EARLVILLE – In 2008, Earlville’s First Baptist Church found itself in need of an interim pastor. Jeremy Stopford, a Norwich resident and former pastor of the Beaver Meadow Christian Church, agreed to fill in until a full-time pastor was found. But after spending several Sundays working together, the congregation and the pastor decided to make the arrangement permanent.
Stopford, originally from New Rochelle and later Fort Lauderdale, first set out on his religious path while he was attending St. Lawrence College. “There I met Pastor Herman Underwood of the First Baptist Church of Canton,” Stopford said. As a brand new Christian, Stopford said it was Pastor Underwood who took him under his wing.
After his first year at St. Lawrence, Stopford made a big decision. After consulting with his parents, he decided to transfer to a college Underwood was familiar with in Canada: Seaway Baptist Bible Institute. “There I met a young girl from Norwich. We were married a year later,” Stopford said of his wife, Thuvia.
After college, the Stopfords moved back to Norwich, where Jeremy worked as a welder for 7 years before he took a civil service exam to become employed with the Norwich Police Department. From 1983 until the present, Stopford has worked as a dog control and parking enforcement officer with the department.
It wasn’t until 1986 that Stopford was called to his first position as a pastor. That year, Stopford was asked to serve as the pastor of the Beaver Meadow Christian Church. After 20 years of service, Stopford resigned from the post, with no plans to return to being a pastor. “I thought I was just going to sit back and help out,” Stopford said.
Then, he explained, a year ago, he received a phone call asking if he could fill in one Sunday at the Earlville First Baptist Church. Although Stopford had never been to the church before, he agreed to help out. At the end of October, Stopford was asked to pastor temporarily until January.
By mid-December, Stopford said he and his wife were both falling in love with the people in the congregation, but they agreed to wait and see what happened. “A week later, the pulpit committee asked if I would consider candidacy for the position,” Stopford said. After praying for a couple of weeks, Stopford and his wife decided to go for it, and on Jan. 11, the committee unanimously voted to appoint Stopford to the position.
On Sunday, the First Baptist Church will hold an installation service for Stopford at 3 p.m. at the church. Stopford explained that while he has conducting services at the church for several months, the installation service will serve as his introduction to the community. “What I learned in Beaver Meadow is that 99 percent of a pastor’s work is not what takes place during Sunday School or the morning service. It’s being there the rest of the week and coming along side of people during times of hurting and times of joy,” Stopford said. “Those may be people that never come to church, but that’s the real ministry.”
According to church member Amanda Dunham, the Earlville First Baptist Church was started in 1802, and the current building was dedicated in 1888. The church currently has a membership of approximately 139, with 51 active members, 65 inactive and 25 non-residents. “We are a close family where everyone has a purpose,” Dunham said. Of Stopford’s appointment as pastor of the church, Dunham said the congregation was thrilled. “We look forward to growing in Christ together.”
While some churches measure their success in the number of faces they see on a Sunday morning, Stopford says he measures it differently. “To me, success in the long-term is how many residents of the community feel you as the pastor or the church have come alongside them. Jesus met people where they were and loved them as they are. That’s my goal to met people where they are.”
The Earlville First Baptist Church is located at 9 West Main St. in Earlville.