The Completion of an Era…
Dr. James L. Cherry. Sr.
Retires After 54 Years in Ministry
INTERVIEWER – Greetings Pastor Cherry. I would like to thank you for taking the time to talk to the Upstate New York Gospel Magazine.. I would like to talk to you about your history here at Aenon. I know that you are retiring after over 50 years of service.
PASTOR – Thirty-three years here at Aenon and 54 as a pastor in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and here at Aenon.
INTERVIEWER – How did you know that you were being called to the ministry?
PASTOR – The Bible says that many are called but few are chosen. When I came out of the Marine Corps in 1956, my wife and I had been married about two years. The Lord let us to Brownsville, PA where I began not my preaching ministry but serving God through ministry at Mount Lebanon Baptist Church, pastored by Dr. William B.
Richardson. He started me working as a Sunday School teacher for all young people. The class grew so large, he gave me the boys to teach and my wife the girls to teach. Then he placed me on the board of trustees. He put me on the board of deacons. Eventually, I became the minister of music, directing all five choirs of the church. It was while I was minister of music that I grew in my ministry by attending Bible class, teaching Sunday School (and) working with the board of deacons. I grew closer to the Lord.
My brother had given me a book entitled, “So You Want to Preach” that was the only book in my bookcase. Early one morning when I got up, I picked it up and threw it on the floor. I felt in my spirit that I was called to preach. It was a cold day and we had a coal furnace in our home. I went down in our basement to make a fire so it would be warm when my wife and kids got up. When I got there, water had seeped in and saturated all of the coal. Knowing you can not make a fire with wet coal and I had no wood, I said to the Lord, “All right, you want me to preach. You help me start this fire.” I put paper and wet coal in the furnace. In less than five seconds there was a flame of fire. That is when I knew for certain that the Lord had called me into the ministry. I began to thank God for calling me because the Bible says (I Timothy 1:12) “… I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, who has enabled me for that He counted me faithful putting me into the ministry.” I have held onto that Scripture ever since. To put it simply, I prayed that the Lord would make me worthy of this calling and that He would fulfill all of His goodness in my by the work of faith with his power. From that moment on, nearly 55 years ago, I have been in preaching ministry. We worked for a while. We built a new home in our early ministry so I have to keep a job. I was a supervisor in a post office. I became assistant to the postmaster. The entire good thing about that, I got a pay raise. I didn’t have a big job, but I had big pay. From then on God just directed our ministry. For our first two churches, we not only pastored, but we worked until we went to Philadelphia in 1969. That was when I became a full time pastor. From 1969 until 2014, we have been in full time ministry, trusting God for our earthly means and things of that nature.
INTERVIEWER – You tend to say “we.””. We know behind every good man there is a great woman. Tell me about your wife, First Lady Eunice Cherry (The Cherry’s were married 60 years June 28).
PASTOR – The reason I say “we” is because we are in the ministry as a team, although my wife does not want to be called a “minister.” I do believe that God wanted her to be my wife and partner in the ministry years ago. While I preached and pastored, my wife raised our family, encouraged me and put no stumbling blocks in the way of my ministry. So all we have done in the ministry – here at Aenon, the Nazarene Baptist Church in Philadelphia, the Bethlehem Baptist Church in McKeesport, the Mount Rose Baptist Church in Uniontown and Rising Star Baptist Church in Adah, when we first started – my wife has been right by my side, encouraging me and sometimes advising me, very few times correcting me. I believe we have been quite successful as a pastoral team.
INTERVIEWER – I would agree with that since I have been under your leadership and guidance for many, many years. I hear a lot of people refer to you as a pastor’s pastor. What does it mean to you when people call you a pastor’s pastor?
PASTOR – Here at Aenon, I licensed my 11th minister in March. There are nine at Aenon, plus my two sons – so 11 ministers have come under my leadership, tutoring or mentorship. I have been blessed by God to assist other ministers and pastors in their ministry. Every pastor at some time needs a pastor. I have tried to be there for pastors who need someone to share, to talk to. I tried to be that person, letting them know I would be faithful to God and faithful to them. I would never be disloyal to them. I would always tell them what God tells me to tell them. I would not put James Cherry (first), but I would put what the Lord says. That’s why they called me a pastor’s pastor, because pastors come to me. Some are young and some are not so young. They feel that they can come to me and I will counsel them according to the Word of God. I am proud to believe and hear people say that I am a pastor’s pastor.
INTERVIEWER – You have been involved in the Rochester community for nearly 35 years. What have been some of your greatest moments, your greatest memories?
PASTOR – Well, first of all becoming the pastor of the Aenon church. We came here from Philadelphia, pastoring the Nazarene church, not knowing what to expect, but understanding that there was a great pastor before me by the name of Pastor Murphy Greer. A church that is set near the heart of the city. I was asked by the search committee if I would make Aenon a community-serving church. I said, “Yes.” Since coming to Aenon, through God’s leadership, it has become a community-based church. We have had some wonderful moments. I served on the different boards in this city or community such as the Urban League. At one time serving on the United Way and knowing how much money United Way is putting in our community through different organizations. I also served on the boards of Baden Street, Boy Scouts and the YMCA and on the board of ABC (Action for a Better Community). Those are great moments. I guess I have to say one of the greatest is that at least seven churches began out of the Aenon Church. Those were shining moments for me and for my heart here in Rochester.
