Wayne Major
Pastor of Cowpens Charge UMC (Salem, St. Andrews, St Mark)
I grew up in the Methodist Church. In my early teen years, we had a minister appointed who began taking the youth to camp meeting. It was at camp meeting that I came to realize I needed Jesus, and I was saved at an altar of prayer there one year, and then called to ministry the next year. I began pursuing that call at a Methodist college, where I fell into some bad influences on campus and drifted away, a drift that eventually lasted 14 years.
On the 20th of December 1986, the Holy Spirit surrounded my house and began dealing with me until I surrendered and gave up the fight. Two days later, God let me know the call was not any different, and renewed that call to ministry. I have now served for a little over 20 years, and am now nearing retirement. It's been a long, trying but fulfilling time, I wouldn't trade where I've been for any other path.