By Terry L. Hapney, Jr.
The Ironton Tribune

The Ironton Ministerial Association invites everyone to the Community Thanksgiving Service at 6 p.m. Sunday at Ironton First Methodist, 101 N 5th St.
Pastor Rob Hale of the Ironton First Church of the Nazarene and member of the Association said Ironton area churches have gathered for decades to celebrate during the Thanksgiving season.
The Ironton High School Chamber Ensemble, under the direction of William Gilbert who is the assistant marching band director of the Ironton Million Dollar Marching Band, will perform.
“I know I speak for all of the pastors being so very thankful for the students in the Chamber Ensemble and William Gilbert for partnering with us to bring in the holiday season,” Hale said.
“After a long hiatus, the IHS Chamber Ensemble is looking forward to performing for the community again,” Gilbert said. “We hope to see you there!”
Ironton First Methodist’s new pastor—Brian Davis—is a minister affiliated with the Global Methodist Church; he will deliver the Thanksgiving message. There is also congregational singing planned. Then everyone who attends will enjoy finger foods and desserts.
Davis who is a minister of 13 years came to Ironton from the Hocking Hills area where his family spent 12 years. Prior to that, they were in Logan.
“When this opportunity opened up for us to come here we were very excited,” Davis said. “My wife, Teresa, is from here.”
Davis met and married his wife—then she moved north to live with him.
“For 25 years she tried to get me to come back,” he said.
Teresa finally succeeded. They have been part of the Ironton community since June.
Davis, 63, did not have a church background in his early years.
He was 48 and living in Zanesville at the time when he felt God calling and pushing him toward what God wanted him to do.
“I basically got tired of fighting with God and said yes,” he said. “I fought it for six or seven years.”
Davis has always been a Methodist—first as a United Methodist until disaffiliating and moving to Global Methodist.
Teresa has three children in the local area, along with four grandchildren. Brian has two children—one in New Orleans and one in Zanesville, with two grandchildren in Zanesville.
When Davis was first hired, he said church leaders asked him about his first impression of the community. He said it was not favorable.
They asked him again after being here a while.
“I found life,” he said. “Once I stopped, took a breath, and actually looked at what was going on in the community and looked at the people who are here, I found life. That has been exciting to me to actually stop and look within the community and find the people here who are excited about their community. They’re excited about the future for their own children and grandchildren. The people here are excited about their church.”