Bowling Green welcomed four new head pastors last month, all of whom are excited to bring their diverse experiences to their new congregations and the community.

The Rev. John Thomas

The Rev. John Thomas took over as pastor of Holy Spirit Catholic Church June 11, after spending two years at Christ the King in Madisonville. His previous parish had about 300 members, compared with more than 1,000 at Holy Spirit.

“In a small church, you’re everything,” Thomas said. “You’re the secretary, you’re the RCA coordinator, you become a maintenance person, you become the person that schedules because you don’t have a staff. Here, in a way, I can be more present because I have a staff to help me.”

He was surprised Bishop William Medley reassigned him after just two years in Madisonville, but he’s excited to be at Holy Spirit, which also has a new associate pastor, the Rev. Daniel Dillard.

“People keep saying this is a promotion,” Thomas said. “I don’t view it like that at all. It’s an assignment. I’m honored the bishop would have confidence in me to send me here. I’m just as happy to be here as anywhere.”

He grew up in Union County, where his parents still live and where he tries to visit on his days off. He left home at 17 to attend St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in Indiana, where he was ordained 20 years ago.

Thomas has three immediate goals at Holy Spirit: to preach and proclaim the word, to offer the sacraments and to promote acts of charity.

“That is at the root and the basis of everything I do, those three things,” he said.

It’s a double-edged sword stepping into a parish where the previous pastor, the Rev. Jerry Riney, served for 16 years and had a wonderful relationship with the community.

“The blessing is the curse,” Thomas said. “The blessing is that I’ve moved into a parish where the pastor was loved and the pastor worked hard. The curse is that Father Jerry was loved in the community. It’s the same thing.”

The Rev. Dr. Jay Smith

The Rev. Dr. Jay Smith also comes to Bowling Green from Madisonville, where he was the district superintendent for 70 United Methodist Churches. Now, he’s transitioning back to the ministry at State Street United Methodist Church, where June 30 was his first Sunday.

Getting back into the routine of preaching every seven days has been amazing, but also takes discipline, Smith said.

“I’ve missed that part of the rhythm it adds to your life,” he said. “To me, it’s very life-giving.”

Smith grew up attending a Methodist church in Madisonville and always saw church as a good place.

“The church has always been a place I was loved and accepted. It was always home,” he said. “My family was one of those that was there whenever the doors were open. I know that’s not an experience a lot of people have, but it really grounded me.”

He felt called to the ministry in high school and attended Methodist colleges throughout his higher education, receiving his undergraduate degree from Kentucky Wesleyan College and theology degrees from Emory University and Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

“It was refreshing that I really realized I was Methodist all along,” Smith said. “In seminary, I really realized I was home in the Methodist Church.”

He’s excited and energized to help State Street United Methodist discover its role in the community and the world.

“Right now, I want to get to know the community and build relationships and help them discover where God is calling us next,” Smith said. “These people have been serving Christ long before I got here and will be serving Christ long after I leave. It’s a tremendous church with a great history, and I feel honored and blessed just to be a pastor here.”

The Rev. J. Earl Coker

The Rev. J. Earl “Judge” Coker began June 30 at Greenhill United Methodist Church after retiring from full-time ministry.

“I don’t think God ever gets finished with a person,” he said. “Once you’re committed to Christ, you stay committed to Christ. The gospel needs to be told.”

Though he was ready to retire, Coker didn’t want to give up the ministry altogether, so coming to Greenhill United Methodist allows him to phase out his retirement by being a part-time pastor here. His new church is about a quarter of the size of his previous one, the United Methodist Temple in Russellville, but he doesn’t expect to be idle at Greenhill United Methodist.

“Just because we’re a small church doesn’t mean we’re not a busy church,” he said. “We do all the things that large churches do.”

Coker was attracted to the church because of the social activities and outreach ministries offered there.

“The church (motto) is ‘it’s a small church with a big heart’ and they do indeed have a big heart,” he said. “We’re off the beaten path, but it’s worth the drive to get here.”

Originally from Lenoir City, Tenn., Coker received his divinity degree from Memphis Theological Seminary. His wife Shelia grew up in Bowling Green, and the couple now lives in Smiths Grove.

“We’re just looking forward to the opportunity to be in the ministry,” he said. “This is what God called us to do. We’re kind of of the opinion that God does not call one (spouse) without calling the other.” 

The Rev. Rob Ballard

The Rev. Rob Ballard arrived June 25 to lead Faith United Methodist Church after three years of mission work in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he befriended and helped citizens in the aftermath of reconciliation with the Irish Republic.

“We were just there to try and be a Christian influence,” he said.

He had always wanted to minister abroad and enjoyed the chance to do so, but after spending three years in Belfast and visiting 49 other countries, Ballard decided it was time to return to the U.S.

“My visa expired and I felt the Lord was saying my time there was up,” he said.

Ballard has a multi-denominational background. He went to a Methodist seminary, the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, but was ordained in the Christian Church and worked with a Presbyterian Church while in Belfast.

Before his time abroad, he had been a pastor in Todd County, so he pursued settling in Kentucky again. He had even been inside Faith United Methodist years ago for a conference and recalls being impressed with it, so he is excited to lead the church. 

“I thought it was a dream come true to be the pastor here,” Ballard said. “I think a lot of good things are going to happen in this church. We’ve got a lot of good people.”

One thing he hopes to do at Faith United Methodist is use his international connections to organize a mission trip for church members to make a difference in another culture.

“In my travels and ministry around the world, I’ve learned a lot of things that the Lord is doing around the world and I want to impart that and see how we can be a part of that,” he said.

— Laurel Wilson covers faith and general assignments for the Daily News. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/FaithinBG or visit www.bgdailynews.com.