Pastor Skidmore: ‘I am honored and privileged to be here’

MINGO – In this day and age, a good friend is hard to come by as maintaining a relationship with someone requires a lot of patience and understanding.

Despite this difficulty, the new pastor at Mingo United Methodist Church believes developing a strong relationship with the community is one of the most rewarding aspects of the job.

“It’s pretty important to have a friend and to know that somebody cares,” Pastor Duane Skidmore said. “Human beings are pretty much the same. We all have the good parts of our lives. We all have the losses. Pretty much people are people. We all need somebody sometime.”

In November, Mingo United Methodist Church welcomed Skidmore not only as the new pastor, but as a new friend to the community.

“I have been so accepted here. They have gone out of their way to make me feel home here. It is like I have always been here,” he said. “It’s just comfortable.”

Throughout his life, the Ohio native has been jumping around from job to job, and place to place. After doing everything from joining the Navy to selling insurance, Skidmore began his journey as a pastor in 1996, when he was about 50 years old.

“I heard God’s call when I was 18 years old, but I didn’t pay any attention though,” Skidmore said. “I felt drawn to the ministry. I just thought about working in that capacity quite a bit, but I was young and there was a lot of things to do.”

Although Skidmore found a permanent home in Colfax with his wife, Sheryll, he continued hopping around Iowa, serving a variety of United Methodist churches in Killduff, Reasnor, Laurel, Gilman, Prairie City, Booneville and Des Moines.

“I have always pastored churches that are small. I am not a big time pastor,” he said. “I have always been small town — born and raised in a small town, so I identify with the farm community.”

Throughout his career as a pastor, Skidmore said he visited a lot of people in need, and discovered that building and maintaining friendships is the key to being the type of pastor that he would like to be.

“I get to go see people when they are really in trouble — when they are in the hospital, when they are in nursing homes, when they have been hurt, when they have lost somebody. It might sound morbid, but I get to meet people when they are at their most honest place in their life,” he said. “There is no better time to meet people without all the fences they throw up. They are honest with you and you can see the places where they need healing. I think that is what I am best at. I do that better than preaching.”

Since he was installed as the new pastor for the United Methodist churches in Mingo and Farrar, Skidmore has been driving his truck around the area, meeting many people in the community.

In this short time, the 72-year-old said the community has welcomed him in and he has already developed several strong relationships with the residents.

“Not too long ago, we baptized a woman who was only four, five weeks away from death,” he said. “People in this church said, ‘This woman has a problem. Physically, she is in trouble. Why don’t you go see her. She has never darkened the doors of this church before, but she and her husband are wonderful people.’”

According to Skidmore, he began visiting this woman at their home regularly. He met her husband, and after a few visits, he built a meaningful relationship with the couple.

“I remember sitting at the table, holding her hand, holding her husband’s hand and just being there and listening,” he said. “You can’t imagine what just being there does to a person.”

Skidmore said he became a friend of the family, and soon after, the woman decided she wanted to be baptized in the church.

“The fact that the congregation opened that door for me to visit her and her husband just was one of those God things,” he said. “I was involved. They were involved. God was involved. It is a sweet situation when you get that all working together.”

The woman died in December. Skidmore said despite him only knowing her for a short time, he will never forget his visits and their friendship.

“To be able to bring them into a lifetime relationship with God, the body of Christ and the church is an awesome privilege and responsibility,” he said. “I wouldn’t have had the opportunity if the people in this church hadn’t have been good neighbors.”

Although the pastor’s stint in these two towns will end in July, the 72-year-old said he has been extremely happy and privileged to call this area home.

“I’ve been in a number of churches. I can’t think of any of them where I have felt more accepted at, more loved, more supported or more a part of than these two churches,” he said. “It might be the best experience I’ve had in the church since I have been a pastor.”

The pastor typically leads Sunday worship services at 9 a.m. at the Farrar United Methodist Church and at 10:45 a.m. at the Mingo United Methodist Church.

For more information, call 641-363-4229.

Contact Anthony Victor Reyes at areyes@jaspercountytribune.com