New pastor prepares to move church forward
By WILLIAM SMITH
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The Rev. Charles Downing loves to laugh. He has rows of Donald Duck figures on his shelves, some of which were given to him by his children. He even does a dead-on-impression of Donald Duck that sounds eerily similar to the rendition of the whacky water fowl made famous by Warner Bros. voice actor Mel Blanc.
And he’s never afraid to crack a joke.
“In the midst of laughter, you can learn something,” he said.
Downing will be giving his first sermon today as the new pastor for First United Methodist Church, which burned to the ground April 29. Since the fire, First united Methodist has been conducting joint services at First Congregational Church, which is without a pastor.
The Methodist church’s former pastor, the Rev. Dennis Tevis, has become a district superintendent and is serving on the cabinet of Iowa Bishop Gregory V. Palmer.
“I have to face the fact that there will still be grieving over the church. But many are ready to move on,” Downing said. “I will share a message of hope on Sunday. We’ve found ourselves at another church that has welcomed us, and that has been a gracious gift.”
Downing already has hit the ground running, meeting with Doug Anderson of the Bishop Reuben Job Center this weekend. Anderson has been taking the church through a two-day visioning process that will help Downing and the church board get a clearer idea of where they want to take the church in the future.
“He (Doug Anderson) has vast experience in helping churches and has helped other churches in the same situation,” Downing said. “This weekend is a key start to planning the future.”
Downing knew he was set to replace Tevis well before the church burned, and had even made some visits to the historic structure before the fire. He still remembers the call he got after the church fire.
“I said ‘What!’ I sat down and said ‘Tell me that again,’ ” Downing said. “I was devastated.”
Downing told his congregation at First United Methodist Church in Waterloo what happened that Sunday morning and joined them in a rendition of “We Are the Church.”
About 160 miles away in Burlington, members of the burned church gathered at North Hill Park that morning and sang the same song.
“God has helped me come to this congregation,” Downing said. “Out of the ashes, the Phoenix arises. There comes new life. I get to be here when that happens.”
As a native of Odebolt, Downing is in his 25th year as an elder of the Methodist church. His father owned an auto body shop in Odebolt for 35 years and made sure Downing had a religious upbringing.
“Church has always been there for me, and it has always been a place I can go,” he said.
Downing first started hearing the call when he was 12 years old, but wasn’t ordained as an elder until 1982. He recalled his decision to enter the ministry.
“I was 25, had three children and hadn’t finished college,” he said.
Downing moved on to become a graduate of Westmar College in Le Mars and earned his master’s degree in religious education and divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. He served as a pastor on the eastern shore of Maryland and was as an assistant pastor for Sioux City United Methodist Church, where he was responsible for the youth ministry and Christian education for children.
He found his Donald Duck impression to be quite useful with the young students.
“It makes a big impression with the children,” he said. “It is another way of teaching them.”
After becoming an elder, Downing served as an associate pastor for Iowa City First United Methodist Church for eight years and was then was senior pastor at Atlantic First United Methodist Church for 11 years.
Downing’s past six years have been spent as senior pastor for Waterloo First United Methodist Church.
He said he is looking forward to leading the church with the help of his wife, Karlee. The couple will celebrate their 40th anniversary this November and have four adult children and four grandchildren.
“I think it’s a wonderful change for the church,” said lay leader Jim Corder. “He’s at the family life stage where he is an empty nester and ready to focus all his efforts on the church. He’s a real people person and is quick to remember names and makes friends very quickly.”
Church office manager Melanie Lyon agreed. She has only been working with Downing for a couple of days, but is looking forward to his style of leadership.
“The only way to go is forward, and we can’t backtrack,” she said. “He is coming into a very difficult situation here, but I see good things ahead. Sometimes change is good.”
Tags: job, real people