The church decorated for the fall season.
courtesy photos
First Universalist Church of Sampson County at Red Hill, Clinton, NC will celebrate their 140th anniversary on Nov. 10.
courtesy photos
Rev. Darrell Berger will return to Red Hill, where he was ordained in 1974, for the anniversary celebration.
courtesy photos
First Universalist Church of Sampson County at Red Hill, Clinton will celebrate its 140th anniversary during services Sunday, Nov. 10. Former pastor, the Rev. Darrell Berger, will return to Red Hill as the guest speaker.
“I’m thrilled they invited me back,” said Berger, who served as pastor from 1974-78.
Red Hill Universalist Church of Sampson County holds a special place in Berger’s heart. At age 26, it was his first church as a minister, fresh out of divinity school. Berger was ordained on the church’s anniversary back in November 1974.
“You don’t ordain a minister every day, so it’s very special,” Berger recounted. “And now, 50 years later, I’m going back and I’m honored to do so. It’s nice to come back on such a monumental anniversary.
“A person’s first church really sets the tone for how a minister will be,” Berger explained. “The main thing Red Hill did was to teach me to be myself, professionally.”
Berger recalled the job placement advertisement from 1974. He said some churches have very specific job descriptions to make sure the correct minister will fit specifically to a certain church, but Red Hill’s job description said, “‘We want a minister that we can love, and will love us.’ I’ve never forgotten that,” recalled Berger. “And I developed a sincere appreciation of the people in Sampson County.”
He said what really sealed the job for him was that the congregation said he might look at them as a congregation of grandmothers. He said his grandmother was his best friend, and that made him know Red Hill was the place he was meant to be.
As excited as Berger is to return to Red Hill, the church’s congregation feels much the same way.
“We’re excited to have him here. He came back in the ‘90s. We’re delighted to have him back again,” said church elder Billy Peterson.
Berger retired in 2017. He lives in Milford, Pa. with his wife, Dr. Kathleen Lyon, and two dogs, Violet the Corgi and Topaz the mini Aussie.
He still preaches occassionally, as he will do at Red Hill on Nov. 10. The depth of his sermon, he said, will be about the heart of the people of Red Hill Universalist Church, remembering his days at Red Hill, about the people of days’ past, and those still there. He hopes to tell the current congregation about their parents and grandparents who helped make the church what it is today.
Services begin at 11 a.m., Sunday. The current minister, the Rev. Chuck Yancey, and the congregation, welcome former members, friends, and visitors to attend this celebration.