The Rev. Chuck Horton is settling in as the pastor at the First United Methodist Church in Weatherford.
He said the process has been “fast and furious,” visiting members of the congregation, learning the layout and working with those who are grieving.
Horton also has been invited to the local Rotary Club and has attended his first Minister Alliance meeting.
The Rev. Horton previously served as an associate pastor at the Tulsa First United Methodist Church before he was appointed to serve in Weatherford.
“Up to that point in my ministry, with the exception of 2 years right out of seminary, I was a lead pastor of a church,” Horton said. “I just started missing preaching and helping steer things, and I was just in charge of one area.”
When he received the call asking him to take a lead pastor position in Weatherford, he was ready to take it.
The Rev. Horton and his wife Nancy already were familiar with the Weatherford branch of the church. The couple had visited the area several times to see their daughter Elizabeth Horton-Ware who worked as the campus minister for the local branch of the Wesley Foundation college ministry. The Hortons also attended some special services in Weatherford.
“I’ve been in the vicinity, and I’ve driven through town a lot, so I was just tickled when they said they would like me to go to Weatherford,” he said.
Rev. Horton grew up in Pennsylvania as one of five preacher’s kids, but he initially was reluctant to choose that path in life.
“I had great respect for my dad,” he said. “I did not want to be a preacher though. I would complain bitterly about how awful my life was when I was young because I was the ‘preacher’s kid.’”
However, Rev. Horton gave his life to Christ in high school and immediately began feeling the call to pastor. Despite burying that feeling and selecting an unrelated college major at Pennsylvania State University, he said God continued to call to him until he answered. Horton then changed his major, moved to Oklahoma and attended Oklahoma City University for preministerial work.
In addition to his dad, Rev. Horton said he has had several people encourage him on his path to the ministry – from youth ministers and volunteer working in his church growing up to the campus minister at Penn State. His mother also prayed for many years he would choose this path.
Rev. Horton said his favorite part of working in the ministry is when he gets a “download,” or special insight, from God to pray for someone and a specific situation they may be facing.
“I might be in a restaurant, and God will say to me ‘Someone here needs ministry,’” he said. “I’ll then look around and say ‘OK Lord, who is it?’ It makes me so happy when God uses me to bless someone else.”
Rev. Horton and his wife have four daughters together. Their oldest has followed her father and grandfather into the ministry. After working as the campus minister in Weatherford, she took a similar position at Oklahoma City University.
Their youngest also works in the ministry as a communications director for the United Methodist Church in Edmond.
Their second daughter works for a petroleum research company, and their third daughter followed in her mother’s footsteps to become a registered nurse.