40 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com difficulty, we have maintained faith, trust and belief, and we have more to be thankful for than to complain about. We have so much to be grateful for, so there will be a lot of noise. Our wounds have been healed, our hearts are full because even in chaotic times, God has been with us in all things, whether we are high on the mountain or low in the valley. God is with us through it all.” As a lifelong member of the AME church, Pastor McPherson grew up in Edisto and started pastoring in 2014. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve understood and realized we go to church to be revived, to rejoice and to remember what we have endured and overcome and be thankful,” he said, adding that, “We are blessed to be a blessing. We don’t need to wait for a holiday or a season for us to give. We have opportunities all year to do good work - and that doesn’t mean it has to be monetary. A word of encouragement, doing the right thing from the heart or being a good Samaritan can be just as important.” Pastor McPherson also said that Greater Goodwill’s motto is that “Our church doors swing on welcome hinges and are open to everyone because the model is: God our Father, Christ our Redeemer, Holy Spirit our comforter and humankind our family.” Four decades after the founding of the AME Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was given by revelation from God to Joseph Smith in 1838, according to stake president Reed Smith, who attended four years of seminary every day before high school. After graduating from Brigham Young University, Smith traveled to Australia and Papua New Guinea as a missionary. Today, The Church has requested him to become the regional leader over all of Charleston from Walterboro to Awendaw, from the metropolitan area to Interstate 95. Working with the 12 bishops across the Charleston area, Smith helps guide The Church on what to focus on at the local level, as well as working with members through significant challenges in their lives. “I love the interaction with church members, encouraging them to treat each other in a Christlike way,” said Smith. “There is so much good in serving others, getting to know them and helping them work through the issues in their lives.” With 150-500 members per congregation in his territory, Smith said, “We have a big focus on families, which includes a strong youth ministry program to help boys and girls learn more. We also welcome women in leadership roles just as much as men.” Smith also emphasized The Church’s outreach program during the Christmas season, which offers a “giving machine,” a sort of vending mechanism where members can buy charitable gifts like clothes and shoes for the unhoused or low-income families to donate locally, as well as around the world (Smith added one such option could even include purchasing a goat for a family in Africa). This spirit of Christmas can be extended year-round, Smith said, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Stake President Reed Smith. our town Greater Goodwill AME Church - Pastor Clinton McPherson.
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