By RJ Walters, Editor
Terry Euper isn’t a man who hungers for accolades or notoriety, but he is exactly the kind of United Methodist leader the church draws its strength from.
June 30 was the Reverend’s final day of seven years of service as the clergy assistant to the Bishop, the final stop on a 42 –year ministry expedition that included pastoring at multiple local church stops and a 5-year stint as a district superintendent.
The Detroit Annual Conference in May was a sort of reflective celebration for Euper and his wife Jackie — also newly retired, from her position of project director for the Flint District — and it gave confidants young and old a chance to appreciate the wit and wisdom of a family who has helped define the path of the conference for years and generations.
Annual conference as a stepping stone
As a high school junior in 1963 Terry was still getting familiar with the church. He was active in his congregation in Whitmore Lake and had his sights set on college — which in his mind meant preparing for an education at the University of Michigan.
That is until his pastor Rev. William Johnson asked him to join him as a church delegate for annual conference at Adrian College. His parents were already going as adult delegates, so he figured ‘why not?’
“I believe in the call of ministry, that people are called to be in the ministry, but I also believe that my pastor, Rev. William Johnson, somehow saw something and he helped to shape and focus that cause,” Terry said. “He was finding ways to use gifts and talents I didn’t even know I had.”
He said he was riveted by the fact the United Methodist Church was much bigger than the small congregation he came from, and he also became “fascinated by (the idea of) being part of a community on that small a campus.”
So four years after first meeting Jackie at middle school youth group, and after his first major church conference, Eueper’s path started pointing toward Adrian College, where he developed many of the skills needed for a career in ministry.
By 1972 he was an official conference clergyman and as he puts it, “God has surprised me every step of the way,” ever since.
A legacy that spans the family name
It’s hard to wipe a smile from Euper’s face when he’s talking about what God has done in his life.