INTERVIEWER – I know your participation reaches beyond Rochester. You are also involved in regional, national and international organizations. What can you tell me about your participation outside of Rochester?
PASTOR – Well, there is a convention called Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission. When we came here, I had been serving on the board for like 30 years. I was also a part of the Progressive National Baptist Convention. Aenon was a part of the National Baptist Convention, but they were not a part of Lott Carey. They asked me would I join the National Baptist and also stay with the Progressive. I told them that I would join the National and leave the Progressive… but I would ask them to join Lott Carey. Since that time, we have upwards of 18 people go every year to the Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention. We have just as many who travel to the National Baptist Convention. I have held office on the board of directors for Lott Carey since 1967 and I have been a statistician for Lott Carey since 1975. I have served as a teacher in the National Baptist Congress. Lott Carey came to Rochester for two of their conventions, being invited by the Aenon church. So those are the hallmarks that I look over because you are doing the Lord’s work, but in a broader sense.
INTERVIEWER – What do you view as your main accomplishments in the ministry?
PASTOR – Well, here at Aenon one great accomplishment was our renovation. When you undertake your renovation, that’s stepping out on faith, because sometimes you step out on faith and you are never able to complete the building or to pay for it. God permitted us to do all of this work – millions of dollars – and pay for it in a record amount of time. So now, out of all we have done in this church, we are, I guess we would say, debt free. We are blessed to have quite a bit of money in investments. As pastor, you don’t know everything, so you have to have faith in people. We have men who know finance. I am the pastor and by trusting them, we are sound and solid financially, spiritually and numerically. I am proud of that. Not bragging – just spiritually proud.
INTERVIEWER – What advice would you give to young ministers?
PASTOR – Be certain of your calling, because the Bible says “Many are called, but few are chosen” The ministry is an attraction to some men and women, but also the ministry is hard work. The Bible says don’t put your shoulder to the plow and look back. Once you accept the call to the ministry, you should first prepare yourself. Do as much schooling as you can in the right places. Then be committed first to God, then to the ministry. If you happen to have a family and be married, then be committed to your family. I would tell a young minister to find a pastor that he can sit under, who will mentor him and to watch that pastor. Be active in the church. Most pastors want to become full-time pastors. That means you won’t have a second job. My advice to young ministers is don’t go full time until it’s time. Don’t say, “God is sending me.” Make sure it’s not ego sending you because where God directs, God provides and God protects. If you do that you will be successful.
INTERVIEWER – Pastor what is your take on women in the ministry? I know you ordained a female in March. How has your perspective on females in ministry changed over the years?
PASTOR – When I first came to Aenon, I had pastored a church in Philadelphia where a woman could not teach a man in class because there is a Scripture in the Bible that says that a woman should not usurp authority over man. In most churches you attend, 60 percent or more of the membership would be female. I have watched women in the church. They are committed. They are spiritual. They depend on the Word. I asked God how did He want me to treat women who said they are called to preach. I sincerely believe God spoke to me and gave me an incident of testament from the Bible. When Jesus rose from the dead, the first message He said to His disciples, He sent it by a woman. He told her to go and tell my disciples and Peter. That was Mary. I know there are men who yet teach, and some are my friends, and are firmly against women in ministry. But I have watched their lives. I have watched their commitment and I have become a believer that God can call whomsoever He will to carry the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. So I don’t stand between any women. I don’t push it on other pastors but I believe that God does call women in the ministry and they make good leaders across the years.
INTERVIEWER – What do you want your legacy in the ministry to be? What do you want people to remember about you?
PASTOR – Remember that I loved the Lord; that I taught and preached the Word of God; that I loved the people as pastor. I think that Christ taught us that the ground at the foot of the cross is level. I have tried to treat all people with the same respect, whether they are young or old. I love the ministry. I love going to the hospital, my wife and I, early in the morning, in a late afternoon in ice and snow or late at night to comfort a family. I have buried so many people from this church. In some families I have buried over 10 people. I don’t bury church members, I bury friend. So I am hurt, when they are hurt. I would like my legacy to be that I was a truly a man of God. I was truly a pastor who stood on the Word of God, who was led by the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ and who really demonstrated he loved his people.
INTERVIEWER – What are your post- retirement plans. Is it relocation, speaking tour, golfing?
PASTOR – Well, Mrs. Cherry and I have purchased a home in Gainesville, Virginia. When 2014 is no more, we plan to move to Virginia. I have a son that pastors a church there – Bishop Wesley T. Cherry Sr. We plan to join his congregation as members. We have three children, six grandchildren and seven great- grandchildren. We plan to enjoy our family. I have some ministers that heard I am retiring and have called me. “You have to come and preach for me when you retire,” said a minister from Detroit. My goal is that when I retire not to quit preaching but to retire from preaching. Maybe preach sporadically, but have somebody preach to me. I love it, but I am looking forward to God giving me three things in my retirement: keep me holy, keep me healthy and keep me happy. And I will enjoy retirement. Now you mentioned golf. That is a sport I loved but as I grow older it loses some of its luster.
Also (post retirement) Mrs. Cherry and I plan on enjoying our grandchildren and enjoying ourselves. She and I doing what God has asked us to do, going when He wants us to go. But sometimes just sitting and doing nothing. Amen. Being a pastor is really a full-time experience and you have got to love it to do it. So I have loved it for 54 years. My hope for post-retirement days and years, and I hope there are many, is to serve God and to be used as a vessel in any way God want to use me.
By Karen M. Cornwell
