Young Pastor From Mississippi College Preaches at Old Vicksburg Road Baptist Church
Old Vicksburg Road Baptist Church members feel blessed with 20-year-old Mississippi College student Jonathan Poe serving as their pastor.
“He’s always putting God first in everything he does,” says Mark Akers, 55, chairman of deacons at the small Clinton church. “He brings an unbelievable amount of wisdom.”
With 20 to 35 members attending most Sundays, the church was led by pastor Benton Preston for two decades before he died in April 2014. After preaching a few sermons when Dr. Preston missed due to surgery, Poe stayed on to assist the elder pastor.
Jonathan’s impressive work made him the clear choice as the church’s interim pastor in the summer of 2014. It led to his selection as the congregation’s official pastor in mid-December.
No doubt, “I believe Jonathan was sent here,” Akers added. “It’s a beautiful fit. He loves the people and we love him.”
Whether he’s cutting grass on the 9-acre church property, preaching sermons or greeting folks at the door, Jonathan brings enormous energy to his church in Central Mississippi. He’s constantly seeking God’s guidance regarding the church’s future in 2015 and beyond. “I prayed about it, and I really believe He will grow it,” Jonathan said. “I left it up to the Lord.”
Words like “humble” and “focused” stand out when the chairman of deacons describes their youthful leader. When people say nice things about Poe, the Mississippi College Christian Studies major deflects the praise. “He says it is just about God,” Akers says.
Poe has injected the tiny church in Hinds County with a touch of the Blue and Gold spirit. Jonathan regularly brings MC students with him to church. He’s also invited church-goers to a barbecue on the Clinton campus.
As leader at the church three miles from the MC campus, Jonathan is all in. He’s preached two funerals, visited patients at area hospitals, launched a Vacation Bible School, held Bible studies on Wednesday nights, put flowers on graves, and much more. There’s no task too small inside or outside the Lord’s house. “He’s helped people out,” Akers says. “He’s wise beyond his years.”
Deciding to preach didn’t happen right away. Growing up in a community near Meridian in Lauderdale County, Jonathan envisioned plans to attend East Central Mississippi Community College. He hoped to study forestry on the Scooba campus, and spend time riding tractors and moving timber for his career. A 2013 West Lauderdale High graduate, he never enrolled at East Central, although he still owns a tractor.
The Lord, instead, had different plans in mind for the future forester and led him to Baptist-affiliated Mississippi College. It was the school Jonathan first remembers visiting as a youngster attending Fuge Christian camps over the summer months in Clinton.
Today, Mississippi College leaders applaud his work ethic as a pastor and solid student on track to graduate in 2017.
“He is bright, vivacious and an eager learner,” says Wayne VanHorn, dean of MC’s School of Christian Studies and the Arts. “He is also easy going and easy to approach, a non-assuming type who gets along well with others. He takes ribbing well and is fun to be around.”
Jonathan is well-equipped to excel as a minister, VanHorn believes. It’s important, he says, to “not take offense quickly. That is a must characteristic.”
Jonathan’s road to Old Vicksburg Baptist Church began as a college freshman visiting various churches around Clinton. But one Saturday night, Jonathan asked God where to go Sunday morning, and got his answer: Old Vicksburg Road Baptist Church.
During that church visit, he spoke of his desire to become a pastor. Afterwards, Dr. Preston told the MC freshman of opportunities to serve the Clinton church. “I left knowing that day God had plans for me here, and that I needed to keep coming.”
Poe faithfully comes back to read the Bible and soak up its wisdom. One of his favorite passages is 2nd Timothy 1:7. “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”
At a Mississippi church that originated in the 1940s in west Jackson, changed its name and moved several times, Jonathan Poe provides the congregation with stability, leadership and sharp insights for a young man.
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