At 94, he looks back on 42 years as a Methodist minister with a sense of great fulfillment. From boyhood, riding horseback with his father on the preaching circuit in Webster and Nicholas counties, J. Clair Jarvis knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- At 94, he looks back on 42 years as a Methodist minister with a sense of great fulfillment. From boyhood, riding horseback with his father on the preaching circuit in Webster and Nicholas counties, J. Clair Jarvis knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life.
That commitment carried him up the ministerial ladder, from his first assignment in a tiny coal town to his retirement here at St. Mark's, one of the leading Methodist churches in the state.
Later in life, he brought the same dedication to his longtime position as area vice president of AARP.
Age has softened his preacher's voice and weakened that distinctive lanky frame, but the gentlemanly kindness that endeared him to his congregations remains as strong as the first day he stepped into the pulpit.
"I grew up in Nicholas and Webster counties, where my father was a circuit-rider preacher. He let me ride the circuit with him sometimes. It was fun. I'd ride behind him on the saddle, kind of like taking a back seat. He had six churches spread over Nicholas and Webster. We lived in Camden-on-Gauley.
"He left home on Saturday and got back the following Monday, and he preached six times in those six churches. From my early years, I was committed to the ministry. I was a senior in high school and my father took me to a church conference in Webster Springs, and it was there that I felt the call and made my commitment.
"My father's impression on me had a lot to do with my decision to enter the ministry. He was a gentle, spirited man, much dedicated to his profession. I'm one of 10 children, the third from the top. I had an older brother and an older sister. She is still living in Grantsville. I felt that since my father raised us in the Methodist parsonage, someone out of our family should be dedicated to our professional father who gave his life to the call of the ministry.
"I went to Morris Harvey College. It was in Barboursville at that time. After that, I went to Duke University to seminary and spent three years there.
"My first appointment was a place called Lillybrook, in Webster County. It was in the coalfields. I had five churches and I rotated among them. I tried to get to all of them in the course of the month. We lived in a coal camp house and had one of the better houses. They were kind to the only bona fide preacher in the coal camp.
"Nobody had much money. They were paid in scrip. One Christmas Eve, at twilight, I was crossing the swinging bridge. One person could cross at a time. I started over and then saw that another man was halfway across. He wanted me to go back. When he saw it was the preacher, he started backing up so I could pass. Then he said he wanted to give me a Christmas present. He reached in his pocket and handed me two nickels. I never forgot that. I still have the nickels.
"I rode the Lillybrook circuit. We had a car. Elsie and I were married by that time, and she was teaching school while I was in seminary. She had bought a car on her schoolteacher's wage. It was a Chevrolet, a good-quality car. She largely turned that car over to me.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- At 94, he looks back on 42 years as a Methodist minister with a sense of great fulfillment. From boyhood, riding horseback with his father on the preaching circuit in Webster and Nicholas counties, J. Clair Jarvis knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life.
That commitment carried him up the ministerial ladder, from his first assignment in a tiny coal town to his retirement here at St. Mark's, one of the leading Methodist churches in the state.
Later in life, he brought the same dedication to his longtime position as area vice president of AARP.
Age has softened his preacher's voice and weakened that distinctive lanky frame, but the gentlemanly kindness that endeared him to his congregations remains as strong as the first day he stepped into the pulpit.
"I grew up in Nicholas and Webster counties, where my father was a circuit-rider preacher. He let me ride the circuit with him sometimes. It was fun. I'd ride behind him on the saddle, kind of like taking a back seat. He had six churches spread over Nicholas and Webster. We lived in Camden-on-Gauley.
"He left home on Saturday and got back the following Monday, and he preached six times in those six churches. From my early years, I was committed to the ministry. I was a senior in high school and my father took me to a church conference in Webster Springs, and it was there that I felt the call and made my commitment.
"My father's impression on me had a lot to do with my decision to enter the ministry. He was a gentle, spirited man, much dedicated to his profession. I'm one of 10 children, the third from the top. I had an older brother and an older sister. She is still living in Grantsville. I felt that since my father raised us in the Methodist parsonage, someone out of our family should be dedicated to our professional father who gave his life to the call of the ministry.
"I went to Morris Harvey College. It was in Barboursville at that time. After that, I went to Duke University to seminary and spent three years there.
"My first appointment was a place called Lillybrook, in Webster County. It was in the coalfields. I had five churches and I rotated among them. I tried to get to all of them in the course of the month. We lived in a coal camp house and had one of the better houses. They were kind to the only bona fide preacher in the coal camp.
"Nobody had much money. They were paid in scrip. One Christmas Eve, at twilight, I was crossing the swinging bridge. One person could cross at a time. I started over and then saw that another man was halfway across. He wanted me to go back. When he saw it was the preacher, he started backing up so I could pass. Then he said he wanted to give me a Christmas present. He reached in his pocket and handed me two nickels. I never forgot that. I still have the nickels.
"I rode the Lillybrook circuit. We had a car. Elsie and I were married by that time, and she was teaching school while I was in seminary. She had bought a car on her schoolteacher's wage. It was a Chevrolet, a good-quality car. She largely turned that car over to me.
"I was there about three years. It was one of the better camps in the industry in Raleigh County. I think my basic salary was $1,800 a year. We got along all right, mostly on Elsie's salary. She was teaching at Princewick.
"We next went to Romney. That was a great place to live, entirely different from the coal camp atmosphere. It was fruit-growing country in Hampshire County, the oldest certified county in the state. We spent three years there. The Methodists moved you around a good bit. My next appointment was in Clarksburg. It was a good place to live, a glass-producing industrial area.
"Next was Fairmont, then Wheeling, one of the oldest places in the state and an industrial area, too. We enjoyed the three years there. It was interesting moving from place to place. About the time you got settled, they would move you someplace else that was a promotion for you.
"From there, I had an administrative responsibility in Parkersburg as district superintendent. I directed 197 churches, and I still had opportunities to preach every Sunday. I was young and full of pep.
"I planned my sermons as much as a year ahead of time. Every time I thought of a good sermon topic, I charted it on this chart that I kept. I was constantly building sermons. I typed them. I had a typing course in high school, which was very profitable to me as I recorded things through my life.
"I came to Charleston, to St. Mark's. St. Mark's was my largest church responsibility. It was one of the leading United Methodist churches in the state. I was there seven years. I retired from St. Mark's, where I am pastor emeritus, a title without any particular responsibility. I go regularly. My attendance is dependent on the weather. I have a particular seat that is reserved for me.
"I was president of the United Methodist Foundation for maybe five years, then served as regional vice president for AARP. I was in charge of eight states and Washington. That organization has touched the lives of lots of people and it opened the door for me to travel from coast to coast, from California to New York, everyplace. I was an AARP officer for 13 years.
"It's been a good world to live in. I've had what I would call a good, wholesome professional life, opportunities to be involved in the development of the Methodist church in West Virginia. The strength of the church continues. I was a pastor for 42 years. I've christened at least 100 babies, performed at least 100 weddings and funerals.
"I want people to remember me as a successful minister who was concerned about the people in the local community. My father was 72 when he died. He was always proud of me as the ministerial successor."
Reach Sandy Wells at san...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5173.
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