Riverside UMC pastor says church strives to be ‘a light on a hill’

“I think one of the things that held me back in my faith journey for a lot of years was feeling like Christians couldn’t have fun — and that’s just not true at all,” said the Rev. Chip Strickland, senior pastor at Riverside United Methodist Church.

Strickland isn’t a comedian, but he said he enjoys life, people and a good laugh — and that he doesn’t mind laughing at himself, either. He said he loved those things all the years he was a hydraulic and industrial hose salesman and he’s been enjoying them still throughout the 21 years of his second career as a minister.

“So what I try to do is be real with people and let them see I have more joy in my life now than ever,” he said. “We have freedom in Christ, not the opposite. People get the wrong idea these days that Christians have to live under a bunch of strict rules. But I say no, we live in freedom in Christ. Jesus said there are just two rules really: love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself. Do that and everything else works out. And besides, it’s a blast to love God and love your neighbors.”

Strickland said he enjoys injecting humor into his sermons and avoiding stuffiness — even while preaching from Riverside’s raised pulpit. He said that even from the lofty perch it’s still easy to show that preachers are real people, just like it is when he’s having fun in a dunking booth or catching pies in the face at church or community fairs.

“Hey, and I get upset when my football team loses and I’m pretty jubilant when they win, too,” he said. “Christian life is real life, but we get to know God and walk his way every day.”

Strickland said he left sales to become a pastor not because he was stressed out, but because his volunteer work in church and with youth took over and clearly became his calling.

“No, while most people say they get stressed out in sales, I loved every second,” he said. “But my volunteer work with youth was where my real joy came from. I fought full-time ministry for about three years but it finally became my burning desire. But even then, I only wanted to be a youth minister. Young people are real and don’t put up with a facade. I like that. After a while though, I felt God was pushing me to do more and showing me that I could still work with youth and disciple others as a senior pastor. So I said OK.”

Strickland, 51, is a Brunswick native, as is his wife, Tristan. They have two children and one grandchild. Strickland is a graduate of Coastal Community College in Brunswick, Armstrong State University in Savannah and Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta where he earned a Masters of Divinity degree. He has served as senior pastor at Kingsland First UMC and Guyton UMC and as associate pastor at St. Simons UMC and Mulberry Street UMC.

Strickland said it’s out of the enjoyment of loving God and people that compassionate ministry grows in his own life and in the church.

“Riverside UMC started in 1957 with the original group meeting at the Methodist Home for youth,” he said. “By ’59 or so, we moved up on the hill here and have been here ever since. This June starts the third year I’ve been here. We strive to be a light on a hill, like the Bible says, and we’re on quite a hill. We want to shine before others so they’ll see and glorify our heavenly father.”

Strickland said ways the church tries to be light in the community include work with the Rescue Mission of Middle Georgia, the Daybreak Center, the Methodist Home and Wesley Glen Ministries.

“There’s so much darkness in the world. We want to allow God to shine his light through us in all kinds of ways,” Strickland said. “In doing that, we want to share the gospel. For me, it’s better to share the gospel through actions and show people Christ’s love and grace. But there is a time for words, absolutely.”

Other ministries Strickland highlights at Riverside UMC is Riverside Children’s Center and, during the summer, Camp Riverside. He said that for decades the children’s center has been a warm, safe environment serving children ages 6 weeks to 4 years old. About 100 children attend.

“I get to do a little lesson every week with songs and a talk and coloring sheet they take home,” Strickland said. “It’s a blast. You never know what’s going to come out of their mouths when you ask a rhetorical question or something. Kids are great.”

He also highlighted the church’s active Boy Scout Troop 008; ministry with other churches to school children, where the church packs 350 to 400 weekend meal bags to give away; and his own community chaplaincy work with hospitals, law enforcement, youth sports teams and other groups.

And he said a major event at the church happens every Christmas season when Riverside’s hill truly lights up even more than usual.

“We’ve been known for doing the drive-through nativity presentation for over 20 years,” Strickland said. “As people drive around we have live animals and there are people at different stations creating scenes like a census being taken in Bethlehem, the angel visiting Mary and all the different things surrounding Christ’s birth. People really enjoy that.”

Strickland said that although Riverside emphasizes service to others, the church also has emphasized keeping its almost 10 acres natural with plenty of trees and natural landscape. He said that instead of stained glass in the sanctuary, members opt for scenic views of their peaceful setting.

“I say I like to enjoy life and nature and have fun, but I also take seriously the importance of the message of God’s love we have,” Strickland said. “I seriously want others to experience the joy of what I’ve experienced. What gets me is how every time I speak in front of people, I’m not nervous about being up front — that’s not the nervous part for me. What is is the awesome responsibility that the things I say and do have eternal consequences. I want to be very prepared and deliberate, then express the joy that comes from such great truth.”

This story was originally published January 18, 2017 at 10:25 AM with the headline "Riverside UMC pastor says church strives to be ‘a light on a hill’."