuals. There are differences of opinion. But when there’s a right spirit, it just makes all the difference in the world.?
With his mission accomplished, Fry was given his marching orders to move on to his eighth church in 36 years with the ministry. He’s not permitted to say where he and his loving wife of 39 years, Barbara, are headed until a final decision is made.
On Sunday, he presided over his last service at the church on M-24 and said goodbye to his flock.
‘The greatest reward of the ministry is the relationships, the friendships that you build,? Fry said. ‘That’s probably the downside of being a pastor is that you have to say goodbye at times.?
‘People here in the community, particularly in the church family, have been very good to us,? he noted.
Fry was grateful to have had such an ‘excellent? associate pastor, Michael Alexander, who took over as senior pastor, and a ‘superb? secretary, Rita Hopkins.
In addition to his staff, the church’s lay leadership has been a ‘really good, good group of people to work with? and Fry knows he’s leaving things in very capable hands.
‘When you have a good group of people to work with, it’s a joy,? he said. ‘It’s the people that you work with most closely that can make or break you.?
Although he’s sad to leave, Fry knows he’s leaving behind a church that offers a shelter, a safe haven from a world filled with isolation and loneliness.
‘The world can be pretty impersonal,? he said. ‘Companies move people around at random … People work in little cubicles and never know the person in the cubicle next to them.?
To combat this, Oxford Free Methodist has created a ‘genuine feeling of family, caring and nurturing,? Fry said. ‘A feeling that somebody genuinely does care about me. I matter.?
‘That’s what people are looking for,? he noted.
Helping create an environment of unity and harmony, a place where people feel truly connected, was no easy task given the church’s troubled past.
Bringing the church together was ‘the most challenging (job) I’ve ever had in my 30-plus years? in the ministry, Fry said. ‘It was a very painful process, always is.?
But in the end, it was well worth it.
In his final message to his congregation Sunday, Fry urged them to always ‘keep hope alive,? especially when the clouds roll in and the days grow dark.
He passed out rainbow-colored pencils to remind them of the rainbow God showed to the passengers aboard Noah’s Ark to restore their hope when the world was lifeless, filled with water and all seemed lost.
‘When you feel that hope is fading fast, I hope you’ll hang on to this little pencil, look at the rainbow and remember … if you’re hope is in the Lord, He will renew your strength and you will soar on wings like eagles,? Fry said.