The pastor of Gainesville's First United Methodist Church got a phone call he hadn't received in 12 years this Spring.
Rev. Dr. Terry Walton got the call from a Bishop the Monday after Easter that he, Walton, would be on the move this year.
"That's kind of the way a Methodist preacher lives around this time of the year. You never quite know if you're going to move or not, and I'm grateful to have been here twelve years, and will do my very best to handle the new adventure I've been given," Walton said.
The adventure is his appointment as District Superintendent of the Atlanta-Marietta District of the United Methodist Church. Walton will replace Rev. Jim Lowery who has announced his retirement.
Walton said the district covers cities including Smyrna, Marietta, Kennesaw, Ackworth Canton and others.
"One thing that I'm being teased about (is) I'm such a big Braves fan that the new Braves stadium will be in my district, so everybody thinks that that's the reason that I'm really moving over that way, but it's not," Walton joked.
The denomination requires its directors live in the district they serve, so Walton and his wife, Sharon, will make the move soon. His last Sunday with Gainesville's First United Methodist Church will be on May 22.
"I'm really proud of these people. This is some of the strongest lay leadership of any church I have ever served in my ministry," Walton said.
He said the church is in a good place both in ministry and fiscal terms. In recent years, the church added on to its Thompson Bridge Road location to better serve children and youth.
"We'll have that facility paid off by the end of 2017, so there's not a whole lot that will encumber a new person coming into this setting, and that feels good to me," Walton said.
Walton said his replacement in Gainesville will be announced on May 1.
"I think whoever comes has a real blessing in store for them," Walton said.
