Hudson Lutherans welcome a Georgia pastor, former rocker, occasional golfer and pilot who decided it was time for a change.
By EBONY WINDOM
Published May 22, 2004
HUDSON - At the Rev. Kent Fuqua's farewell party, folks brought in fun favors: a beach ball, Hawaiian shirt and sunblock.
He was moving to Florida.
The sendoff marked his last day as pastor of Lord of Life Church in Stockbridge, Ga., a suburb south of Atlanta. Last month, Fuqua, 55, said goodbye to the 200-member congregation to accept a new call.
Weeks later, folks gathered for a similar fete.
They met for food and fellowship, only this time, there were all new faces in the crowd. For members of Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hudson, it was a chance to welcome Fuqua as their new pastor.
Now, Fuqua is beginning a new journey.
Framed photos decorate his new office, next to the sanctuary. One is of Arlene, his wife of 33 years. She will soon join Fuqua in Florida. Daughters Angie Morrell, 28, and Jennifer Jones, 23, are married and living in Georgia.
Stashed in the office closet is a shiny red electric guitar, reminiscent of Fuqua's college years as a rocker in the band Independence Road. Back then, he and his buddies would perform Beatles and Three Dog Night songs. Fuqua still enjoys playing guitar and singing, but these days, you won't find him belting out Hey Jude. He does plan to strum a few Christian tunes during worship services.
Fuqua hits the golf course from time to time. And he gets a thrill out of flying planes. For him, the knack began as a teen while living in Wichita, Kan., "the air capital of the world." Years ago, when he was certified as a private pilot, he flew for fun.
Years later, he used his skills to help others.
Fuqua says he and a group of missionaries would deliver much-needed medical supplies to an orphanage in Haiti. He was the pilot.
"They called us weekend warriors," he said.
Fuqua has dedicated three decades to the ministry. As a kid, he set his sights on becoming an FBI agent. Then, when he was 13, his father died. The family's pastor offered support for the family. He and a handful of church leaders would later double as mentors.
"My pastor really saw to it that my family stay together," Fuqua said. "I knew that I really wanted to do for others what my pastor did for me."
He says he has been working hard at that ever since. Fuqua spent 13 years as pastor of Lord of Life. Before that, he led Lake Wales Lutheran Church, in Florida, for 15 years.
"The ministry is more than just standing behind the pulpit on Sunday mornings," Fuqua said. "It's walking with people throughout the entirety of their lives and representing he who loved us first. That's why I do what I do."
This summer, Fuqua will offer Hope members a chance to brainstorm. He wants to draw people in. He plans to revamp the church's Web site, and there's talk of developing a new church brochure and mission statement.
It wasn't the easiest decision to come here, but the timing was right, he said. Before he left his former church, he says, there had been tough times.
"I knew my days were numbered there," Fuqua said. "Things that were happening in the congregation made that abundantly clear."
Fuqua and some folks at Lord of Life had been at odds, he says. Some members there disagreed about the church's direction.
When one outreach project failed in 2001, a few blamed the pastor. It was an afterschool tutoring program for neighborhood kids. A small computer lab was created. Only one child came for tutoring. It continued for a year with little interest, then fizzled. Members complained that money was wasted.
Last December, Fuqua proposed to sell the church building. He wanted to merge with another congregation and later, buy a new building. To Fuqua, outreach is key. But he said the folks in the neighborhood were too hard to reach. The area's new, gated apartment homes formed a barrier.
"I was advocating that it was time to move because the demographics around us were changing," Fuqua said, referring to the mostly minority community. "The people around us were those we did not have experience ministering to. I've done inner-city work before, but no matter what I do, I'll still be a white man in an African-American city."
Fuqua put his name on the denomination's "call list" with hopes of going elsewhere.
For the folks at Hope Evangelical, Fuqua was "the best match," says R.H. Pfister, president of the congregation.
This month Fuqua gave his first sermon at the 400-member church. After a yearlong vacancy, members here were glad to have him.
"I made a list of pros and cons of both congregations and did a lot of praying," Fuqua said about his decision to move. "It was a door that the Lord opened and it was hard not to walk through it. I'm glad I did."
